Continuing the debate of the proposed National Curriculum

[mrz]

What do you think

I don't have a problem with learning history chronologically, but I can't help thinking that this history curriculum is insular. I have a problem with Hirsch, as I 1) have vivid memories of Americans asking me if we had TV in Europe and 2) I have watched what passes for 'the news' in the US and it's as if the outside world doesn't exist. If that's what Hirsch does, count me out - it does not equip children for life in a global economy.

pointy I think the introduction of the Hirsch curriculum has been a very recent thing in the USA.

If you look at the US website, his curriculum is only being used at a handful of schools:www.coreknowledge.org/find-a-core-knowledge-school

ipad I'm not sure whether to find that reassuring or scary...

The Hirsch Curriculum has a much wider world history and geography curriculum than Gove's proposed curriculum.

I agree with you about learning chronologically, but there is a lot of British history and in an attempt to fit it all in they have had to make it insular and cut lots of world history out. Being a bit more selective about what they included would also have meant that topics could have been studied in more depth to develop children's understanding of the time periods studied.

Clay I just think that including all of British history at the expense of world history is stupid. There is no British Empire any more, has anyone told The Idiot Gove that? Oh, they probably have, he just did his hands-over-the-ears-la-la-la-I'm-not-listening thing he's so good at.

Engineers are very unimpressed with the draft NC:

'From a Government that has consistently argued for more ?rigour? in education, it makes for a truly shocking read. The fact that ?food and nutrition? form the only compulsory part of the proposed D&T curriculum is just the the start of these highly unambitious, low-aiming and frankly economically illiterate proposals.'

The seem to have consulted mainly teachers of art and music or generalists from academies.

My DS1 who is in Y6 has learnt about everything from Queen Boudicca to Egyptians, WW2 to motte and bailey castles and the Norman invasion, the Tudors and many more.

At the same time, he has learnt about various types of art, from Picasso to Van Gogh and a load of others I couldn't name.

Their science curriculum seems quite rigorous too.

The only thing the schools seems to fall down on and run out of time for is Geography - I had learnt so much more Geography before I left Primary school.

(I couldn't believe that my 10yo not only can't explain the formation of an oxbow lake, but doesn't even know what one is!)

Apart from the lack of Geography teaching, is this not 'normal' for the NC then?

And no, they don't have an issue with the History not being taught in a Chronological order, as they are taught to plot what they are learning on a timeline against other 'bits' of history they have previously learnt about.

Interesting to read David Cannadine's take on the history curriculum.

www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/public/article1228938.ece

Along with other historians and teachers he argues there was no such systematic consultation or public discussion; it is not age appropriate; teachers may not be adequately qualified and equipped to teach it; there is no provision for children to learn about ancient, medieval or early modern history over the age of 11; it is too over extended for the time available; and there is not enough world history or even history of the rest of the British Isles other than England. He also thinks it is a missed opportunity not to make history a compulsory part of the curriculum until 16.