Children need ‘life skills’ not dates say teachers

DISCLOSURE: The Chief is currently teaching U.S. and World History, along with some other social studies, and science, all at the high school level.

Children should not be taught to remember key historical dates such as the Battle of Hastings but should instead learn “life skills”, teachers have claimed. A new curriculum should place greater emphasis on broad skills such as team working and interpreting evidence rather than learning dates by rote, said the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

Dum-de-dum-dum!

She said: “Is the world going to collapse if they don’t know ‘To Be, or Not to Be?’ Our national curriculum should be far more focused on the development of life skills and ways of working than whether or not we teach the Battle of Hastings. The skills of historical understanding are far more important than whether or not we teach a particular battle.” She insisted it was “not dumbing down – we are raising up”.

Raising up WHAT? People who are unable to think analytically, but may be well integrated members of their “tribal group”.

A skills-based curriculum demands that you make connections between different subject domains,” she said. “That requires thought. Too much learning that goes on today is rote learning.

This begs the distinction that without having a sound command of the CONTENT of the “subject domains”, any “connections” are pretty much irrelevant. This is NOT to deny that such connections do exist, but, without the foundational knowledge base, all that is left to operate by is ones “feelings” about things…which perfectly meshes with the successful creation of another brick in the Ingsoc wall of the Labor (UK) or Donkocratic (US) brave new world.  Besides that, it’s a LOT easier to meet your educational goals when focused on “life skills” and “ways of working”…which can only be evaluated using subjective judgement…and none of those pesky facts that can be objectively tested!