17 August 2023

5 Reasons to Study History

Download this free poster showing your students five great reasons to study history!

Want to encourage more of your students to continue their history studies to GCSE, A Level and beyond? Then this poster is for you!

We’ve highlighted five great reasons to study history – all five are transferable skills that future employers will value highly.

And the poster is completely free to download!

So, what are our five reasons to study history?

1.    It will make them more critical thinkers

Your students will learn to evaluate the evidence in front of them in order to reach a conclusion.

One of the greatest gifts that history gives students is critical thinking. Those on either side often view historical events, such as wars, differently, and students will learn this. And they will learn that even historians looking back on events in the past will have their own biases.

Therefore, it's important to learn how to analyse information, find different viewpoints, and form our own informed opinions. This skill is crucial for life and will provide great value to employers and students themselves.

2.    It will help them to understand the world around them

They’ll understand the impact of history on society, develop a greater appreciation of other cultures and develop perspective – ultimately, they’ll have a better understanding of why the world is as it is right now!

History helps us understand the past and avoid making the same mistakes again. So, a good understanding of key historical events is important for all of us.

History also allows us to understand diverse human experiences and why people have different interpretations of events.

Understanding the complexities of history can help us to better understand other communities and become more empathetic. This helps us become open-minded global citizens who value diversity and inclusivity, which is increasingly important to employers.

3.    It will make them better communicators

They’ll learn how to form clear arguments using evidence to support their statements. They will understand why others have different opinions and learn to respect them, even if they don't agree.

Students studying history must reflect on the way language manipulates, such as in propaganda. They must also look for bias in language used to present historical events. This detailed language study will help students be more careful with their own language use, making them better at communicating accurately.

They will have a deep understanding of how and why different opinions and perspectives exist. And they will understand that they should respect such differences. Respecting and understanding different opinions, even if we don't agree, is a trait that employers will look for.

4.    It will make them better at handling data

A useful skill in many careers, history will help your students to develop their data handling and processing skills. They’ll be able to analyse the data in front of them to reach an evidence-based conclusion.

During their history studies, students have to ask relevant questions about historical events, investigate issues critically and reach their own conclusions based on their analysis of a range of sources.

Employers value candidates who can analyse various sources and data before making evidence-based decisions.

5.    It will make them better at time management

Students will have lots of opportunities to improve their time management skills through research, coursework, and essay questions in exams.

There's no doubt that history requires a lot of work. But managing their workload now will help them develop important time-management skills for adulthood. These skills are crucial in all aspects of life.

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We hope you found this poster helpful. If you liked it, you might also enjoy our 'How Can History Help In Your Career?' poster. It helps students recognise the transferable skills they gain from studying history.

Ready to start planning your next history trip?

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.