Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, a culture of silence envelops the violent conflict of the past, leaving teachers, particularly a new generation of teachers, unsure of how to approach their own history. The Department of Education introduced a new curriculum for history teachers including a requirement to explore the consequences of the "troubles".  Teachers are best positioned to prepare young people to understand their history and encourage their complex thinking about these issues.   However, teachers need support and training if they are to be effective in introducing complex ideas into the classroom in a way that doesn't perpetuate the divisiveness of the past.  Appropriate preparation is even more critical when teachers have participated in and been shaped by the history they experienced, and can unwittingly perpetuate old notions of identity in their classrooms.

We have seen first hand the impact of the culture of silence around Northern Ireland's past.  At a seminar in Belfast, the participants, all of whom were university students training to be teachers, struggled to remain "neutral" about the history of Northern Ireland, which led to an inability to engage in any kind of discussion. From our observations and feedback from participants, we know that our work had a positive impact on these new teachers and helped them develop skills to teach their complex history.



Stories

  • Facing History at Friends School Lisburn (FSL) Iris Bradfield, Head of History, Friends School Lisburn Facing History and Ourselves Board Trip, Belfast, May 2008 My first involvement with the Facing History and Ourselves Programme was back in June 2006 when I was invited to attend a 3-day Holocaust and Human Behavior seminar in Belfast.

Highlights

  • Facing History has offered professional development to teachers in Northern Ireland since 2003.  We are currently developing a course for all Grade 10 teachers.
  • Working with National Library Advisors, we have developed Northern Irish-specific resources centered on Facing History's core themes.  We have also developed  training for teachers on the use of the resource.
  • We have offered training in Facing History to university students studying to become teachers.
  • We have a strong partnership with Corrymeela, a non-sectarian non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting reconciliation, and have provided training thus far to six staff.
  • Facing History has developed a partnership with the WAVE Trauma Centre, which received a Peace III grant, to work with Facing History to develop accredited courses focused on peace-building.
  • Ten educators, including teachers and representatives of NGOs, have attended the international seminar in London in 2007, 2008 and 2009, joining teachers from around the world for shared learning and best practices.