Twenty years of history through drama

In 1974, John Fines and Ray Verrier published The Drama of History which became a source of pedagogical inspiration for history teachers in the UK. This article begins by reviewing the influence of history through drama both as an approach to teaching and learning in classrooms and within the ‘Living History’ movement, which seeks to bring history alive on sites of historic interest. However, like Fines and Verrier, the author's principal interest is in work focused in the classroom which seeks to teach history by drawing on drama strategies wedded to active learning techniques. On the face of it, the introduction of a National Curriculum for history posed a serious threat to the continuation of such pedagogical practices; an overcrowded programme of study, increased emphasis on the acquisition of historical knowledge and pressure from the Right predicted a return to traditional teaching methods. Diminished local support arising from the partial collapse of local education authority structures also betokened the demise of history through drama. The evidence, however, suggests that although teaching style was constrained for a short time while teachers were coming to terms with the National Curriculum, they have held on to their commitment to a mode of pedagogic operation that they value highly. The data on which this observation is based were collected by interview from heads of history in ten state comprehensive schools in 1994. These demonstrated the extent to which history through drama is again being practised in their schools and justified its use in terms of a number of social and educational objectives. This indicates that history teachers have shown a willingness to mediate and interpret the new curriculum rather than be enslaved by it.