This paper explores the role of the history of education in initial teacher education programmes and questions the effectiveness of persistent didactic teaching practice at both higher and second level education in the subject of history. This paper contends it is by studying the history of education, rooted in a pedagogically  scaffolded processes and based on personal experience that opportunities exists to relate personal experience to the role of a history teacher and to challenge preconceptions regarding didactic methods of teaching history. The ultimate goal of this movement towards employing collaborative history of education learning environments is to reinvigorate interest in the second level subject of history by modelling the same process with second level history students. The potential impact of such a framework will be discussed and the resultant value placed upon the history of education by pre‑service history teachers is explored.

This paper explores the role of the history of education in initial teacher education programmes and questions the effectiveness of persistent didactic teaching practice at both higher and second level education in the subject of history. This paper contends it is by studying the history of education, rooted in a pedagogically  scaffolded processes and based on personal experience that opportunities exists to relate personal experience to the role of a history teacher and to challenge preconceptions regarding didactic methods of teaching history. The ultimate goal of this movement towards employing collaborative history of education learning environments is to reinvigorate interest in the second level subject of history by modelling the same process with second level history students. The potential impact of such a framework will be discussed and the resultant value placed upon the history of education by pre‑service history teachers is explored.