Orienting with Historical Consciousness

Abstract

Historical consciousness can offer a theoretical understanding of how the history curriculum ‘Purpose of Study’ and the Key Stage 2 primary school aims and contents are positioned with telling the story of Britain’s past. This chapter introduces four typologies of historical consciousness: Traditional, Exemplary; Critical; Genetic. In exploring possibilities for decolonising the Key Stage 2 primary school history curriculum, the ‘critical’ and ‘genetic’ orientations with ‘historical consciousness’ are applied to the concept of ‘transformative critical multicultural education’. Finally, these typologies of ‘historical consciousness’ are used to understand how White-British trainee-teachers are orientated with seeing British history, and what they view as most important to them for teaching and learning the story of Britain’s past in the Key Stage 2 classroom.