On History
Aug. 23rd, 2006 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
melwil(I have 25 minutes before I need to start dinner, so I may need to come back to this later)
On History - My thoughts on Education, History and the Howard Government
So, there's been a lot of talk about history and education from our politicians lately. And (of course) I have a significant interest in this. Personally, I've been interested in history for longer than I can remember - with my parents aiding and abetting this love. I studied history in Year 9 and 10; studied modern and ancient history in Year 11 and 12; and went on to spend three and a half years studying history at university.
On top of that, I have a degree in primary education - so I'm a little invested.
As far as I'm concerned:
a)There's room for more history education in Queensland schools (I can't talk of the rest of Australia)
b)The Queensland SOSE syllabus (which history is part of) sucks. The teaching of teachers about SOSE sucks. SOSE sucks.
c)There is an extreme lack of good Australian History texts for children and their teachers
d)HISTORY IS NOT A NARRATIVE STORY
e)There's a lot more to history than dates and places
f)History is about stories
g)History is about questions
h)History needs to be taught differently in Year 1, Year 7 and Year 10 - and we need to take that into consideration
i)There is a problem in Queensland schools where we have all these old-entrenched-boring teachers who we cannot get rid of (for example - the grade 5 teacher I hated, is still teaching grade 5 at the same school - and her students still hate her).
j)History is about issues
k)Outcomes Based Education is not necessarily a bad thing when there is a strong syllabus
j)Test based education is a different question.
I have some more extended thoughts on some of these points, but I gave blood today and my head's not quite where it should be. I'll try and write more a little later
On History - My thoughts on Education, History and the Howard Government
So, there's been a lot of talk about history and education from our politicians lately. And (of course) I have a significant interest in this. Personally, I've been interested in history for longer than I can remember - with my parents aiding and abetting this love. I studied history in Year 9 and 10; studied modern and ancient history in Year 11 and 12; and went on to spend three and a half years studying history at university.
On top of that, I have a degree in primary education - so I'm a little invested.
As far as I'm concerned:
a)There's room for more history education in Queensland schools (I can't talk of the rest of Australia)
b)The Queensland SOSE syllabus (which history is part of) sucks. The teaching of teachers about SOSE sucks. SOSE sucks.
c)There is an extreme lack of good Australian History texts for children and their teachers
d)HISTORY IS NOT A NARRATIVE STORY
e)There's a lot more to history than dates and places
f)History is about stories
g)History is about questions
h)History needs to be taught differently in Year 1, Year 7 and Year 10 - and we need to take that into consideration
i)There is a problem in Queensland schools where we have all these old-entrenched-boring teachers who we cannot get rid of (for example - the grade 5 teacher I hated, is still teaching grade 5 at the same school - and her students still hate her).
j)History is about issues
k)Outcomes Based Education is not necessarily a bad thing when there is a strong syllabus
j)Test based education is a different question.
I have some more extended thoughts on some of these points, but I gave blood today and my head's not quite where it should be. I'll try and write more a little later
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no subject
on 2006-08-23 10:16 am (UTC)While I think more history in schools wouldn't go astray, I think that the way the politicians bought it up is odd. Julie Bishop gives me chills up my spine.
I agree wholeheartedly with your opinion in (i). I wish there was some way they would just go away!
no subject
on 2006-08-23 12:16 pm (UTC)a) Australian history is (compartively speaking) DULL!
b) Howard made some song and dance about teaching it without context. (I think he meant without a left wing agenda that a lot of historians tend to have - well, they ones I've studied with). You CANNOT teach History without a context. So I totally agree with your point on Narrative.
no subject
on 2006-08-24 06:06 am (UTC)http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/08/20/1156012408313.html