Teachers' Toolbox

The Teachers' Toolbox assists teachers by providing easy access to 'how to guides' that support teaching strategies and pedagogy. It also offers the busy classroom teacher 'brain food' about the latest in research and thinking on teaching history.

Currently in the Toolbox

Brain food
Reviews and summaries of selected articles relating to teaching history. Latest addition: "It Ain't Necessarily So" (Porgy and Bess). The role of school history in a meaningful education.
Paragraph writing
Essential skill for any good history essay
Coping with Year 13 resource interpretation
Contributed by Liz Hay from Wellington East Girls College
An introduction to historical sources
'Introduction to historical sources' is part of a wider initiative by Archives New Zealand Christchurch Regional Office - The Digital Schools project - that can be used in class to explain the differences between historical sources as well as providing an overview of holdings on specific themes.
Māori language sources
Links to history content on the web written in te reo Māori
Using 'This Week in NZ History'
Ideas for using our calendar of New Zealand history events for classroom activities.
The Ministry of Education�s LEOTC programmes
All of these providers run hands on, interactive, curriculum linked programmes that can be tailored to the class visiting. Learning outcomes are negotiated with teachers prior to visits and programmes are undertaken to support an in-class unit of work. Follow this link for Ministry providers, the Essential Learning Areas supported by LEOTC and their regional distribution: LEOTC poster (pdf)
But how much is that in today's money?
I don't know how many times I was asked by students, or had to figure out how much something in the 'olden days' was worth in today�s money. Well the Reserve Bank via its nifty New Zealand CPI Inflation Calculator has come up with the quick solution. Give it a go. It should help give students a sense of the relative value of things. Check it out at: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/0135595.html

Feedback

If you have material that is suitable for the Toolbox please contact us. We are building a resource bank that reflects the practices and needs of teachers in this country.

Send feedback to Steve Watters: [email protected]