'But it Might Just be their Political Views' : Using Jörn Rüsen's 'Disciplinary Matrix' to develop understandings of historical interpretation.

This paper focuses on teaching and learning about historical interpretations and accounts. Jörn Rüsen’s ‘disciplinary matrix’ has been much discussed in research and pedagogic literature in history education. This paper explores how the ‘matrix’ can be used as a tool for exploring and evaluating student thinking about historical interpretations by examining interview data on this issue collected from English 16-19 year-old students. The ‘matrix’ is also used to reflect on pedagogic strategies that aim to develop student thinking. An example of a pedagogic strategy that aimed to develop conceptual dimensions of student thinking is described and evaluated and future directions for research and practice are suggested