How We Should Be Teaching History
An Interview with Jonathon Dallimore on Teaching Controversial Issues
In my latest episode of the ThoughtStretchers Podcast, I talked with Jonathon Dallimore, an experienced history educator from New South Wales, Australia, to discuss his new book, Teaching History: A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers. Our wide-ranging conversation included an exploration of the challenges of teaching controversial topics, the importance of what I call Objective Pluralism, and why Enlightenment liberal principles should guide history education. This is a summary of that part of the conversation. The full episode is available on Spotify (below), our main website, and your favorite podcast player.
“History is inherently controversial—our job is to teach students how to engage with it.”
Drew Perkins introduced the topic by addressing the increasing politicization of history education. “We’re in an era where discussing certain historical events or figures can quickly become politicized,” he noted. “How do you handle that in the classroom?”
Dallimore acknowledged the challenge but emphasized that controversy isn’t new to history teaching.
“History is about interpretation—it always has been,” he said. “There’s always going to be debate about causes, impacts, and perspectives. That’s not a flaw of the subject; it’s the nature of the discipline. The key is to teach students how to engage with that complexity, rather than shield them from it.”
This approach aligns with what Perkins describes as “objective pluralism”—exposing students to multiple perspectives, grounded in rigorous evidence, and allowing them to grapple with historical complexity.
“We shouldn’t be in the business of ideological training,” Dallimore continued. “Our job is to help students develop intellectual humility—the ability to understand that multiple perspectives exist and that history is an evolving conversation.”
“Enlightenment principles should guide how we teach history.”
Perkins, whose background includes a focus on inquiry-based learning, pressed Dallimore on his approach to teaching controversial topics. “So much of this comes down to how we create an environment where students feel safe to question and discuss,” Perkins said. “How do you balance structure with open-ended inquiry?”
Perkins himself highlighted the significance of Enlightenment liberalism in education.
“The fundamental pillars of Enlightenment liberalism, intellectual liberalism, I think are really, really important here,” Perkins stated. “Freedom of speech, freedom of expression—no one person can say this is the truth. Any sort of claim only establishes knowledge if it can be debunked and not necessarily by that one person.”
Dallimore agreed and emphasized the role of history as an inquiry-driven subject. “That’s history,” he said. “When we think about history, we’re asking, ‘What’s your interpretation of this? Well, what’s the evidence that backs that up?’”
“We need to resist the pressure to oversimplify history.”
Perkins raised a concern about the growing tendency to frame history in moral binaries—heroes and villains, oppressors and oppressed. “It feels like, in some cases, history is being rewritten in ways that flatten complexity,” he observed. “How do we resist that?”
Dallimore agreed, emphasizing that nuance is what makes history powerful.
“There’s a growing push to apply today’s moral frameworks to the past, and while moral reflection is important, we can’t ignore the complexity of historical context,” he said. “Take the Enlightenment. It brought us ideas of liberty and human rights, but many Enlightenment thinkers lived in deeply unequal societies. That doesn’t mean we discard the Enlightenment—it means we study it critically.”
Perkins chimed in: “It’s almost like we need to give students permission to sit with uncertainty—to acknowledge that history is messy.”
“Exactly,” Dallimore responded. “And that’s hard! But it’s also what makes history one of the most valuable subjects.”
“Controversial topics should be an opportunity for rigorous debate, not division.”
One of the biggest challenges in history education today is fostering constructive debate.
“In my experience, students actually enjoy discussing difficult topics—if they feel like their opinions are valued,” Perkins said. “How do you create that kind of classroom environment?”
Dallimore believes that setting clear expectations for discussion is key.
“I always tell my students: you don’t have to agree with every perspective we study, but you do have to engage with it fairly,” he said. “That means using evidence, listening actively, and debating ideas—not attacking people.”
Perkins added, “That process to me is something that we have to model and explicitly teach in our classrooms. And history is a great place to do that.”
“We need to take pride in history as a subject.”
As the conversation drew to a close, Perkins asked Dallimore what he hopes teachers take away from his book.
“I want history teachers to feel empowered,” Dallimore said. “Too often, we’re on the defensive—whether it’s about the value of our subject, the way we approach controversial topics, or the need to resist ideological pressure from any direction.”
At its core, Teaching History is about giving educators the confidence to teach history as a discipline of rigorous inquiry, grounded in evidence and pluralism.
“I think if we stay true to those principles, history will remain one of the most vital and relevant subjects in education,” he concluded.
Perkins nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and we need more of that—especially now.”
Dallimore’s Teaching History is a timely and much-needed resource for history teachers navigating an increasingly complex educational landscape.
This summary was generated by ChatGPT