Conflict study helps schoolchildren 'widen their perspective'

Studies of conflicts past and present are being increasingly used in the classroom to complement lessons on subjects such as the Holocaust and slavery.

Teachers at Tottington high school in Norfolk in the south-east recently organised a classroom debate to discuss problems affecting the fictional country of Tottonia, in a scenario inspired by similar issues in Iraq and Afghanistan, and similar lessons are taking place across the UK, reports the Guardian.

Certain areas of the national curriculum are being relaxed across the education system, giving teachers greater flexibility to approach subjects with more creativity.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, told the paper: "We're pleased to see any school working out their own, best way of presenting the subject."

In addition, trips to European battlefields are easier to arrange to help bring a greater sense of perspective to what children learn in the classroom, with the trenches of the Somme reachable in a day-trip.

In other news, Steve Fuller, a sociology professor at Warwick University, has called for schoolchildren to be taught media literacy in order to make them less susceptible to modern advertising techniques, reports the Observer.

Written by Charlotte Michaels.


Published On 24/11/2009