Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2020
452. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider the inclusion of African history, colonial history and the history of slavery in the junior cycle curriculum in order to enhance students understanding of world history and the parallels between Irish history and that of the developing world. [18254/20]
View answerA core value of the curriculum, across all levels of schooling in Ireland, is inclusivity and diversity. The curriculum at primary and post-primary is for all learners, from all backgrounds – regardless of gender, socio-economic background, race or creed.
At post primary level, many subjects that students take at both junior and senior cycle are based on learning outcomes. Learning outcomes allow teachers autonomy to work with students in choosing themes that are of interest or relevance to students’ lives. As some issues become topical in society and prominent in the media, teachers can adjust their plans to reflect this and bring these issues into the classroom. The way these courses are designed means that recent political or social developments, such as concerns the Black Lives Matter movement and the concerns that have been raised over statues of historical figures associated with slavery, can be discussed in the classroom and can be incorporated into the curriculum.
The current Junior Cycle History curriculum was introduced to schools two years ago. As a learning outcomes based curriculum it allows flexibility and room for innovative approaches to content to suit the context of a given classroom. There are opportunities to explore aspects of history such as the impact of colonisation, the civil rights movements in the 1960s and to the history of Europe and the wider world. For example, Learning Outcome 3.2: evaluate the impact of conquest and colonisation on people, with particular reference to Portuguese and Spanish exploration. Students should learn about the experiences and stories of people who were conquered or colonised and the effect it had on those people because of Spanish and Portuguese exploration in the seventeenth century. Moreover, it also allows for discussion of other examples of conquest and colonisation, including in Africa.
In Learning Outcome 3.10 learners have the opportunity to explore the significance of genocide, including the causes, course and consequences of the Holocaust. Here, students will learn about the Holocaust, but they can also have the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the significance of genocide in history. Teachers can facilitate discussion around diversity, prejudice, discrimination and racism and the atrocities that have occurred worldwide throughout History as a result. In Learning Outcome 1.2 students are asked to consider contentious or controversial issues in history from more than one perspective and discuss the historical roots of a contentious or controversial issue or theme in the contemporary world. This offers the potential for rich learning opportunities in topics like the exploitation of African people in the slave trade and what that means in today’s context.
The two Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) in the junior cycle specification facilitates students to explore topics that are interesting and relevant to their own lives. Students who have family backgrounds or relationships with Africa are free to base their chosen study of CBA 1 ‘The Past in My Place’ on such themes. Equally, in ‘A Life in Time’, students choose a person from the past and explore why that person is historically significant. Many figures relating to the history of slavery or to African history more generally could be selected here. There are also opportunities for such projects to be exhibited or shared with classmates or with the school, so that that there is greater awareness and understanding of the issues discussed.
At Senior Cycle, the Leaving Certificate history curriculum offers students the opportunity to study aspects of the history of Africa in the unit: ‘European Retreat from Empire and the Aftermath, 1945-1990’. This topic explores themes such as the impact of western colonialism in Africa, tensions between indigenous people and colonisers, as well as issues of prejudice, racism and the consequences of colonialism. Another topic in the curriculum called ‘The United States and the World, 1945-1989’ facilitates students to examine the experience of African American people in American history.
As a Department we understand that teachers need to be supported in appropriately dealing with sensitive and important issues such as race/overcoming diversity that may arise within the classroom, in this regard, the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) History team are planning a number of continuous professional development opportunities for teachers in the school year 2020-21. Work is underway to develop webinars and podcasts that support teachers in exploring diverse human histories with students and to develop resources on issues such as racism and privilege in History.
A review of the junior cycle curriculum will take place next year and the experiences and suggestions from students, will form a valuable part of this review. Relevant topics such as gender, race and prejudice and how the experiences of students can be integrated into the planning of units of work will form a part of the discussion.
