Authentic learning and multimedia in history education

Abstract

The momentum gathering behind authentic learning/critical skills raises fundamental issues concerning teaching and learning. This article discusses some of the more general arguments surrounding authentic learning with particular reference to an in‐depth evaluation of its impact on schools in one part of Great Britain. It then moves on to describe how this approach to teaching and learning influenced the design of a multimedia CD‐ROM examining attitudes and policies towards poverty in the nineteenth century Glasgow. The article concludes by arguing that authentic learning and multimedia together create a powerful medium for learning by mirroring the methodology and sources used by historians.

Keywords:

• history
• enquiry
• authentic
• learning
• multimedia
• Barnhill