The Historical Association report into Teaching Emotive andControversial History said teachers avoided taking risks when dealingwith areas of study that touch on "social, cultural, religious andethnic fault lines".
For instance, the study found a history department in a northern cityavoided selecting the Holocaust as a topic for GCSE coursework "for fearof confronting anti-Semitic sentiment and Holocaust denial among someMuslim pupils". And teachers avoided dealing explicitly with gay andlesbian issues.
The report recommends schools consider the teaching of emotive andcontroversial issues as a whole school issue within the context of EveryChild Matters.
It also says teachers should be "encouraged, rather than penalised, forencouraging debate in the classroom".
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
