After a brief upswing in the academic study of historical learning in primary schools in the early 1970s, this fundamental area of historical learning was completely overlooked by researchers, both in the didactics of subject teaching and in the didactics of history. Only since the mid-1990s has there been a cautious revival. One focus of my research efforts in recent years and in the years to come has been to intensify research into early historical learning, which includes not only primary school history lessons but also the beginnings of "actual" history lessons at lower secondary level.

Numerous publications have already appeared on this subject (see below), which seek to reconceptualise the theory of historical learning in the context of subject teaching as well as perspectives for practice. This also includes my many years of work as head of the "Historical Perspective" working group as part of the work on the"Perspective Framework for Subject Teaching", which the"Society for Didactics of Subject Teaching" published in 2002 and in a completely new edition in 2013.

• Dietmar von Reeken: Teaching History in General Studies. An Introduction with Tips for the Classroom, Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag Hohengehren 2004, updated new edition (= 6th updated edition) 2017
• Dietmar von Reeken (in collaboration with Maren Ullrich): Images of the Medieval Town; Knowledge Compact; Didactics Compact; Picture-Text Cards, all in: Primary School General Studies Issue 82, 2019, pp. 4–15 and resource pack, unpaginated
• Dietmar von Reeken: Ancient History in Primary Schools. An Overview, in: Tobias Arand, Konrad Vössing (eds.): Antiquity in the Classroom. The Integrative Potential of Ancient History for Historical Learning, Schwalbach/Ts. 2017, pp. 12–21
• Dietmar von Reeken: ‘Distant Proximity: Ancient Egypt between Foreignness and Relation to the Living World’, in: Andrea Becher, Eva Gläser, Berit Pleitner (eds.): ‘The Historical Perspective in Practice’. Companion Volume 2 to the ‘Perspektivrahmen Sachunterricht’, Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt 2016, pp. 142–155
• Dietmar von Reeken: Historical Aspects, in: Joachim Kahlert et al. (eds.): Handbook of General Studies Didactics. 2nd, updated and expanded edition, Bad Heilbrunn/Obb: Klinkhardt 2015, pp. 163–168
• Dietmar von Reeken: Teaching and Learning History, in: Andreas Hartinger, Kim Lange (eds.): General Studies – Didactics for Primary Schools, Berlin 2014, pp. 98–116 (now updated: 3rd ed. 2017, pp. 98–116)
• Dietmar von Reeken (with Berit Pleitner): On the Historical Perspective: Time – Change, in: Society for the Didactics of General Studies (GDSU) (eds.): Framework of Perspectives for General Studies. Completely revised and expanded edition, Bad Heilbrunn 2013, pp. 56–63
• Dietmar von Reeken: ‘To the Sources! Historical Sources in General Studies’, in: *Grundschule* 7/8-2010, pp. 10ff.
• Dietmar von Reeken: Competences and historical learning. Foundations and implications for general studies, in: Hartmut Giest, Andreas Hartinger, Joachim Kahlert (eds.): Competence Levels in General Studies, Bad Heilbrunn 2008, pp. 15–29
• Dietmar von Reeken: Too Foreign, Too Difficult, Too Unimportant? Discovering History in Early Primary Education, in: Eva Gläser (ed.): General Studies in Early Primary Education. Learning Following on from Nursery School, Baltmannsweiler 2007, pp. 112–124
• Dietmar von Reeken: ‘The Holocaust and National Socialism as a Topic in Primary School? Historical and Political Learning in General Studies’, in: Dagmar Richter (ed.): ‘Political Education from the Very Beginning. Learning about Democracy in Primary School, Bonn: Federal Agency for Civic Education 2007, pp. 199–214
• Dietmar von Reeken: Everyday Life and History in General Studies, in: Silke Pfeiffer (ed.): New Approaches in General Studies, Oldenburg 2006, pp. 45–58
• Dietmar von Reeken: ‘Searching for Traces: Arguments for an Early Encounter with History’, in: *Welt des Kindes* 3/2006, pp. 8–11
• Dietmar von Reeken: ‘General Studies’, in: Ulrich Mayer, Hans-Jürgen Pandel, Gerhard Schneider, Bernd Schönemann (eds.): Dictionary of History Didactics, Schwalbach/Ts. 2006, pp. 157ff.
• Dietmar von Reeken: “We Can Pass It On.” The Holocaust in General Studies – A Commentary from a History Education Perspective, in: Detlef Pech, Marcus Rauterberg, Katharina Stoklas (eds.): Possibilities and Relevance of Engaging with the Holocaust in Primary School General Studies (= *www.widerstreit-sachunterricht.de*, supplement 3), 2006, pp. 89–95 (also available online here – download the complete supplement, 1 MB)
• Dietmar von Reeken: Understanding and Rational Action in Historical Learning Processes, in: Walter Köhnlein, Roland Lauterbach (eds.), Understanding and Justified Action. Studies on the Didactics of General Studies, Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt 2004, pp. 169–184
• Dietmar von Reeken: Methodological Orientation in General Studies – Reflections Using the Example of Historical Learning, in: Marlies Hempel (ed.), Education through General Studies, Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt 2004, pp. 153–162
• Dietmar von Reeken: Encouraging Reflection on History and Historicity: Historical Learning in Primary School, in: Primary School Teaching 11/2003, pp. 2–5
• Dietmar von Reeken: Garden of Eden or Pool of Hell? Historical learning in general studies between subject-specific requirements and relevance to everyday life, in: Bernd Schönemann, Hartmut Voit (eds.), From Starting School to the Abitur. Principles and Practice of Historical Learning Across School Levels, Idstein 2002, pp. 151–163
• Dietmar von Reeken: Is Schimanski a German? Cultural Plurality in Germany’s Past and its Treatment in General Studies, in: Sache Wort No. 27/2000, pp. 42–47
• Dietmar von Reeken: Historical Learning in General Studies, in: Brigitte Kottmann, Susanne Miller, Bianca Pein (eds.), Teacher Training at the University of Bielefeld. Proceedings of the symposium ‘The Future Lies in Teacher Training’ in November 1999, Aachen 2000, pp. 143–154
• Dietmar von Reeken: Historical Learning in General Studies: Didactic Foundations and Practical Teaching Guidance, Seelze-Velber: Kallmeyersche Verlagsbuchhandlung 1999 (2nd, expanded and updated edition – see above!)
• Dietmar von Reeken: Historical Learning in General Studies: An Overview and Research Perspectives, in: Brunhilde Marquardt-Mau, Walter Köhnlein, Roland Lauterbach (eds.), Research on General Studies, Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt 1997 (Problems and Perspectives in General Studies, Vol. 7), pp. 208–224
• Dietmar and Silke von Reeken: The Destruction of the Jewish Cemetery in Diepholz. A Primary School Project, in: Grundschule No. 7–8/1997, pp. 68–70
• Dietmar von Reeken: Articles ‘Tecklenburg, August’, ‘Holocaust’ and ‘Regional History in the Classroom’, all in: Astrid Kaiser (ed.), Encyclopaedia of General Studies, Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag Hohengehren 1997, pp. 88, 173, 213ff.
• Dietmar von Reeken: ‘General Studies Didactics and History Didactics: An Assessment and Critique of a Discrepancy’, in: *Geschichte in Wissenschaft und Unterricht* 46(1996), pp. 349–365, now also available online at www.widerstreit-sachunterricht.de/
• Dietmar von Reeken: ‘The History of Childhood – A Golden Mean for Historical Learning in Primary School?’ in: General Studies and Mathematics in Primary Education 23(1995), pp. 542–555