14 years ago I became a citizenship teacher and I always felt there was something missing from the curriculum and it was the same sense I felt when I was at school - a lack of representation of black history. Our curriculum in UK schools tends to more to glorify the empire and completely centres the British ruling class in who the UK was created.
Our curriculum uses the term 'colonialisation' loosely and when it does it tends contribute or maintain the imagery of the white civiliser and the happy natives. The picture of the white man lounging on a chair being fanned by a personal servant is often introduced and reinforced - adding to the rose tinted glasses being firmly set on the face of the next generation.
As a Black teacher who's family grew up under the Empire, the impact of the Empire is one that is passed down through generations as oral history. A version of history that isn't given credit in the academic approach to history taught in schools. In schools we focus on written sources, which are verified by other sources. However it is often the white, male, ruling class version that is able to stand the rigour of academic scrutiny. When the voices of the under-represented weren't recorded, written down or recognised how easy is it to ensure their voices are heard today in this time? And with this question unanswered, it is often easier to omit then un-verified.
The impact of this? Black, Asian (South-East and East), Arabic voices are missing and are easily positioned into the place of the 'Other', becoming the supporting act, the backdrop to those whose stories are told. It's also important to recognise that other voices are also 'muted' for example Women and the Working Class. Both of these groups are often only referred to in relation to their oppression or a win in history ie The right to vote, fairer pay. Yet these moments are often a reminder for a split second in history, these groups had almost equal standing with the White, male documenting history.
However for Black peoples, even our moments of struggle are reported without our agency. Even during the most bloody, violent fight backs against colonisation our history is reduced to the hoardes resisting civilisation. The Partition of India divided families, villages and communities and many impacted are alive and able to recount the trauma. Yet even during the 70th year commemoration in 2017 there were children and grandchildren of those affected who had never been taught about the history.
When we raise the issue of decolonising the curriculum, starting with the history curriculum from KS1 to KS5 there is often the response "Why should they have to learn it at school? that's something parents or carers should be doing at home". The same argument could be made for any subject or topic at school, but it becomes more focused when we address the teaching of WW1 and WW2. Every year, hours on hours of public broadcasting (the BBC in particular in the UK) is dedicated to recounting the World Wars and the heroism of the allies against the evilness of the Nazis (which used to be referred to as the Germans but pressure changed that narrative). How the Jewish people were saved by the civilising Allied Forces. This narrative has very much stayed the same and is the same as what is taught in schools, occasionally there will be reference to the other minority groups targeted by the Nazi racial purity policy. But it is often presented as add-on, almost as if there is only allowed to be one identified victim (community group) in the battle between good (The Allies) and evil (th Nazis).
So during this period of school at home, I will work towards the project that I have been speaking about on panels, online and even at the global Education International Congress 2019, I will start working on my own decolonising the curriculum in my home.
I commit to producing stand alone projects which encompass the skills of research and promote curiosity.
The projects will be question based but also give young people the chase to use their skills of presentation.
The themes will be Black British within context of empire.
It may be more than I can do as this is a huge undertaking and I know that there are other campaigns to decolonise the curriculum, but there will be a time to pull together the resources and I hope that independent learning will be encouraged.
As a Black teacher who's family grew up under the Empire, the impact of the Empire is one that is passed down through generations as oral history. A version of history that isn't given credit in the academic approach to history taught in schools. In schools we focus on written sources, which are verified by other sources. However it is often the white, male, ruling class version that is able to stand the rigour of academic scrutiny. When the voices of the under-represented weren't recorded, written down or recognised how easy is it to ensure their voices are heard today in this time? And with this question unanswered, it is often easier to omit then un-verified.
The impact of this? Black, Asian (South-East and East), Arabic voices are missing and are easily positioned into the place of the 'Other', becoming the supporting act, the backdrop to those whose stories are told. It's also important to recognise that other voices are also 'muted' for example Women and the Working Class. Both of these groups are often only referred to in relation to their oppression or a win in history ie The right to vote, fairer pay. Yet these moments are often a reminder for a split second in history, these groups had almost equal standing with the White, male documenting history.
However for Black peoples, even our moments of struggle are reported without our agency. Even during the most bloody, violent fight backs against colonisation our history is reduced to the hoardes resisting civilisation. The Partition of India divided families, villages and communities and many impacted are alive and able to recount the trauma. Yet even during the 70th year commemoration in 2017 there were children and grandchildren of those affected who had never been taught about the history.
When we raise the issue of decolonising the curriculum, starting with the history curriculum from KS1 to KS5 there is often the response "Why should they have to learn it at school? that's something parents or carers should be doing at home". The same argument could be made for any subject or topic at school, but it becomes more focused when we address the teaching of WW1 and WW2. Every year, hours on hours of public broadcasting (the BBC in particular in the UK) is dedicated to recounting the World Wars and the heroism of the allies against the evilness of the Nazis (which used to be referred to as the Germans but pressure changed that narrative). How the Jewish people were saved by the civilising Allied Forces. This narrative has very much stayed the same and is the same as what is taught in schools, occasionally there will be reference to the other minority groups targeted by the Nazi racial purity policy. But it is often presented as add-on, almost as if there is only allowed to be one identified victim (community group) in the battle between good (The Allies) and evil (th Nazis).
So during this period of school at home, I will work towards the project that I have been speaking about on panels, online and even at the global Education International Congress 2019, I will start working on my own decolonising the curriculum in my home.
I commit to producing stand alone projects which encompass the skills of research and promote curiosity.
The projects will be question based but also give young people the chase to use their skills of presentation.
The themes will be Black British within context of empire.
It may be more than I can do as this is a huge undertaking and I know that there are other campaigns to decolonise the curriculum, but there will be a time to pull together the resources and I hope that independent learning will be encouraged.
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