Australian Federal Government demands that schools teach Australian history
There’s nothing wrong with teaching our own history, but whose history and in what teaching format? History teachers have been using a pedagogy which asks it’s students to inquire and research, not learn dates in a rote fashion. That sort of teaching went out in the 60’s.
Howard (our PM) has announced that unless history is taught with his list of milestone dates, federal funding will cease for all schools who do not employ what he is asking. States are responsible for education, but the federal government has traditionally provided such things as libraries and science blocks. This is what I would call arrogant, ignorant, bullying and extortion. Because what sort of history does Howard want taught? What he sees as important in terms of dates. Like Gallipoli, the Gold Rush, settlement of white people, cricket facts, for God’s sake, Burke and Wills travels, settlement of Port Phillip Bay, rail line constructions, the great depression, Korean war, Australian led intervention of East Timor are just some of the milestones he wishes our students to learn. There are 70 of the dates to include and given that there are only 150 hours to be spent on Australian History in the curriculum, it looks like we are back to learning dates and not understanding the context of anything.
Who was on his study team? Why Geoffrey Blainey of course, someone who denies the genocide of Australian aborigines. I do notice that one of the genocides is on the 70 dates to be learned, but as for the Port Phillip settlement, I very much doubt that what my father studied about that will appear as it factually was. You can hear my podcast on this event.
It all sounds like boring sludge to me. Teachers are constantly working out new and better ways to educate their students. That is their job. The History teachers federation of Australia exists as the peak body for history teachers.
The other members of the team, apart from Geoffrey Blainey, who worked out this crazy scheme were the conservative journalist Gerard Henderson, a PLC principal and an ANU academic. Sorry, but I can’t see any on the ground teachers in that group.
Years ago, the VCE (final 2 years of high school) instituted a study called Australian Studies. It didn’t last long. Finally it was so unpopular that the subject has been dropped.
I’m not of course opposed to the teaching of history. In fact it is very important for people to know their past and to know their mistakes, thereby and their successes. But it seems to me to be a very biased and conservative set of history dates to learn and a backward step in pedagogical theory. And it comes from a conservative view of society.
Where do women fit into this history? What is important? Whose history is it? Is it taught from the victor’s standpoint or the victims?
Our PM is notably not a multicultural supporter. He never uses the word. He only uses the word “Australian”. But many of our citizens see themselves as dual identities. Greek and Australian, for example. And now, in Melbourne, the second most spoken language is Chinese. There seems little in the milestones to investigate in terms of the immigration and refugee status of this country.
Well, like many of you in the USA, many of us want to rid ourselves of this very right wing conservative PM. Elections are due soon, so let’s hope that his new initiative does not get through without consultation with the states and the teachers who teach history.
Note: since I wrote this the newly elected Labor Government has rejected this idea.
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