History

To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to be ever a child. For what is the value of human life unless it is interwoven with past events by the records of history?” Marcus Cicero (106-43 BC).

History is constantly evolving; no longer is it viewed or taught as a subject driven by mundane facts and dates, but rather it has evolved to encapsulate the essence of what it means to be human. History looks at the moments that have shaped our past that ultimately define our present. Through vibrant imagery and storytelling, students learn about the past in a way that is relevant to them.

History teaches students empathy and what it means to be a part of a bigger picture; it equips students with the tools to understand the world in which they live so that they shape a deliberate future for all South Africans.

The invaluable skills which one acquires through the study of History include:

1. An ability to think critically.
2. An ability to argue logically.
3. An ability to weigh evidence and make intelligent judgements.
4. An ability to think in terms of abstracts and metaphor; to extrapolate information.
5. An ability to identify cause and consequence, thereby gaining a sense of responsibility for actions.
6. An ability to express thought clearly, concisely and accurately.
7. An ability to research thoroughly.
8. An ability to empathise with others and understand divergent viewpoints.
9. An ability to remember details.
10. An ability to respect and understand the psychology of other cultures and people in the context of their past.

In the study of History, the following concepts are pertinent:

• Evaluating sources and evidence: History is not the past itself. It is the interpretation and explanation of information from various sources. Evidence is created when sources are used to answer questions about the past.
• Multiple perspectives: There are many ways of looking at the same thing. These perspectives may be the result of different points of view of people in the past according to their position in society, the different ways in which historians have written about them, and the different ways in which people today see the actions and behaviour of people of the past.
• Cause and effect: This is the reason for events and their results. They can influence future events and help explain human behaviour.
• Change and continuity: Over a period of time, it is possible to contrast what has changed and what has remained the same. Closely related contrasts that are used to teach History are ‘similarity and difference’, related to ‘then and now’, which help to make sense of the past and the present.
• Time and chronology: History is studied and written in time sequence. It is important to be able to place events in the order in which they happened. Timelines are often used to develop this concept.