Coalition: History syllabus too political

[Pessimistic]

Stolen children happened and it wasnt confined to indigenous kids. Ie the child migrants.

Probably happening elsewhere for right wing social engineering purposes right now

 

[Tassieboy]

The problem is that known indigenous history is pretty patchy, and not hugely useful to most students.

Whilst I don't necessarily subscribe to the idea that we need to learn less about aboriginality and unions and more about settlers and business or whatever, I do think that the history curriculum in schools is pretty shitty and needs rethinking. I love history but it bored the crap out of me until late high school when we actually got to opt for electives.

The first 9 years of high school we mostly focused on Australian history, which if we're being honest is overkill. There's just not that much of interest to learn.

In many cases it actually wasn't Australian history, it was a contemporary version of white Australia cruelty, without the cruelty part being told.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Liberals are trying to erase their Internet Filter Policy from the history books as we speak.

 

[Caesar]

In many cases it actually wasn't Australian history, it was a contemporary version of white Australia cruelty, without the cruelty part being told.

Dunno about that. We were given an overview of the conflicts between settlers and Aboriginal peoples, and how indigenous people were affected. They certainly didn't dwell overly on specific atrocities, but then I've never seen much point in doing so with stuff like that. The study of history is about cause and effect, not emotion and blame.

 

[Gough]

Dunno about that. We were given an overview of the conflicts between settlers and Aboriginal peoples, and how indigenous people were affected. They certainly didn't dwell overly on specific atrocities, but then I've never seen much point in doing so with stuff like that. The study of history is about cause and effect, not emotion and blame.

You don't think there is a bit of cause and effect of the settlers treatment of the Aboriginal people that continues on to this day? Do you not think it might help the kids understand the plight of modern day Indigenous Australians by teaching about the past, it's not like institutional abuse of the Aborigines is particularly ancient history.

 

[Caesar]

Like I said, we were given an overview. We learned about the conflicts, and the institutionalisation programs and so forth in overarching terms. Similar to how we learned about stuff like My Lai when we did the Vietnam War.

I would say the reason for that is that (unfortunately) Aboriginal people were a tiny minority that were mostly pushed aside and ignored after 1788. As a result they did not have much of an impact on Australia's development into a nation, which makes them mostly a minor supporting character in a history syllabus that covers the period.

I do think that we need more education about how Aboriginal civil rights developed over time. The amount of ignorance over stuff like the '67 referendum is pretty embarrassing. As is the stuff about how Australia became a nation - very few people have a clue about the Statute of Westminster, for example.

For some reason we never learned much 20th century Australian history at school. Well, with the exception of 1914-18 and 1939-45. Them brave diggers.

 

[Belnakor]

This isn't completely true though. I had some wonderful teachers in high school and know some now who do the job out of love and the desire to teach. More intelligent, committed and capable than many others I know undertaking more prestigious or high paying careers.

Both my folks are/were teachers. Underrated job. Amazing job security. 100k if you work in the system long enough and 12 weeks holiday paid. 40 hour week at most. Coming from someone who earns a bit more but works a shitload harder I can definitely see the appeal.

 

[Belnakor]

You don't think there is a bit of cause and effect of the settlers treatment of the Aboriginal people that continues on to this day? Do you not think it might help the kids understand the plight of modern day Indigenous Australians by teaching about the past, it's not like institutional abuse of the Aborigines is particularly ancient history.

Something happened almost a hundred years ago and is grossly overstated is indeed ancient history for a 10 year old. Being taught that stuff is fact when it's a fairy tale is even worse.

 

[Gough]

Something happened almost a hundred years ago and is grossly overstated is indeed ancient history for a 10 year old. Being taught that stuff is fact when it's a fairy tale is even worse.

So equally you wouldn't support teaching classical studies to kids either. I mean the Greeks and Romans, that's thousands of years old, why would kids need to know that sort of stuff?
As for the second part of your post, there's plenty of evidence that numerous massacres of Aborigines happened during the colonial era; here's a list, http://yetimarla.com/ListofmassacresofIndigenousAustralians.htm. Perhaps you would like to start disproving this?

 

[Forward Press]

Both my folks are/were teachers. Underrated job. Amazing job security. 100k if you work in the system long enough and 12 weeks holiday paid. 40 hour week at most. Coming from someone who earns a bit more but works a shitload harder I can definitely see the appeal.

The bolded portions are no longer applicable to current teachers in WA at least.

Permanent contracts are rare. The money is lousy and you have to work for years to get close to 6 figures. 40+ hour weeks are commonplace. The Barnett government now intends to get rid of 1000+ staff from the sector and cut $300m altogether from education.

This is my reality as a teacher - but I wouldn't change it for anything.

As to the topic - I have my own views on the increasing militarisation and politicisation of the history curriculum (eg Gallipoli/Anzac legend in particular), and for obvious reasons I'm not that keen on it. However, that is the political reality and as teachers we put up with it.

 

[RUNVS]

The bolded portions are no longer applicable to current teachers in WA at least.

Permanent contracts are rare. The money is lousy and you have to work for years to get close to 6 figures. 40+ hour weeks are commonplace. The Barnett government now intends to get rid of 1000+ staff from the sector and cut $300m altogether from education.

This is my reality as a teacher - but I wouldn't change it for anything.

As to the topic - I have my own views on the increasing militarisation and politicisation of the history curriculum (eg Gallipoli/Anzac legend in particular), and for obvious reasons I'm not that keen on it. However, that is the political reality and as teachers we put up with it.

Plus it is my experience in my university class (I am doing a Bachelor of Arts Pathway to Primary Teaching course) that majority of the people in my units tend to be left wing. Teaching is just a profession that seems to attract the left wing (at least socially left wing).

 

[Pessimistic]

The coalition have a record of plenty of bluster but little appetite to do much in education

Plus it is my experience in my university class (I am doing a Bachelor of Arts Pathway to Primary Teaching course) that majority of the people in my units tend to be left wing. Teaching is just a profession that seems to attract the left wing (at least socially left wing).

If you were a died in the wool survivval of the fittest freak, i'm not sure youd be attracted to teaching

Having to treat all the little blighters equally would grind you down

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Not really sure how this joker can legitimately claim that Australian schools focus too much on Indigenous Australian History... This country, for the most part, knows f*ck all about it...

Going by that Tony obviously believes in the concept of Terra Nullius (empty land), a concept where the invading British never recognised a political structure to deal with (and exploit) amongst the locals and so declared them part of the fauna instead of human beings.

And as fauna they therefore had no history.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

The country really didn't have much to talk about until world war 1 when we started making heroes out of people put in harms way by the British....and then thanked them for it.

Heh. I like it, Cap.

 

[sydney eagle]

Liberals are trying to erase their Internet Filter Policy from the history books as we speak.

Well that will be the first useful thing they have done since being elected. I don't want some politician to start telling me where I can and can't look on the internet ! First it may be "pr0n" sites then what , some political site that they don't approve of ?

 

[Hank Scorpion]

Bump: Christopher Pyne has announced a review of the national curriculum:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-...rriculum-to-focus-on-benefits-of-west/5193804

 

[Forward Press]

Christopher Pyne is a f***ing idiot, that much we all know.

Also:

When the curriculum was being developed in 2011, Dr Donnelly wrote: "Every subject in the proposed national curriculum has to embrace Indigenous, environmental and Asian perspectives and aspects of the compulsory history curriculum read more like a cultural-left manifesto than a balanced and rational view of history as a discipline."

What's the alternative - don't talk about the historical contributions of Indigenous and Asian people and f*** the environment? I imagine this Dr Donnelly is actually a part of some conservative think-tank and doesn't give a stuff about the proper holistic and well-rounded education of Australian students. Newsflash Dr Donnelly - history is not just about knowing the dates of British military victories any more, times have changed a lot since you quit being a teacher.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Ho hum.. everything is now reduced to a question of left versus right party politics. This level of partisanship is a cancer.

 

[Mofra]

Q: How old is the Earth?
a. 2014 years
b. 3000 years
c. 5000 years
d. 6000 years

Q: Who is history's greatest leader?
a. John Howard
b. Tony Abbott
c. Rupert Murdoch
d. All of the above

Q: What is the gold standard for families?
a. Married Mother & Father
b. Married Mother and Father in non-union employment
c. Married subservient mother and father in non-union employment?
d. Royalty


Seems legit

 

[QuietB]

Surely they will just scrap history from the curriculum all together. Cut the school day by 15%. Sack the history teachers. Lease out the now empty section of the library to the ADL. Count the cash

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Surely they will just scrap history from the curriculum all together. Cut the school day by 15%. Sack the history teachers. Lease out the now empty section of the library to the ADL. Count the cash

Replace History with Bible study.

 

[Mofra]

Replace History with Bible study.

s**t, we can't do that - then Cory Bernadi will find out Jesus was raised by his step-dad Joseph

 

[Gough]

s**t, we can't do that - then Cory Bernadi will find out Jesus was raised by his step-dad Joseph

Were his parents even married?

 

[Ice-Wolf]

s**t, we can't do that - then Cory Bernadi will find out Jesus was raised by his step-dad Joseph

Cory was right, Jesus lived a life of vagrancy for a number of years, hung around with prostitutes and was sentenced to death as a criminal.

He was even an illegal immigrant to Egypt.

 

[Mofra]

Were his parents even married?

Depends which gospel you read - the Bible can't even agree on that.
No concensus by 4 people in a book written 2000 years ago is ok, but 97% scientific concensus is 'not enough'.
Welcome to the conservative blueprint for edumacation.