The Shift from Teaching to Learning: How Well Designed for the Shift are University‐level History Teacher Training Programmes?

Abstract

The author, the President of EUROCLIO, a major association of European history teachers, considers the present state of history teacher preparation in the universities of Europe. Her primary complaint is that university programmes that are intended primarily for the training and preparation of future historians may neglect the needs of students planning to teach history in middle or in secondary schools. Typical university undergraduate history programmes tend to be overly academic, failing to provide enough in the way of pedagogical training. Thus the author recommends a strong dose of pedagogical methods courses as well as practical training for future history teachers. Other European organizations, particularly the Council of Europe and the European Union, are taking an interest in the ways in which history is being taught in the schools of their member states. The article ends with a survey of some recent conferences sponsored by these two organizations as well as by EUROCLIO on pedagogical and topical aspects of history teaching.