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As featured in Parentdish

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Losing interest in history

I read a report the other day that stated that English children are losing interest in history. Ofsetd have found that many pupils lack a chronological understanding of history and are unable to link events. Schools are dropping the subject, and because it is not compulsory past the age of thirteen, many pupils are dropping it.

As someone who loves history and who has a history book in the planning, I find this sad. But I also wonder whose fault it is.

My memories of history at school are of spending lessons learning about the different parts of the Corn Law and such like. An Act would be noted down and we would have to learn everything that that Act covered.

That’s not history, that’s law.

Then there was ‘o’ grade history where we spent two years covering the two world wars and the years in between.

By fourth year I’d had enough and didn’t bother with the Higher.

And despite going to school in Scotland I have no recollection of ever being taught about the Treaty of Arbroath.

I can’t comment on today’s history curriculum but one thing I do know is that if you make the subject boring kids will turn off. And history certainly isn’t boring.


1 comment:

  1. Now if only it could be shown that the human race learnt something from history then we might be inclined to try a bit harder!

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