Liberating Learning

Teachers, philosophers, historians and chief executives put the state of contemporary secondary education under the spotlight. Their essays make the case that secondary education has been impoverished by a narrow curriculum and rigid bureaucratic assessment system, and that despite government attempts to widen participation, the social gap in education remains wide. Inspired by the liberal tradition, the authors call for a more generous approach that will kindle the interests of young people and give teachers more freedom. They examine the initiatives that are successfully raising aspirations and participation, and argue that the best way to get more people from diverse backgrounds into university is to liberate learning. The contributors are Simon Blackburn, Nigel Bowles, Patrick Derham, Rachel Carr, Hugh Rayment-Pickard, Niall Ferguson, Sarah Fletcher, AC Grayling, Simon Lebus, Ray Lewis, Sir Stuart Rose, John May, Michael Reiss, Elizabeth Swinbank, John Taylor and Michael Worton.

It s good to see that, nearly170 years on from the days of Thomas Arnold, greatest of Rugby School Headmasters and father of the modern public school system, the school is still at the forefront of new thinking on education. A new book, Liberating Learning will be published in April, edited by the school s current Headmaster, Patrick Derham, and Michael Worton, vice-provost of University College London. I predict that this book, appearing only weeks before the likely advent of my friend Michael Gove as the most radical education secretary since Shirley Williams, will set the education debate alight in a manner reminiscent of The Black Papers, a series of polemical pamphlets on progressive education first published in 1969 by a group of notable contributors including Kingsley Amis. Indeed, with contributions on The Decline of History by Niall Ferguson, Liberal Education by AC Grayling and Education for Business by Sir Stuart Rose and John May (of the Young Enterprise Education charity), it could become the bible for reformers, those fed up with the past 13 years of missed opportunities. When Gove is seen entering No 10 for the first cabinet meeting of the new Tory ministry with the book tucked firmly under his arm remember: you read it here first. --Andrew Roberts, Financial Times Arts and Leisure Diary, February 27, 28 2010

--Andrew Roberts, Financial Times Arts and Leisure Diary, February 27, 28 2010

A leading British historian has called for a Jamie Oliver-style campaign to purge schools of what he calls "junk history". Niall Ferguson, who teaches at Harvard and presented a Channel 4 series on the world's financial history, has launched a polemical attack on the subject's "decline in British schools", arguing that the discipline is badly taught and undervalued. He says standards are at an all-time low in the classroom and the subject should be compulsory at GCSE. Ferguson makes the comments in an essay to be released this week. It begins: "History matters. Many schoolchildren doubt this. But they are wrong, and they need to be persuaded they are wrong." He points to the popularity of TV series and books by celebrity historians such as Simon Schama, David Starkey, Peter Snow and Andrew Marr. "History, it might be said, has never been more popular. Yet there is a painful paradox. At the very same time, it has never been less popular in British schools," writes Ferguson. History is compulsory up to the age of 14 but not to 16 in Britain, in contrast to most other European countries. In 2009, 220,000 candidates sat GCSE history in England and Wales ? fewer than the number taking design and technology. At A-level the subject lags behind psychology. "Numbers, however, fail to tell the true story of history's decline in British schools. When you consider the content of what is taught to teenagers, you begin to realise that the really surprising thing is how many, not how few, volunteer for the experience of studying the subject," says Ferguson. He argues that there is far too much emphasis on teaching pupils about Nazi Germany (studied by half of those at GCSE and eight out of 10 at A-level) and complains that pupils are asked to choose "a smorgasbord of unrelated topics". The form of selection, he adds, "explains why, when I asked them recently, all three of my children had heard of the Reverend Martin Luther King, but none could tell me anything about Martin Luther." Instead, Ferguson says history should have a "mandatory chronological framework" throughout secondary school and on to A-level. He also calls for more emphasis on western ascendancy, not in "an attempt to turn the clock back" but because understanding why the world became more Eurocentric after 1500 is the "modern historian's biggest challenge". He suggests a focus on why the scientific revolution did not take place outside Europe and how democracy emerged --Andrew Hough, Telegraph 21 March 2010

The Glasgow-born professor s arguments, to be published next month, are contained in a collection of essay s Liberating Learning: Widening Participation, from leading teachers, historians, philosophers and businessmen. The collection, which contain arguments on how impoverished by a narrow curriculum, is edited by Patrick Derham, the head of Rugby school, and Michael Worton, vice-provost at University College London. History matters. Many schoolchildren doubt this. But they are wrong, and they need to be persuaded they are wrong, Prof Ferguson writes. History, it might be said, has never been more popular. Yet there is a painful paradox. At the very same time, it has never been less popular in British schools. We have recently witnessed a successful campaign to improve the quality of food served for lunch in British schools. It is time for an equivalent campaign against junk history. --Andrew Hough, Telegraph 21 March 2010