Being able to teach history?! Research on the professionalization of history teachers

Abstract

This contribution focuses on the connection between knowledge and skills in relation to the competent action of teachers as history teachers in the classroom (cf. Heuer 2017). First, we will sketch a theoretical profile of the professional history teacher before answering in brief one of the central questions regarding the professionalization of history teachers: What do they really need to know in order to teach history in a way that is informed by history didactics? Following the presentation of empirical results, the paper discusses the extent to which these skills, understood as competent action in the practice of history teaching, can be developed through scientific knowledge in the course of domain-specific teacher education.