Position/Status

Teaching Associate

E-mail Address

ref24@cam.ac.uk

Phone

+ 44 (0)1223 767600

Qualifications

• MA (Hons) History, University of Cambridge
• PGCE Secondary History, University of Cambridge
• MEd (Researching Practice) University of Cambridge

Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations

• Managing Editor, Teaching History
• Honorary Fellow, The Historical Association
• Editorial Board Member, The Curriculum Journal

Profile

Rachel has ten years’ experience teaching secondary history. Following her PGCE at the University of Cambridge she taught history in an 11-18 comprehensive school, which later became a Multi-Academy Trust. Working as an Advanced Skills Teacher Rachel worked in two schools within the Trust to support initial teacher training and professional development. She undertook her MEd (Researching Practice) in the second year of teaching.

Rachel has received invitations to give plenaries and workshops for school teachers, professional associations and policy makers. These include the Schools History Project Conference (2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009); the HA conference (2013, 2015); and ECIS conference (2014) and the WLFS conference (2017). She has provided consultancy to examination boards and education publishers and is currently a member of the author team for a new series of GCSE History textbooks, published by Hodder Education.

Research Topics

Current Research Project(s)

Teaching

• Postgraduate
  • Secondary PGCE: History
  • MEd: Researching Practice

Principal and Recent Publications

Foster, R. and Goudie, K. (2017, forthcoming) The First Crusade, c1070-1100, London: Hodder Education.

Foster, R. and Goudie, K. (2016) 'Shaping the debate: why historians matter more than ever at GCSE', in Teaching History, 163, Get Excited and Carry On Edition.

Foster R. (2016) 'Historical change: in search of argument', in K. Burn, A. Chapman, and C. Counsell, eds. Masterclass in History Education, London: Bloomsbury.

Foster, R. (2015) 'Miss, did this really happen here?' Exploring big overviews through local depth', in Teaching History, 160, Evidential Rigour Edition.

Foster, R. (2015) 'Pipes's punctuation and making complex historical claims: how the direct teaching of punctuation can improve students' historical thinking and written argument', in Teaching History, 159, Underneath the Essay Edition  

Foster, R. (2014) '"A world turned molten': helping Year 9 to explore the cultural legacy of the First World War', in Teaching History, 155, Teaching the First World War Edition.

Foster, R. and Gadd, S. (2013) 'Let's play Supermarket 'Evidential' Sweep: Developing students'    awareness of the need to select evidence', in Teaching History, 152, Pulling it all together Edition.

Foster, R. (2013) 'The more things change the more they stay the same: Developing students' thinking about change and continuity' in Teaching History, 151,Continuity Edition.

Counsell, C., Foster, R., Georgiou, M., Mavrada, M., Onurkan, M., Partridge, M., Samani, H. (2013) 'Bridging the divide with a question and a kaleidoscope: designing an enquiry in a challenging setting', Teaching History, 149.

Foster, R. (2011) 'Passive receivers or constructive readers? Pupils' experiences of an encounter with academic history', in Teaching History 142, Experiencing History Edition.

Foster, R. (2010) 'Using academic history in the classroom', in I. Davies, Ed. Debates in History Teaching, Abingdon: Routledge.

Foster, R. (2008) 'Speed cameras, dead ends, drivers and diversions: Year 9 use a road map to problematise change and continuity' in Teaching History 131, Assessing Differently Edition.