Print
See related documents
Recommendation 1880 (2009)
History teaching in conflict and post-conflict areas
1. The Parliamentary
Assembly recalls its Recommendation
1283 (1996) on history and the learning of history in Europe and
reaffirms that “history also has a key political role to play in
today's Europe. It can contribute to greater understanding, tolerance
and confidence between individuals and between the peoples of Europe
or it can become a force for division, violence and intolerance.”
Therefore, history teaching can be a tool to support peace and reconciliation
in conflict and post-conflict areas as well as tolerance and understanding
when dealing with such phenomena as migration, immigration and changing
demographics.
2. Conflict resolution and conflict prevention take place at
the political level, evolving from peacekeeping to peacemaking and
finally to peace-building. History teaching is a process in which
teachers are consulted, trained, retrained, supported, provided
with resources, encouraged and protected in the implementation of
new approaches to controversial and sensitive issues. Both elements
must be addressed if the political process is to attain long-term
success with new generations. The Assembly therefore welcomes the
work being done by the Council of Europe and other organisations
in locations such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and the Black
Sea region and supports governments as they strive towards mutual
understanding and tolerance.
3. The answers to questions such as “what” is taught, “how” it
is taught and “when” controversial issues can be addressed rely
on a process of building new skills and confidence for both teachers
and students. This process needs to be reinforced by new political
attitudes and policies towards history in its role of reconciling differences
and developing tolerance.
4. Conventional history teaching stresses a single interpretation
of events as being “the Truth”, which is politically expedient.
It is now internationally accepted that there can be many views
and interpretations, which are based on evidence. There is validity
in a multiperspective approach that assists and encourages students to
respect diversity and cultural difference in this increasingly globalised
world, rather than conventional teaching, which can reinforce the
more negative aspects of nationalism.
5. The Assembly values the work of the Council of Europe in countries
emerging from conflict to support a change in how “the other” is
presented in history classes. This involves interventions relating
to both what is taught and how it is taught. Considerable investment
in skills building for teachers, today’s and tomorrow’s, to encourage
them to move to a new style of curriculum and teaching, must continue.
This process is progressive and therefore has implications for initial
and in-service teacher training.
6. Recent reviews in some post-conflict countries have led to
a reduction in course content. While this allows better skill development
and helps motivate students to further evaluate and explore topics
themselves, it must enhance, not reduce, the cross-community and
cross-regional focus of the curriculum.
7. Teachers, student teachers and students who want to support
the process of change are essential resources. Teachers should be
at the core of curriculum development and resource designing to
assist in those materials being age appropriate and interesting
for the students.
8. Multiperspective teaching relies on the availability of primary
and secondary material and involves interactive teaching. Project-based
research and work, class debates, visits to museums, greater utilisation
of primary sources and guest speakers to make modern history more
relevant, work best with small classes. Education policies must
reflect this change of teaching style.
9. Improving communication between students and teachers from
different backgrounds and cultures opens up new potential for history
projects that involve several countries. Students “solving” each
other’s problems opens up new insights as “outsiders” will often
see situations differently than those closest to the problem.
10. Cross-border and cross-community activities are organised
in some communities. Assembly Recommendation
1283 (1996) called on governments to provide adequate and continued
financing for history research, particularly for multilateral and
bilateral commissions on contemporary history. There is a political onus
to strengthen these opportunities and encourage those who could
gain most from teaming with each other to move in that direction
without fear of reprisal from any quarter. This activity should
be for both teachers and students. It should have a capacity to
be a long-term process, working towards tangible results, as trust
is only built over time.
11. History teaching must reflect, and relate topics to, the international
situation of the time period that is being taught. Events explored
in isolation do not depict the full context and so do not always
give a true or full picture. However, the use of local history can
hold particular relevance for young students, thereby capturing their
interest. Many things at local level can then be related to bigger
events and topics.
12. Both education for mutual understanding and cultural heritage
should be central in education policies, as is the case in the north
of Ireland. History teaching support services should help teachers
co-ordinate cross-curricular themes during staff planning days.
Such support services should have an international mechanism to
share concepts and practices.
13. Exploring the medium of gentle humour to engage student interest
in elements of history is an inroad to capturing student attention
that is equal to the use of films and other technologies. When we
can laugh at humour directed at “us” as well as “them” we will have
achieved some success in peace and reconciliation.
14. Multiperspective history teaching will give students analytical
skills, (and subject knowledge), that will help them to develop
more critical minds. It is therefore a subject that can assist in
a very vital part of a child’s development in this era of changing
dynamics and, if supported, will help train potential employers
and employees for those countries who most need economic development
post conflict.
15. Recommendation
1283 (1996) underscored that people have a right to access their
history, whether they then embrace or reject it. Students’ right
to examine critically, through school resources, what they see and hear
around them in the various media available, has only become more
vital with the passage of time and the development of new technologies.
Understanding complexity can help them appreciate diversity and,
in being objective, they recognise the distortions that stereotypes
bring.
16. The Assembly acknowledges that, in curricula reviews, there
has been recognition of the need for controversial, sensitive and
tragic events to be balanced with more positive and inclusive topics
that are not exclusively political in nature and which extend beyond
national boundaries. The move towards the inclusion of cultural,
philosophical and economic elements, as well as the role of women
and minorities is to be welcomed and encouraged.
17. The Assembly draws the attention of the Committee of Ministers
to recent research which indicates that there needs to be special
prioritisation of schools that have been at the intersections of
conflict in terms of confidence-building measures for both teachers
and students, of primary and secondary resources and Internet access
and student exchanges. Coming out of conflict is a slow and individual
challenge faced by every teacher, student, school and community.
18. Dissemination of information has increased through the globalisation
of various media forms which are all instantaneous conveyors of
current events or “history”. The education system in each member
state should support students in their development of analytical
skills that critically explore media studies and thereby help them
understand that messages can be delivered both overtly and subliminally.
19. In moving towards peace, or out of conflict, influential personalities
in various walks of life, and in particular religious leaders may
play a role within communities to create an atmosphere either to
support or to undermine the process. Positive direction on a inter-religious
basis provides an important signal to those who look to embrace
“the image of the other” for the first time in education. The Assembly
welcomes the positive role religious leaders and influential personalities
have played in some countries and calls on all religious leaders
to embrace new initiatives that work towards a peaceful co-existence
of citizens now and in the future, thus supporting new initiatives
in the classroom.
20. The Assembly calls on all states signatories to the European
Cultural Convention (ETS No. 18) to:
20.1. ensure that necessary technologies and opportunities to
support both teacher and student interactions within and between
states are put in place, including access to written resources and sources
in their own language for minority communities;
20.2. provide adequate and ongoing financing for history research,
particularly for multilateral and bilateral commissions on contemporary
history;
20.3. as a subject, focus history teaching more on socio-economic,
cultural, artistic and heritage elements and less on politics;
20.4. pursue a ten-year project that would encourage primary
school children to keep a diary tracking their reaction to contemporary
events, which could be examined and exchanged with other member states
at the end of the project;
20.5. ensure that teacher-training programmes have a balance
of two distinct elements: the development of the expertise within
the subject area (“what” to teach) and the skill building for motivating students
to engage with the subject (“how” to teach);
20.6. address resistance to a new curriculum or pedagogy change
where it exists as a result of deeper political issues;
20.7. research, on a regular basis, teachers’ and students’
views on new concepts in, challenges of and approaches to history,
pertaining to curriculum size, content, relevance, delivery and
how it is examined;
20.8. facilitate teachers’ duties in terms of curriculum timing
to allow them to disseminate new ideas outside the classroom and
to encourage them to try out new practices;
20.9. reduce the size of classes whenever possible;
20.10. encourage teachers to join associations of history teachers
and attend events such as those run by EUROCLIO (European Association
of History Educators) in order to help develop confidence, experience
and expertise;
20.11. support teachers in the use of personal development opportunities
to keep updated on practices and priorities abroad and vice versa;
20.12. consider a reward system within the pay-scale structure
to encourage the commitment, in a meaningful manner, of all history
teaching sectors to keep filtering fresh pedagogical approaches
both up and down the system,
20.13. give all schools the capacity to access primary and secondary
source information, including broadband for Internet accessibility.
21. The Assembly calls for the full implementation of the White
Paper on Intercultural Dialogue “Living together as equals in dignity”
(launched in May 2008), to assist the development of guidelines
for teachers on issues concerning tolerance and intercultural dialogue.
22. The Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
22.1. continue to support the work
of the Council of Europe, in co-operation with other institutions,
such as the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research,
in conflict and post-conflict areas, on the revision and development
of textbooks and teacher manuals, the organisation of teacher seminars and
source material identification;
22.2. research best practices and share them between countries
that have experienced conflict in the past and assist all those
engaged in such processes, regardless of the stage they are at currently;
22.3. continue to provide support for the implementation of
the Council of Europe project “The Image of the Other in History
Teaching”;
22.4. enhance co-operation with the European Union within the
framework of joint programmes and projects in the area of history
teaching and make the best possible use of European Union funds
where appropriate.