Sounds like an interesting proposal.
I think it would be good to look at the role Open Educational Resources
could play in developing something very practical.
Fabian
> Dear Kwaku and Patrick
>
> You make really important points, Kwaku. Rather than just reacting to Gove
> perhaps we do need to develop a complementary curriculum and promote it,
> building on the expertise and good practice of many community
> organisations and teachers within and beyond the school system. And it
> does need to get to schools, to ALL students. Getting together and
> building from the best of what we all do will be challenging but
> ultimately rewarding and important.
>
> One reason why you may be not only right but realistic, Kwaku, is the
> likely redundance of a national curriculum anyway. Nevertheless, getting
> change in schools run by corporations, faith groups, universities or
> private schools may be even harder than it was through local authorities.
>
> Patrick, I wonder if there should be a meeting with everyone on BASA
> Jiscmail invited to attend or contribute? If it takes place somewhere in
> the UK there could perhaps be live minuting through the Jiscmail to enable
> real time contributions by anyone unable to attend or far away?
>
> I realise in my previous post I should have included community and
> campaigning organisations and supplementary schools as an important part
> of an alliance. Apologies for a sorry omission.
>
> From: BBM/BMC
> Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2013 10:51 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: The new school History curriculum - depressing news but not
> surprising
>
> Dear Patrick
> Thanks for your post
> Whilst I've signed the petition, I've also copied below my comments to the
> preamble on the OBV site:
> http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/michael-gove-dumps-mary-seacole#comment-113166
>
> Kwaku
> BBM/BMC
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Akoben Awards Free Half-Day Music Industry Courses. Friday January 25
> 2013: www.bizmusic.eventbrite.com
>
>
> I came by this excellent article because I heard OBV has a campaign to
> pressure Education Minister Michael Gove from going ahead with his plans
> to remove Mary Seacole from the new History curriculum.
> Whilst I am not against such a campaign, I would like to highlight the
> fact that the African abolitionist Olaudah Equiano has also been moved
> out, or should I say, expunged, from the new curriculum. So my question is
> that would a joint petition for the two African British historic
> personalities be better than two separate petitions?
>
> As it is, we are responding to a leaked draft, so there may a small window
> for the likes of Seacole and Equiano to be "re-instated" in the new
> history curriculum.
>
> Abolition of chattel enslavement and immigration are said to be left in
> the new curriculum - not sure what's happened to American civil rights.
> The old curriculum allows for topics such as resistance against
> enslavement, but how many teachers would know, let alone teach about about
> Nzinga, Sharpe, Bussa, Kofi, L’Ouverture, Nana (Nanny) etc?
>
> Immigration, for example, should not just be about "new" or "different"
> peoples coming to Britain, or the change of the cultural landscape. What
> about the impact on the social and political landscape, as a consequence
> of activism which brought in race relations laws, which begat the other
> equality laws.
>
> The way forward? I don't think the school history curriculum can satisfy
> everyone. So I've suggested to BASA (Black And Asian Studies Association)
> historians and history teachers that politicians will always play yo-yo
> with the history curriculum, and that the way forward ought to include
> producing a complementary curriculum which those who are interested in
> African British history can refer to.
>
> If people are interested in African British history, then as much as they
> should fight for maintaining or re-instating Seacole and Equiano, they
> should also look at the complementary curriculum from which they can
> improve theirs and their children's knowledge of African history whether
> through self-study, Saturday schools, community projects, or other
> informal learning routes.
>
> Some of us are not waiting on the schools to do it all for us. I run
> African history projects through TAOBQ (The African Or Black Questions),
> Akoben Awards and BTWSC. Other community organisations doing the same
> include the likes of Black History Walks, Nu Beyond, Ligali, etc.
>
>
>
>
> On 3 Jan 2013, at 17:42, Patrick Vernon wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Hi Every One
>
> I hope you had a good break. It would be great to sign the petition
> below and fwd this to your networks.
>
>
> Please see article in the Voice
>
> http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/mary-seacole-be-removed-national-curriculum
>
>
>
> PETITIONING
> Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education
>
> STARTED BY
> Operation Black Vote
>
> Overview +
> The Government is proposing to remove Mary Seacole from the National
> Curriculum. We are opposed to this and wish to see Mary Seacole retained
> so that current and future generations can appreciate this...
>
> Letter +
> Keep Mary Seacole on the National Curriculum
>
> Sign
>
> View full site
>
>
> https://www.change.org/petitions/michael-gove-secretary-of-state-for-education-keep-mary-seacole-on-the-national-curriculum
>
>
> Cheers
>
> Patrick
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> From: The Black and Asian Studies Association [[log in to unmask]] on
> behalf of BBM/BMC [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 02 January 2013 12:46
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: The new school History curriculum - depressing news but not
> surprising
>
>
> Whilst I applaud the work Arthur has done and continues to do, bearing
> in mind Governments can play yo-yo with the History curriculum, what
> about the creation of a BASA History curriculum, which aims to
> complement and fill in the gaps?
>
> Kwaku
>
> BBM/BMC
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Akoben Awards Free Half-Day Music Industry Courses. Friday January 25
> 2013: www.bizmusic.eventbrite.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 2 Jan 2013, at 10:38, arthur torrington wrote:
>
>
>
> I too am not surprised about the situation.
>
>
>
> Equiano may be coming off the curriculum, but the coalition
> government will keep William Wilberforce there. The Equiano Society
> has been lobbying this new government over the past two and a half
> years for support on how the heritage of African people is presented
> in schools, and I know that ministers are not giving way. I have met
> and am still corresponding with officials.
>
>
>
> Nevertheless, lobbying must continue just as strong as before, until
> change comes. I do 'not believe in giving up'.
>
>
>
> arthur
>
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2013 08:22:27 +0000
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: The new school History curriculum - depressing news but
> not surprising
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
>
> What is our best concerted strategy to deal with this idiot?!
> I'm planning to enlist William Cuffay and meet my MP Frank Dobson to
> discuss the campaign.
> Obviously writing to the newspapers too.
> Martin Hoyles
>
> From: Martin Spafford <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, 31 December 2012, 11:22
> Subject: The new school History curriculum - depressing news but not
> surprising
>
>
> News that I expect will be very unwelcome for BASA list members
>
>
> http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Education/article1185339.ece
>
> If, like me, you don’t want to subscribe to a Murdoch newspaper
> website, here’s the gist:
>
> BRITISH history will take centre stage in classrooms again under a
> revamp of the school curriculum.
> A leaked draft of the syllabus, overseen Michael Gove, the education
> secretary, reveals a heavier focus on kings and conflicts including
> the Norman conquest in 1066, the Hundred Years' War, the birth of
> parliament and the trial and execution of Charles I.
> But figures due to lose out as part of the shake-up include Mary
> Seacole, the Jamaican-born nurse, who treated wounded soldiers during
> the Crimean war in the 1850s, Florence Nightingale, Robert Owen,
> founder of the co-operative movement and Olaudah Equiano, a former
> African slave who became an anti-slavery campaigner.
> Worth pointing out:
> The new curriculum was devised by a group handpicked by Gove under
> conditions of secrecy with no outside consultation.
> Academies (about 50% of secondaries) and free schools do not have to
> follow the National Curriculum.
> The curriculum this will replace (which did have consultation and into
> which BASA members fed) was already predominantly AngloCentric but did
> have requirements to teach the continued diversity of Britain,
> precolonial civilisations, resistance to slavery and decolonisation. I
> doubt these will survive in the new imposed curriculum, due to be
> announced in January. It looks like the small steps forward achieved
> in 2008 are to be followed by a huge leap backwards.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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