Teaching History in a Place with a Different History: Theory, Policy, and Practice in the United States and England

Competing visions of history teaching and learning often intersect as teacher candidates attempt to reconcile research in history education and their individual conceptions of the discipline with the realities of schools. Focusing on three teacher candidates who student taught in both the United States and England, this chapter utilizes qualitative data such as formal classroom observations, multiple interviews, curriculum materials, and the written work of teacher candidates. The study suggests the critical role of structural and environmental factors in shaping the identities of history teachers and the meanings of historical inquiry in classrooms. The research emphasizes the potential of clinical experiences in teacher education, both separate and in conjunction with undergraduate work in history, as the key but underappreciated link between the inquiry of historians and the contested nature of the discipline in secondary classrooms and beyond.