Monday, December 10, 2012

YES TEACH MORE TRUE BRITISH HISTORY NOT BULLSHIT HISTORY

There is something to be said about this latest report from the All Party History Group, who suggest that Citizenship Studies should be ditched in favour of more history teaching.

Citizenship Studies is all about preparing kids to be good citizens under full control of a world government. Citizenship Studies is part of the agenda revealed in the editorial of the National Education Association Journal in January 1946 which proclaimed that the role of the teacher is to prepare students for world government.

But if CS is to be replaced then replace it with something worthwhile in British history.

For example, do not simply focus on dates and facts but examine in detail The Balfour Declaration, or the slow and cunning invasion of Britain by the Venetians during and after the reign of Henry VIII.

Studying The Royal Navy and Nelson without studying impressment and slavery would be very biased, for about half the Royal Navy under Nelson had been pressed.

There are many aspects of British history that could be taught at schools that aren't; Wall Street and The City of London, intelligence and secret society networks, slavery, Londonistan and terrorism, etc.

I was completely turned off history at school. I truanted history because what were being taught was irrelevant and boring.

And that was probably the whole point!!

Among my list of compulsory history books would be:
Dope Inc
The Empire of The City
Wall Street and The Rise of Hitler
Against Oligarchy


Schools should axe Labour’s citizenship classes and devote more time to British history studies, MPs will say today.

The idea is one of a string of measures being put forward to reverse the decline in history teaching which has seen the subject all but disappear in state schools in some parts of the country.

Research by the All-Party History Group found that fewer than 30 per cent of 16-year-olds in state schools were entered for the GCSE in 2010, compared with 55 per cent of pupils in grammar schools and 48 per cent in private schools.

In one local authority area – Knowsley, in Merseyside – just four pupils passed the exam.

MPs said schools should be allowed to replace citizenship classes with history. Citizenship was introduced as a compulsory subject a decade ago.

Pupils study topics such as crime, justice and politics, and how to be an ‘active citizen’ by voting and taking part in society.

But critics say it is often poorly taught and of little value.


[source : Schools should axe citizenship lessons and teach more British history, say MPs as they bid to half decline in the subject, The Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2245679/Schools-axe-citizenship-lessons-teach-British-history-say-MPs-bid-half-decline-subject.html, 10th December 2012]




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