Summary of Unit 2

Academic History deals mainly with the substance of the past – content arranged according to

the Historian’s perspectives-with accompanying notions of continuity, regress, progress and

change.

These key concepts provide the foundation of History, without it History becomes a story

without shape and structure.

Concepts of History: Colony, industrialization, democracy and development

A concept is an idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics and

particulars

Key concepts in History are: Chronology, Change, Continuity, Cause and effect

Teachers should be aware that most of the historical concepts we teach at primary school are

quite abstract in nature. Consequently children may find difficulties to grasp such ideas because

at their age they are evolving at a predominately concrete stage of cognitive development.

Therefore children need to be explained through concrete examples and through such activities

as: handling, cutting, drawing and coloring in order to ensure real understanding.

1. Concepts simplify the task of learning History. The amount of historical knowledge

prevalent around us is quite enormous. There are a number of books and various other

sources of information available on various aspects of our past. For pupils to read all of

these information is not possible.

Example 1: Someone who knows such concepts as colonization, exploitation,

slavery can understand similar situation in a different context

Example 2: To have an understanding of wars it is not necessary to read about all

the wars in History but develop a good understanding of the concept wars:

What does war mean?

What consequences does it entail?

Does it have a positive or negative impact on the country?

2. Concepts become a tool for further learning. Pupils who have developed an

understanding of a set of concepts will use them to learn future concepts. For example:

Learn about the concept of development Progress Law and Order

3. Concept teaching is child-centered approach. It involves the child and makes reference

to what he can see and experience. Teaching historical facts in isolation is subject-

centered and may not be very appealing to children as they have to remember a lot of

information.

Key concepts of Historical Thinking that underpin all thinking and learning in History:

1. Historical significance

2. Cause and consequence

3. Continuity and change

4. Historical perspectives

1. Historical significance

This concept requires students to determine the importance of something (issue, event,

development, person, place and interactions) in the past. Historical importance is determined

generally by the impact of something on a group of people and whether its effects are long

lasting.

What impact did French Revolution had on the issue of slavery in Mauritius?

Why does Mauritian population comprise of different ethnic groups?

How did abolition of slavery affect the development of sugar industry in the country?

2. Cause and consequence

This concept requires students to determine the factors that affected or led to something (an

event, situation, action, interaction) as well as its impact/effects. Pupils should be trained to

look for cause and effects to explain historical events. This exercise requires pupils to operate

at a higher level of thinking. This entails that pupils develop the capacity to analyze a

situation. They further develop an understanding of the complexity of causes and

consequences.

Something may be caused by more than one factor and many consequences both intended

and unintended.

What was the consequence of the Dutch settlement on the fauna and flora of the

island?

Why did the French decided to settle in Mauritius?

3. Continuity and change

This concept requires students to determine what has stayed the same and what has changed

over a period of time. Continuity and change can be referred to:

Ways of life

Political parties

Economic parties

Relationship with the environment

Social values and beliefs

Students make judgments about continuity and change by making comparisons between

some point in the past and the present or between two points in the past.

Why is Farquar’s administration referred to as the period of change and continuity?

How has the life of the people changed or remained the same after independence?

4. Historical Perspectives

This concept requires students to analyze past actions, events, developments and issues

within the context of the time in which they occurred. This means understand the social,

cultural, political, economic, intellectual context, and the personal values and beliefs that

shaped people’s lives and actions. Students learn that in any given historical period, people

may have diverse perspectives on the same event, development or issue.

What were the facts that led to the arriving of the Indian Indentured Labourers in

Mauritius?

How was the living and working condition of the Indian Indentured Labourers?

Time sense in History

Developing time and space sense among the people is found as the most complicated task

by teachers

Time and space are in fact two of the most abstract concepts in History

All the events of History have occurred at a definite time so History devoid of this sense

of time and space is nothing but a story.

Measuring of Time sense

Time sense refers to the ability of establishing a relationship between the various events.

Time is a focal point or some definite point

It helps in understanding the flow of various events of society in the order they have

occurred

Elements of Time sense

Location, distance and duration - 3 elements which constitute time relations

Location of time – most historical facts are localized and not indefinite

Location of an event refers to its placing on the Long line of time so that it may enable to

measure its distance from us.

By location we mean determining the events with the help of dates and periods. For

developing a time sense in the pupils or to teach the concept of time teachers can use:

a. Time chart

b. Time line

A. Time chart

It consists of a list of pictures pasted on it indicating the description of a particular

period/event. The main use of time chart is to provide a chronological framework within

which events and developments may be recorded

B. Time line

Quite helpful in developing time sense in an effective and easy way

It provides the pupils a scientific knowledge about dates of history

Match the dates with the correct pictures

2. Meaning of space sense

The location, direction and distance forms the basic elements of the space sense.

Teacher can make use of various devices such as maps, charts etc.

Maps

The most commonly used symbol for the representation of space. It shows location,

direction, distance, extent, area, land and water forms.

It conveys information about distribution of people, animal and vegetable life, climate,

economic resource etc. it helps visualizing important historical happenings.

Through oral and written accounts we cannot understand and appreciate properly

Pupils should be initiated in the art of drawing maps since the beginning of school

instruction

Teacher should first try to make the pupil familiar or with the general lay out of the map

drawing

Give the idea of directions, scale and other symbols

Pupils should then be asked to draw map of their own locality- their experiences widens/

drawing of sketch maps of their town, country and finally the world.

At every stage they need to have a clear understanding of location, distance and direction

Teaching Time to lower primary pupils

Ascertain that children at the lower primary understand the concept of:

1. Clock-time (hours & minutes)

2. Calendar time (days, weeks & months)

3. Historical times which deals with events over the years and centuries

Exercises can be done orally during the English and French lessons:

Yesterday it was Sunday. 1 did not to school.

Today is Monday. 1 am going to school.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. 1 will go to school.

Such exercises may help the teacher confirm whether the child understands the concept of time

and distinguishes between the past, the present and future

In Standard III, time is also explained, through the personal experience of a child which is

presented on a time line. With the help of the teacher, the child records events from his/her

memory and tries to order in a chronological way:

1. Develop the skills of ordering and sequencing

2. Recall facts

3. Example: Grouping all pupils born in one particulars month

Time and Space: Studying the locality – past and present

Lower primary

Study space in the classroom and in the school yard

Move to the location of the school, their house and the street where they live

Deal mainly in the real and the present; reason from what they can see around them

Plan of school locality

STD IV

Children already understood time, they can elaborate on the concept of change happening in the

locality; they can note old and new buildings and their use, means of transport.

Discover information for themselves through interviewing elders

Note the occupation of people living there.

Find out how old is their school

STD V & VI

Explain agricultural and industrial activities in certain localities for history and

geography lessons.

Through questionnaires involve parents or other elders in the locality to provide

information to pupils about different interesting sites and events that happened in the

school area

Pay particular attention to the specificities of each place (rural, urban, coastal and others)

and the activities that are carried out in each area (agricultural, industrial, fishing or

administrative)

Study the life of people in earlier periods of history

Different historical events are analyzed in more depth

Children go further than recalling events and remembering 'when' and 'where' they

happened

Link events with causes and consequences.

Teaching Causes and Consequences

Lower primary questions:

When did an event happen?

Where did it happen?

What were the activities of the people involved?

Upper primary:

Deal with more complex situations where they need to find out why events occurred and what

were their consequences?

For example: 19th century witnessed important socio - economic changes. The most important

was the development of the sugar industry. Since pupils are required to study the concept of

change in Time and Space, this topic provides an excellent opportunity for pupils to understand

change and development at a particular time in a particular period in the history of the country.

Teachers are required to guide their students in the teaching and learning of the various aspects

of the development and explain the different stages and the important changes. An example is

provided below:

Mauritius and the Sugar Industry Great Britain depended on its colonies for certain items of food

and raw materials. Mauritian planters were therefore encouraged to develop the sugar industry.

When taxes on sugar exported to Great Britain were reduced in 1825, important changes

followed:

The increasing need for labour

The area under sugarcane cultivation increased

Steam mills were introduced in the production of sugar

Centralisation of mills and estates started in the second half of the 19th century

The production increased

Key questions:

What do you understand by concepts? Name a few important historical concepts.

Why is it important to teach history around concepts?

How would you teach Time and Space to primary pupils?