History Education
Categories : Australia |
Was talking to someone recently about how poorly history is taught in Australian schools (at least it was when I went through) There is an over-emphasis on Australian history, focussing too much on stories with little ongoing significance (eg explorers like Burke & Wills and others, the Eureka stockade) while important international history (ancient history, British and American history, 20th century history – world wars, cold war etc) was barely touched. This article from The Australian discusses a book called the history wars. I thought this was one of the most telling sections :
Our students are telling us what that history should look like. During the past 10 years there has been a significant growth in students studying world history at Australian universities, in particular 20th-century world history. This matches the extraordinary growth in student interest in international relations in political science departments.
For example, at my university, the University of Wollongong, we have had an 80 per cent increase in first-year student numbers in those subjects dealing with 20th-century history and world history. During the same period there has been a decline of about 25 per cent in first-year Australian history numbers.
At the same time, in NSW at least, ancient history is booming in schools and universities. Students want to study history that fires their imaginations and enables them to look outside the narrow world of the here and now.
This may help explain why, for many of them — in fact, far too many — Australian history is a giant turn-off. In conversation with many of these students the word “boring” often crops up.
Perhaps the current students will drive changes in the way history is taught so that future generations will get a more rounded education.
