Impact: World Development in British Education. INSTITUTION Voluntary Committee on Overseas Aid and Development, London (England)
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DOCUMENT REBUKE ED 071 979 80 005 295 AUTHOR White, Lydia TITLE Impact: World Development in British Education. INSTITUTION Voluntary Committee on Overseas Aid and Development, London (England). Education Unit. PUB DATE Sep 71 NOTE .26p. EDRS PRICE MF -S0.65 HC -$3.29 DESCRIPTORS *Developing Nations; *Development; Test Bias; Test Interpretation; Textbook Bias; Textbook Evaluation; *World Affairs; World Problems IDENTIFIERS *Worldmindedness ABSTRACT Aspects of British education which are relevant to the study of world development are examined in thispublication. The first three articles analyze respectively varioustextbooks, examination papers, and syllabi for attitudes,topics, and values presented in them which deal with developing countriesin xelation to world development issues. In History and Geography,Examining Boards are becoming more aware of the need to teach about the Third World and the syllabi and textbooks amplify these findings.The fourth article on teaching about world development in colleges ofeducation is based on two surveys undertaken by VCOAD in 1968and 1970 and indicates the.: in some parts of the country studentteachers have good opportunities to learn about the Third World. Thefinal article, a short report on an important conference of educationists convened by VCOAD in April 1971, examines the reasons for teachingabout the Third World in British schools, and works out suggestionson the most effective ways of undertaking such teaching. (Sm) lit. Ale 6Z,6EZ.0 03 U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DCLoMENT HAS BEENREPRO OuCE0 EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANI /ATION°RIG INA TiNu IT POINTS OF VIM OROP,N IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFsCEAE OFFICE OFMU (-ATHA POS,TION OR POLICY Impact Worlddevelopment in Britisheducation edited by Lydia White published by The Education Unit Voluntary Committeeon Overseas Aid and Development 69 Victoria Street, London,S.W.1. in association with The United KingdomCommittee of The Freedom From HungerCampaign September, 1971 Contents Introduction page 1 School Textbooks and theThird World page 3 Survey of the 1970Examination Papers page 9 The 1971 ExaminationSyllabuses page 15 Examining Bodies page 17 Learning to teach about theThird World page 21 British Schools and the ThirdWorldconference reportpage 23 Introduction The first edition of Impact was published in 1965, when information about which textbooksare currently in the Education Unit of the UK Committee of the Freedom use in schools, and in what quantities. There are those From Hunger Campaign made asurvey of the syllabuses who say that textbooks are and papers of all the Examining Boards (GCE no longer important in the and CSE). majority of schools, but the evidence availabledoes not Thereafter similar annual surveyswere undertaken by confirm this view. the Education Unit of the Voluntary Committeeon Overseas Aid and Development (VCOAD), whichhad The article on teaching about world d nTelopmentin taken over the work formerly done by FFHC. Colleges of Education is based on twosurveys undertaken by VCOAD in 1968 and 1970. Becausethe surveys This year it has been decided to extend therange of were dependent on response by the Colleges they Impact to examine some other aspects of British cannot claim to be comprehensive; but they do indicatevery education which are also relevant to the study ofworld clearly that in some parts of the country student development. A survey of examination papers is still teachers have good opportunities to learn aboutthe included, and shows a continuation of the trendof Third World while in other places they donot. previous years. In History and Geography, at least, Examining Boards are becomingmore and more aware The final article is a short reporton an important of the need to teach about the Third World Thisyear's conference of educationists convened by VCOADin survey of syllabuses amplifies these findings. The by April 1971. The conference providedan opportunity now very large number of questions set have not been to examine closely the reasons for teaching about the reproduced this year, as it would not have beenpossible Third World in British schools, andto work out to find space for them. suggestions on the most effective ways of undertaking such teaching. It also provided VCOAD with The attitudes revealed by History and a starting Geography point for planning an extension of its services textbooks are the subject of another article. Research to teachers and students in this, the firstyear of the on this subject was not easy because of the lack of Second United Nations Development Decade 1 School textbooks andthe Third World by Lydia White Textbooks are still a frequently used teaching aid in Education, are particularly lable to many school subjects. Indeed, they are probably the continue using old textbooks).Many Third World countries, forinstance, most frequently used aid and are likely to remainso as have gained independence only long as there is a shortage of other 'me the Second World convenient source War, often in the last ten years. Some schools material for the teacher and pupil and may as long as it is be using books which call these countriesby their pre- cheaper to produce the conventional textbookrather than anything else independence names. It is a pity thatsome writers of more recent books also do not bother to checkon these For many children, and adultstoo, any information name changes: Ta:Iganyika has been Tanzaniasince coming out of a book has special authority. The school 1964, though P.W.R. Footin The Child in the textbook has a responsibility not to abuse this Twentieth Century, published by Cassellin 1968, may authority. Without teachers realising it, textbooksmay not realise it. put across attitudes and values which the teacher However unfortunate it is that schoolsmay have to use would not want to encourage. Even ifa teacher does old textbooks, it is not necessarily realise that a textbook has disastrous if they many failings, he may be are factually incorrect, provided the teacher hastime to unable to do anything about it because suitable point out the changes that have taken place alternatives are difficult to find. since the book was published. But other impressionsmay be It is only in recent years that textbooks havebeen harder to put right. Howmany books make statements produced dealing specifically with world development like this one when talking about theinhabitants of issues. History and Geography, however, inevitably Africa: 'The natives, in fact,seem as destructive as provide a background to development simplybecause the baboons, but it isvery difficult to get them to they provide information about other countries, change their habits.'? The impressionthat such including the countries of the Third World. This statements help to create can only be damagingto information may tal e the form of the history ofthe understanding people in other parts of the world.The British Empire or the physical geographyof different statement came from a book called The EarthMan's countries. The older textbooks, which tendto look Her:!age by W.F. Morris and R.W. Brookerwhich was at the world from a colonial or insular position,may published by Harrap in 1953 and reprintedmany be fostering attitudes whichare hardly appropriate for times, this edition being as lateas 1961. There is a today or for the future. definite danger with books thatare reprinted many times, or where new editions For this reason, it seemed usefui to look are published, that a at various book may look new but containa text written many textbooks, old and new, to see what attitudesare years ago. The text may well be revised from time presented in them towards developing countries,to to time but such revisions are usually confinedto amending see what topics are dealt with and in whatway. Over facts and figures, rather than attitudes. the past few years VCOAD has surveyed theexamina- tion papers of all the General Certificate ofEducation Even if one could dismiss the danger presentedby the and Certificate of Secondary EducationExamining older teK.tbooks (and as longas they continue to be Boards in different subjects to see howmany questions used this danger exists), that kind ofattitude does not there are relating to world poverty and development. disappear with that kind of book:it shows itself, There have always been more questionson the History admittedly in a more subtle form, inmany books and Geography papers than on those of othersubjects published in the last few years. For instance,consider and it, therefore, seemed sensible to lookparticularly the following statement: 'Even elementaryskills are at the textbooks of th 'ise subjects, though other books not easily acquired by people living ina hoe and wi!' dealt with briefiy. It was alsonecessary to diggingstick civilisation. One recalls thecase of an limit the books investigated to secondary schooltext- African labourer who was foundto be using lubricating books written for general classuse (i.e. not library oil on a mowing machine to a value inexcess of what books) for CSE and GCE Ordinary andAdvanced level he was earning in wages.' (From EconomicGeography, work. by E.H. Cooper, University Tutorial Press,1968). The author means this as a reflectionon the lack of In the British educational system the individual school training and skill of the labourer; he doesnot seem to is able, to a large extent, to choose what textbooksit see that it is a reflection on the values of the society uses,