>> Support materials: Chapter 22


Chapter 22: Educating society

 

Case studies Video clips Weblinks Further reading Podcasts
Case studies Video clips Weblinks Further reading Podcasts

 

Case Study

Why learn history in school?
On Australia Day 2006, then Prime Minister John Howard argued that schools did not teach enough Australian history. In his speech, Howard expressed his concern that history had sunk under a multitude of disparate topics and themes and that the structured narrative of the past had disappeared. In earlier statements, he had criticised what he called the 'black armband' view of Australian history, which he claimed focused too much on negative aspects such as the treatment of Indigenous Australians, rather than on heroic figures and national achievements. The then Minister of Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, also stated that history had become politicised and needed to return to teaching the basic facts. She argued that such Australian history should be a compulsory stand-alone subject taught in all high schools. On 17 August 2006, a history summit was called to discuss matters such as whether history teaching should be compulsory in schools and whether there should be a national curriculum in history.

By 2010, under the auspices of the then Rudd Labor government and the development of a national curriculum framework, a draft national curriculum of history has been produced and, at the time of writing, is the subject of intense public debate.

Currently, few secondary school students study history and of those an even smaller proportion study Australian history. Teachers and academics have expressed the view that historical literacy is fast declining in our high schools. Putting politics aside, the idea that a study of the past informs the present is not new. In any democracy, it is expected that citizens will make informed decisions about political and social issues. Many Australians have little or no knowledge of the past events, issues, and global contexts that have shaped Australia. What are the implications of this?

Discussion questions

  1. Did you study Australian history in high school? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think that history has been put on a pedestal? What is so special about history and history teaching?
  3. Would you agree that declining interest in history teaching means that schools are failing their social and civic responsibilities?
  4. Do you think there should be a national curriculum in history?
  5. Is the teaching of history in schools an important part of celebrating Australian national identity?
  6. Should Australian history be about building national pride and identity, or should it give a critical account of Australia's past?
  7. Has Australian history been politicised? Should the government decide what history is actually taught?