ABSTRACT
History is complicated – the sheer extent of the past and the complexity of human life in its various forms can make history appear overwhelming. At the same time, the way in which we create an understanding of the past is a sophisticated, intellectual exercise, and often results in competing views of what happened. Given this degree of difficulty it is not surprising that history presents challenges for many adults, and so it is natural that history in schools will offer a simplified version of history for young people. Yet the question of how far history should be simplified, without it degenerating into a ‘mythologised’ past is central to many debates about how to teach history. The extracts presented here explore different aspects of this issue and consider how to maintain a balance between complexity and simplification. The first sets out some of the dilemmas and the need to develop period sensitivity, the second explores the issue of stereotyping and the third examines the use of analogies in history teaching.
