What is History is What is Illustrated. The Utilization and Function of Images in History Coursebooks in Poland and Britain.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2020.0917.03
Keywords: visual culture, Polish & British educational contexts, history teaching, ELT, critical thinking

Abstract

In a society which is increasingly visual, and the teaching of history and critical thinking so important in an age of post-truth and fake news, the words of the Swedish poet, Linn Hansén, seem particularly apt: what is history, is what is illustrated. The images found in history coursebooks help learners to imagine the past, providing a visual aid to support learning, but they can also be used to foster critical thinking by treating the images as historical sources in themselves.

This paper presents the results of a pilot study conducted on the functions of images contained in Polish and British history coursebooks using a proprietary paradigm developed on the basis of existing scholarship in English Language Teaching. It shows that the pedagogical functions of images in history coursebooks vary greatly between the two educational contexts. In Britain, images are typically treated as historical sources in themselves, whilst in Poland they typically perform more of a decorative function. The paper closes with a number of recommendations for further research and publishers of history coursebooks.

Author Biography

Aeddan Shaw, Jesuit University of Education Ignatianum/ Jagiellonian University

Aeddan Shaw is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Modern Languagesat the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Kraków, and Senior Lecturer at the Jagiellonian University, Institute of English Studies. His main research interests are in the methodology of teaching, particularly the matter of Active Learning in higher education, the philosophy of language and travel writing, particularly the work of Jack Kerouac, Andrzej Stasiuk and Ryszard Kapuściński.

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Published
2020-06-30
How to Cite
Shaw, A. (2020). What is History is What is Illustrated. The Utilization and Function of Images in History Coursebooks in Poland and Britain . Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education, 9(1(17), 47-60. https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2020.0917.03
Issue
Vol. 9 No. 1(17) (2020): Language and the Visual Arts in Education
Section
Thematic Articles
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