Citizenship and History
Appreciation of diversity
History can give pupils the opportunity to learn about the changing diversity of their local community, their country and the wider world. It can provide a context in which to discuss and explore issues such as the movement of people. The Refugee Council provides good resources which examine these issues.
Equalities
Developments over time in attitudes and approaches to issues of equality are an important part of historical study. Oral histories from elderly members of the local community can show vividly how attitudes have changed, particularly in the workplace and the home.
Global citizenship
The study of history gives young people the opportunity to study the changes in diverse societies and to evaluate the impact of those changes and their effect on Scotland, Britain and the wider world.
Development education centres throughout Scotland provide resources and support. The Global Dimension website has a well developed search facility that allows teachers to search for their subject and related global dimension themes.
Health
A study of life in Scotland in the 19th and 20th centuries raises fundamental issues concerning public and private health, ranging from conditions in the towns and countryside to diet and advances in medicine. It is interesting to compare child labour today with the equivalent in Scotland 150 years ago.
Barnhill Poor House CD-ROM looks at the causes of poverty in the 19th century. It examines various causes including the impact of low incomes. One task asks pupils to budget for two types of working class family and then buy food from a shop with the money allocated to food shopping. Pupils then have to make up a ‘menu’ of meals for a week, comparing it with today’s food and discussing the extent to which the diets are healthy/unhealthy and in turn cause poverty.
The CD-ROM is available from Peter Hillis at the University of Strathclyde, Jordanhill Campus
76 Southbrae Drive
Glasgow
G13 1PP
Tel: 0141 950 3395
Email: Peter Hill
Human rights
History is uniquely placed when it comes to the teaching and learning about human rights. There is an opportunity to develop young people’s understanding of the importance of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child through the teaching of a number of topics.
The year 2007 is the anniversary of the Abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade and new resources have been produced by a large number of agencies including Learning and Teaching Scotland (link to mini site when live).
Holocaust Memorial Day is on 27 January and there are many innovative ways of approaching what can be a sensitive issue. Every year the Holocaust Memorial Trust provides educational resources and free local activity packs.
Media awareness
Using newspapers and original newsreels as source material can help young people understand the power of the media and encourage them to treat the information objectively, ensuring that they develop the skills to detect bias and propaganda. British Pathe has a range of resources in this field.
Peace education
Schools are concerned to develop pupils' ability to participate in discussing difficult political issues. They also aim to develop young people’s everyday skills and attitudes to overcoming conflict and living peaceably in their schools, neighbourhoods and cities. Learning about influential peace movements in the past can contribute to young people’s understanding of the present.
Political literacy
History is well placed to build on knowledge and understanding of political issues that are being taught elsewhere in the curriculum. It provides an important insight into the development of the British democratic process and as such topics like the suffragettes can be the basis for much wider discussions.
The National Museum of Women’s History has a number of educational resources including songs, documents and memorabilia of the women’s suffrage movement.