PD for History teachers in Vic, Australia 29th Nov 2012

1. Teachers New to VCE History
Revolutions
Dr Catherine Hart
chart@brightongrammar.vic.edu.au

2. Purpose of this session
• Familiarisation with official documentation
• Advice on planning and structure
• Assessment advice – SACs and EXAM
• Scaffolds, tasks and resources – examples
All advice will be generic and applicable to all four
revolutions but examples drawn from
Russia and France in this session

3. Official Documentation
• VCAA Study Design (accredited 2005-2014)
• VCAA Study Summary
• VCAA Assessment Handbook
• VCAA Past Examination Papers
• VCAA Exam Assessment Reports
• VCAA School-assessment Audit and Review
Program Cover Sheets (Units 3 and 4)
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/studies/history/revolutio
ns/revolutionindex.aspx

4. Structure – VCE Revs Units 3 & 4
In developing a course teachers should select two of
the following Revolutions. One each for Units 3 & 4.
• The American Revolution
• The French Revolution
• The Russian Revolution
• The Chinese Revolution
The Revolutions can be studied in any sequence and
order. Students must write on TWO revolutions in the
end of year exam.

5. Each revolution has TWO Areas of Study – both of which need
to be explored. Each Area of Study has an associated outcome
that the student needs to demonstrate
Area of Study 1: Revolutionary ideas, leaders, movements and
Events
Outcome: The student should be able to evaluate the role of ideas,
leaders, movements and events in the development of the revolution
Area of Study 2: Creating a new society
Outcome: The student should be able to analyse the challenges facing
the emerging new order and the way in which attempts were made to
create a new society, and evaluate the nature of the society created by
the revolution.

6. Key dates – get them right!
For example:
The Russian Revolution
AOS 1: Revolutionary ideas, movements, leaders and events
1905 (Bloody Sunday) to October 1917 (Bolshevik Revolution)
AOS 2: Creating a new society
November 1917 (initial decrees ) to 1924 (the death of Lenin)
See Study Design
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/studies/history/revolutions
/revolutionindex.aspx

7. Assessments
Weighting of Assessment Tasks in Units 3 and 4:
Unit 3 SACs: 25%
Unit 4 SACs: 25%
End of year exam: 50%

8. SACs
The following four assessment tasks must be taken
over Units 3 and 4 (one per AOS/Outcome)
• Research report (12.5%)
• Analysis of visual and/or written documents (12.5%)
• Historiographical exercise (12.5%)
• Essay (12.5%)

9. Exam (refer to 2011 Exam)
Length: 2 hours (+ 10 mins reading time)
Four parts worth 20 marks each (80 marks total)
Revolution 1 Revolution 2
Section A: Two short answer questions Section B: “Text” Analysis
(AOS 1) (AOS 1)
Section A: “Text” Analysis Section B:
(AOS 2)

10. Revolution 1 Revolution 2
Section A: Two short answer questions Section B: “Text” Analysis
(AOS 1) (AOS 1)
Section A: “Text” Analysis Section B:
(AOS 2)
Allocate which revolution students should focus
on each Section. Points to consider?
Which revolution should be studied first? Points to
consider?
Refer to 2011 Assessor’s Report

11. Should SACs mimic the exam?
1. Use variety in teaching & 2. Base Teaching & SACs on
SACs External Exam skills
Put high priority on educational Place priority on training students
goals: for November
(a) teach & assess for Teach and assess for performance
understanding in exam
(b) teach & assess for individual
differences
Advantage – better learning Advantage – better results?
Disadvantage – less solid Disadvantage – poorer teaching,
preparation for exam less variety, less catering for
(NB internal SACs are moderated individual learning needs
against external exam scores)

12. Which way is best?
• Teaching phase – emphasize variety, individual
student needs, discovery methods
• Consolidation phase (immediately prior to
SAC) more academic?
• Final revision phase (before exam) practice
past questions.

13. SACs
• Same time, mark allocation and format as
exam?
• Same conditions – no notes/cheat sheets?

14. Planning
• Approx 15 weeks per Revolution
• Study design has suggested weekly planner
(pp138-139)
• See booklet
Formal planning essential – the VCAA audits
your SACs

15. AOS 1 – Revolutionary ideas, movements, leaders and
events (MILE)
• Start with historiography – definition and explanations
• The key schools and their main arguments about the
• origins of the outbreak of Revolution
• Significant historians within each period (see Booklet
• pp 45-53)
• Individual historians with their specific interpretations
• See pp143-150 Student Design for main historians

16. • Approach chronologically
• Familiarise students with country under study
• (maps and stats)
Long term causes of the revolution
The nature of the Old Regime (the wood):
Political, Economic, Social, Opposition
How did these aspects contribute to
grievances within the Old Regime?

17. Short term causes of the revolution (the spark)
Ideas and Ideologies Movements
Key thinkers Groups – social groups from top to bottom
Key works or political tracts Armed forces
How did they challenge foundations of Old Political Parties
regime?
Who was influenced by these ideas?
Can ideas on their own spark a revolution?
Revolutionary Leaders Revolutionary events
Key individuals and protagonists Causes and consequences
How did their actions contribute to rev Significance of event
situation? Chain of events
Who did they inspire/appeal to? Inevitable or a series of accidents?
How did other leaders unintentionally
contribute to rev?

18. AOS 1 SACs
AOS 1 in exam:
• Two short Answers
• “Text” response (often visual representation)
Could use: Research report, historiography exercise or
Visual/Document analysis
Form of SAC requires some thought – need to consider
which Rev for which part of EXAM

19. One way of arranging course and SACS
Part A – French Revolution
AOS 1- Research Report and Short Answer
AOS 2 – Historiography exercise
Part B – Russian Revolution
AOS 1 – Visual/document analysis
AOS 2 – Argumentative Analysis

20. “Text” Analysis
Instructional terms must be understood
Primary source or secondary source
Type a, b, c and d questions – explicitly teach

21. AOS 2 –Creating a new society
Key themes:
• Aims and Goals of the revolution
• Why did the rev go off course?
• Crisis/challenge/obstacle and response
• Who benefitted/ Who lost?
• Change or continuity?

22. The importance of Generic Questions
• What are they?
• Recognition of them enables
more predictable preparation
• But need for care - they may also encourage
rote learning of prepared answers

23. Generic Essay questions – Revolutions
Typically in Revolutions the essay sections focuses on
three basic types of questions
1. Change and Continuity – what aspects of the old regime
changed? what aspects remained essentially similar?
after the Rev
2. Revolutionary instability – Why did the new revolutionary
regime fail to consolidate?
3. Revolutionary Ideals – To what extent were revolutionary
ideals/aims/ expectations achieved?
See Booklet pp56-61

24. Exit card
1 new idea
1 question
1 thing you’ll try