History Matters reflects the dynamic nature of teaching and learning history in New Zealand secondary classrooms. It demonstrates not only the wealth of enthusiasm and expertise within the history teaching community,but also a commitment by teachers to developing a research literature on historical thinking that is 'for teachers and by teachers'. The book bridges the gap between theory and practice among history teachers and contributes to the sorts of questions that teachers are currently addressing as they seek to improve our understanding of what it means to teach history in New Zealand in the second decade of the 21st century. Questions examined include: * Why do we teach history? * How do students learn to do history? * What motivates history students? * What does history have to offer adolescents in the 21st century? * How can we incorporate an authentic Maori and Pasifika dimension into our history programmes?