TEACHING ABOUT THE SLAVERY PAST AND PRESENT
The 200th Anniversary of the UK Act to abolish the Slave Trade is an important
and valuable vehicle for teaching and learning with a global dimension. There
is a wealth of information, including lesson plans on the following websites.
But first, read about how to address the issue sensitively and to avoid perpetuating
stereotypes.
Avoid the pitfalls of teaching about the Slave Trade
Download the full article by Berenice Miles
1. Make sure that every child in your class can maintain their dignity and self
esteem during the teaching of this topic.
2. Do not approach the topic from a deficit model of 'poor, helpless black people'
in Africa and the Caribbean
3. Make sure that the resources you use do not compound a deficit model.
4. Make sure that pupils understand about great African civilisations. Never
start with African people as slaves.
5. Teach pupils the complex nuature of cruelty in the Atlantic slave trade and
plantation life.
6. Include the stories of African heritage leaders of rebellion and opposition
in the Caribbean.
7. Include the stories of freed African heritage slaves and servants in Europe
who took part in the fight for abolition.
8. Include the stories of white abolitionists as role models in the fight against
injustice and racism, but do not imply that only white people were responsible
for the abolition.
9. Place the topic in a context of human rights
10. Take care of your own professional development beforehand. This is a sensitive
issue.
Resistance of the slaves themselves played a big part in achieving Abolition
of the Slave Trade
Download lesson plans from Antislavery International to introduce the concept of resistance
in the context of the slave trade.
Find new resources for teaching about Slavery on Understandingslavery.com
This is a new website from the National Maritime Museum and has been launched
specifically to enable teachers to find resources to teach about the Transatlantic
Slave Trade.
Lesson Plans at Key Stage 2
Fiona Ransom of Durham's Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service has created Lesson
Plans at KS2 -
Download here
SLAVERY TODAY
Antislavery International's site has more lesson plans
The
BBC worldservice website is also a good place to look for information and gives links to other sites.
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Some of these issues may feel very 'big' or controversial if you are thinking
of teaching them for the first time. If you need help and want to find practical
classroom activities download Oxfam's guides for Global Citizenship:
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The
CITIZENSHIP Curriculum
Political Literacy
Social and Moral Responsibility
Community Involvement
This page aims to help teachers to deliver the Citizenship Curriculum with a
global dimension.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP?
At OXFAM, the Education team has described a Global Citizen as someone who:
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is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen;
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respects and values diversity;
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has an understanding of how the world works economically, politically, socially,
culturally, technologically and environmentally;
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is outraged by social injustice;
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participates in and contributes to the community at a range of levels from local
to global;
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is willing to act to make the world a more sustainable place;
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takes responsibility for their actions.
(Oxfam 1997)
MORE IDEAS-
ACTIVE GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP is an important part of the curriculum, where young people can practice their
skills. By clicking here you can get some new ideas for use in your classroom and school.
Explore the Schools pages of organisations websites to get new ideas for active Global Citizenship, as an alternative, or in addition
to, fundraising which plays a very small part in solving global problems.
Ask students to investigate the issues behind the problems - for example why
is there a need for Fair Trade - what's UNFAIR about 'Free' trade?
Keep up to date with the Make Poverty History website - there is still more to do in 2006 on Trade Justice.
Lots of ideas on this website for participating and raising awareness among others
on issues of Trade Justice and global poverty.
The Count me in Calendar is a good place to start for dates for a wide range of events linked to UK charities
working for international development. 
