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Ofsted says something sensible!!
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Wraith: [QB] That's right, a thread on the Flameboard that has absolutely nothing to do with the US elections or Iraq or the War on Terror! This will be a historian's rant, btw. You have been warned! [URL=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3884087.stm]Schools spend "insufficient time" teaching about the British Empire[/URL] So, istead of whining about how tests are 'traumatic' for youngsters, Ofted (the body supposed to uphold educational standards in the UK) has decided to make a valid point about the teaching of history in British schools. From personal experience I can definitely say that the Empire is not taught sufficiently (or at all) in schools. The only two subjects I have studied (at school, at any rate) from the period 1750-1900 are the Industrial revolution and slavery. Now, the industrial revolution is a very important part of history. But it was taught with no historical context and with the simplest details repeated over and over. And the slavery section was even worse; virtually all that was done was the Middle Passage and some stuff about the life of slaves in the West Indies and America. Nothing about the abolition movement (except in the vaguest sense) and nothing about the long campaigns against the slave trade and slavery itself waged by (primarily) the British Empire. From what I can see, there are two factors at work here. The first is the politicisation (sp?) of teaching. For too long it had been regarded as politically incorrect or insensitive to teach issues that may be slightly controversial. The British Empire is perhaps the area of history that has suffered most from this; a surprising number of people still believe the hackneyed and out of date view that the Empire was universally a 'bad thing'. I believe it is necessary to teach children about the history of their particular country. The empire was, I think you'll all admit, a pretty important part of that history. I don't think anything is achieved by covering it up for silly political reasons. Secondly, history teaching is neglected in schools. One hour a week in yeras 7-9 (11-14 years old) is simply not enough. Granted, other subjects are probably as important, especially the 'core subjects' of maths, English and science. But 30-odd years ago it was not uncommon for 2-3 hours (or even more) per week to be spent on history. I really do feel that more time should be spent on teaching history. RE and IT lessons could be cut back to start with (noone ever learned anything in an IT lesson below GNVQ or A-level standard). The only reason RE is even studied is because it is a statutory requirement. Most of the content could be covered in a more relevant and interesting way through history anyway. Historical study and knowledge provides people with a vital sense of identity, as well as helping them to understand what is going on in the world around them. In addition, the analytical skills gained are incredibly useful in all sorts of careers. Finally, it's nice just to know stuff. Perhaps the best example of the way in which general historical knowledge has declined comes from an Indian tattoo parlour of all places. In World War 2 Imperial forces were stationed in India to guard against the Japenese and, ultimately, to liberate Burma. One of the most popular tattoos among these troops bore the writing 'Cawnpore Well', a reference to the massacre at cawnpore during the Indian Mutiny. That British and Commonwealth enlisted men, not exactly renowned (then or now) for their studious nature, knew the significance of this shows a dramatic difference to the situation today, where hardly anyone (of my age (18) anyway) would even know there [i]was[/i] an Indian mutiny. I'll let you all post any opinions while I go and calm down... :) [/QB][/QUOTE]
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