ABSTRACT
In this article, I defend the idea that History in High School is not teachable. To support that statement, I argue the following: 1) historical events (res gestae) are informative and explanatory in nature, and therefore cannot be taught; 2) the concept of teaching presumes the appropriation of knowledge that can be adapted and applied to other circumstances, time and space, which is not the case of History, since events do not repeat themselves. To illustrate my point of view, I analyse the expressions “historical consciousness” by the historian Jörn Rüsen and “to think historically” by the textbook author Mario Schmidt. Based on that analysis, I argue that what we often call History teaching actually translates into ethical-moral teachings and into theoretical elements of historiography. Finally, I cover the distinction between teaching and learning, and conclude that although History is not a teachable “subject matter,” we can learn a great deal with it.
Keywords
History teaching; History functions; historical learning