Is British History ....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The purpose of education is (or should be) to empower people (not just kids: I don't think education stops after "schooling"). A good command of oral English, to make it more difficult for those with a vested interest to lie to you in speech; a good command of literacy to make it easier to spot written lies; a good command of Numeracy, to make it more difficult to cheat someone; and a good command of how those in power use the Media to deceive. (I would add a secure Music education to stop the likes of Cowell - Simon, not Henry! - and Lord Voldemort from making money from a shoddy product.)

The trouble with "History" (even narrowing the field to "British History") is that there is so much of it, all with equal or comparable claim for attention. "The Plantagenets" is an important part of the development of the English political system, but then so is the Synod of Whitby. And what was the use of "knowing about" the Plantagenets if it didn't stop the corrosion of present-day civil rights that had their origin in Magna Carta? And if we are genuinely interested in British History, why are we so negligent of Scottish and Welsh history? (Anybody care - WITHOUT GOOGLING! - to name the Kings of Scotland prior to James VI?)

[vinteuil]

you cannot ignore the impact of the British empire (and other European empires) on the development of modern politics and society in those formerly imperial territories - .

... and also, of course, the impact that the British Empire has had on the development of modern politics and society in the United Kingdom!

[MrGongGong]

The purpose of education is (or should be) to empower people (not just kids: I don't think education stops after "schooling"). A good command of oral English, to make it more difficult for those with a vested interest to lie to you in speech; a good command of literacy to make it easier to spot written lies; a good command of Numeracy, to make it more difficult to cheat someone; and a good command of how those in power use the Media to deceive. (I would add a secure Music education to stop the likes of Cowell - Simon, not Henry! - and Lord Voldemort from making money from a shoddy product.)

The trouble with "History" (even narrowing the field to "British History") is that there is so much of it, all with equal or comparible claim for attention. "The Plantagenets" is an important part of the development of the English political system, but then so is the Synod of Whitby. And what was the use of "knowing about" the Plantagenets if it didn't stop the corrosion of present-day civil rights that had their origin in Magna Carta? And if we are genuinely interested in British History, why are we so negligent of Scottish and Welsh history? (Anybody care - WITHOUT GOOGLING! - to name the Kings of Scotland prior to James VI?)

indeed

I'm reminded (again !) of Dahlhaus
and surely that's no way to refer to ALW

[aeolium]

And what was the use of "knowing about" the Plantagenets if it didn't stop the corrosion of present-day civil rights that had their origin in Magna Carta?

The 'use' is not least that the knowledge of the slow and difficult struggle for the establishment of civil rights helps to animate the opposition from politicians, historians, lawyers and many others to their corrosion. The greater the knowledge about the use and abuse of power and the rise of legal and constitutional constraints on its use the better.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The 'use' is not least that the knowledge of the slow and difficult struggle for the establishment of civil rights helps to animate the opposition from politicians, historians, lawyers and many others to their corrosion. The greater the knowledge about the use and abuse of power and the rise of legal and constitutional constraints on its use the better.

[Pabmusic]

...The greater the knowledge about the use and abuse of power and the rise of legal and constitutional constraints on its use the better.

Absolutely true! It's not only the struggle to gain and preserve rights, but it's also threats to, and undermining of, those rights over the years.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

knowledge of life on these islands since the last ice age might well help us understand how the minor differences we elevate to nationhoods and races etc are just that, minor differences brought about by power and geography but not by anything intrinsic to the 'nature' of the people ... the fascination of the DNA studies is that in quite remarkable fashion they demonstrate the adaptive power of cultural development ... the population of the islands is reasonably stable and far less the result of invasions than we mythologise

apart from the murder and mayhem what does the British Empire amount to in contrast to the Industrial Revolution .... now that did change the whole world and is still doing so ...

[MrGongGong]

I'm not sure that we should only include things which are "useful" in education !

A bar by bar analysis of Brahms's clarinet quintet hasn't been "useful" in a pragmatic way
but in other ways ....... priceless

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm not sure that we should only include things which are "useful" in education !

A bar by bar analysis of Brahms's clarinet quintet hasn't been "useful" in a pragmatic way
but in other ways ....... priceless

- this just occured to me, too, MrGG. Curiosity and the enjoyment of learning things per se needs to be encouraged; without it, all education seems bleak and irrelevant, particularly to those for whom schooling is compulsory!

The co-opting of Teachers (through National Curricula, Admin work, League Tables etc.) by the political vested interests mentioned by aeolium is a particularly insidious agent against the development (and empowerment) of the individual. People, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, become disillusioned with the whole notion of "Education", having experienced it only as a means of repression and constraint: the very opposite of its real purpose as I see it.

[amateur51]

- this just occured to me, too, MrGG. Curiosity and the enjoyment of learning things per se needs to be encouraged; without it, all education seems bleak and irrelevant, particularly to those for whom schooling is compulsory!

The co-opting of Teachers (through National Curricula, Admin work, League Tables etc.) by the political vested interests mentioned by aeolium is a particularly insidious agent against the development (and empowerment) of the individual. People, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, become disillusioned with the whole notion of "Education", having experienced it only as a means of repression and constraint: the very opposite of its real purpose as I see it.