A Tale of Two Paradigms: Case Study analysis of two curriculum initiatives and their impact on history teacher perceptions.
Author(s):
Paul Bracey (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2011
Network:
20. Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments
Format:
Paper

Session Information

20 SES 07, Literacies and Cultural Diversity

Paper Session

Time:
2011-09-14
16:45-18:15
Room:
KL 32/123,G, 115
Chair:
John Willumsen

Contribution

The ‘ Troubles in Northern Ireland ‘ ,a feature of the  last quarter of the 20th century  are  hopefully giving way to a peace process which , even if faltering and tentative at times, has been gathering momentum since the mid 1990s. This situation has a hinterland which involves relations between Britain and Ireland which stretch back to the 12th century as well as opportunities for comparison with recent conflicts between and within states elsewhere in Europe and beyond.   This paper builds on two previous studies (Bracey 2006; Bracey 2010) which explored the significance of an Irish dimension in the English History Curriculum by focusing on two independent curriculum initiatives which explicitly set out to increase understanding of the situation in Ireland for broader educational purposes.  The first of these was undertaken by Teachers in  Development Education ( TIDE) , formerly called the Development Education Centre, has provided a network for teachers and  on some occasions  students ,in England, Ireland and Northern Ireland since the mid 1980s to  meet and develop curriculum development materials.  The paradigm underpinning the work of this organisation has been to include an appreciation of the situation as parts of its broader concerns with development education in a global context.  Ireland in Schools, the second organisation which will be considered was initiated and led by the former Director of Irish Studies at Liverpool which was set up to foster improved relations between Britain and Ireland in the late 1980s. This initiative was particularly active from the mid 1990s and worked with teachers to increase an understanding of Ireland.

Method

The two curriculum initiatives are regarded as case studies which have drawn their inspiration from a common theme. Each initiative will be explored in its context using a mixture of documentary sources and interviews with the people organising them. This will be followed by exploring their impact on teachers working with them during the first decade of the 21st century when the peace process was underway. The study is based on the premise that teachers are major agents of educational change and that the impact of both initiatives is dependent on their perceptions of the nature of history in the curriculum, with particular reference to issues such as diversity and internationalism. Consequently, although the paper will focus on perceptions of an Irish dimension this will be related to teacher perceptions of diversity, together with local, national, European and global dimensions. In doing so it will critically assess how well they provided students with the opportunity to develop a holistic framework of the past. Bassey’s (1999) principle of ‘ Fuzzy generalisations’ will be applied to each case study , while grounded theory will provide a means of determining g how they relate to teacher perceptions.

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes of the study are to provide a case study of how teachers on one country perceive another and the implications of this for curriculum development. This will necessarily involve a consideration of the impact of teacher perceptions and motivation as well as factors supporting or inhibiting change. The intention is to provide case studies which can subsequently be compared within other European contexts as well as providing a basis for future comparative studies between Ireland and England. At the same time the implications of the work of non government organisations will be considered given the anticipated role of this form of initiative in Europe in the face of reduced direct government support in the immediate future.

References

Ahonen, S. 2001 Politics of identity through the history curriculum: narratives of the past for social exclusion or inclusion? Journal of Curriculum Studies 33. No.2: 179-194. Bassey, M. (1999) Case Study Research in Educational Settings. Buckingham: Open University Press. Bracey, P (2006) ‘Teaching for Diversity? Exploring an Irish Dimension in the School History Curriculum since c.1970. History of Education, Vol. 35, no 6, pp.619-635. Bracey, P. (2010) Perceptions of the contribution of an Irish dimension in the English history curriculum. Educational Review, Volume 62, Issue 2, 203-213. Bracey, P. Gove-Humphries, A. and Jackson, D. ( anticipated publication 2011) Teaching Diversity in the History Classroom. In: Arthur, J. and Davies, I.(ed) Debates in History Teaching. London: Routledge. Corfield, P. (2009) ‘Teaching history’s big pictures: including continuity and change’. Teaching History. 136 : 53-59. DEC/Trocaire (1986) Half the lies are true…Ireland and Britain: a microcosm of international misunderstanding? Birmingham and Dublin: Development Education Centre/Trocaire. Harris, S. (2004) ‘Move over Florence: Schools are told to ditch ‘jaded’ heroine Nightingale and give history lessons about a female Irish pirate.’ Daily Mail 28th December, p.25. Ireland in Schools (n.d.) ‘About Us.’ Ireland in Schools: Making learning fun and challenging. Liverpool: Ireland in Schools. Available from http://www.iisresource.org. htm [accessed 22nd October 2010] Sharrock, D. (2007) ‘After 50 turbulent years, Stormont shakes off heavy chains of history.’ The Times. Wednesday 9th May 2007, pp.30-1. TIDE (2001) Building New Citizenship: Learning from change in Derry/Londonderry - a case study supporting citizenship education at KS3. Birmingham and Dublin: Teachers in Development Education & 80:20 Educating and Acting for a Better World. TIDE (n.d) ‘Welcome to Tide.’ TIDE global learning. Birmingham: Teachers in Development Education. Available from: http://www.tidec.org/ [accessed October 22nd 2010]

Author Information

Paul Bracey (presenting / submitting)
University of Northampton
Northampton

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