The History Wars
If anything proves Howard’s point on the teaching of history it is this statement;
Australian Education Union secretary Andrew Gohl told The Australian: “We know that John Howard says we shouldn’t have a black armband view of history, but what does that mean? Does it mean we can’t talk about the invasion of Australia, or the appalling treatment of indigenous Australians?”No, but it does mean that your using the word “invasion” precludes any balance in your approach to teaching history.
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I’d be interested to hear from parents about this issue.
It wouldn’t surprise me if history teaching is politicised these days. I think there is much to be said for rote learning.
I don’t remember learning anything when I first went to school because I was an awful student. By the time I went back as an, ummm, adult history class was basically a major historical event a week (eg one week the Nazis, next week Indonesia, next week the discovery of Australia). The teacher had a particular bent and so did some of the texts, but it wasn’t overly bad.
Expect the history wars to flare up again, Windschuttle is releasing his next volume in the next year or so.
The main point about all Oz education these days is that it is pitched as entertainment. So no teacher will choose a History or Literature topic if there isn’t a video/movie available as a keynote. And we all know how balanced such movies are.
Scientists bemoan the rise of ‘the Religious Right’ but even Science is based on a postmodern curriculum which relativises it all. I studied for a Dip Ed under some of the writers of these curricula. Cultish ideologues all. Postmodernists are a much greater threat to Science, making it ‘relevant’, than creationists ever were.