Cowtown

So do UK high schools teach North American history?

Patsy

nooooooo and i tell u what, if they had tried to teach me that at secondary school...i'd have been one of those kids who threw balls of paper round the room out of complete boredom...u can always go and study it later...if yur interested....

Patsy

the links are really informative...thank you

dbd33

Not history but we studied America geography which entailed a fair bit about the economy, for example, I recall an exam on the TVA. I know the geography and history my children were taught in Toronto didn't include anything outside upper and lower Canada. (I used to torment them by asking why, if they did the same thing year after year, they didn't get 100%).

In any case, it's hardly the same thing, the history of the people of Canada is, by and large, the history of Europe.

hot wasabi peas

This begs the question; do Europeans learn about Canada in their history lessons? I doubt that they do. (Here's an obvious opportunity for you to say something derisive about Canada.)

Only someone uncritical or ill-informed about the production of Knowledge in contemporary Canada (or in general) could make a comment such as yours. Or someone incredibly arrogant and ignorant. Or a very average Canadian.

dbd33

Not Canada specifically but North America. I've already mentioned studying the TVA. Europeans don't study every country of the world, that wouldn't be feasible and there's no particular reason why Canada should be singled out. Canadians however derived their languages and form of government from Europe so it follows that European history is relevant to people living in Canada.

Most anybody then.

I do wish you'd leave it out with the ad hominem attacks, they're really not helpful dear.

dbd33

And it doesn't beg the question, you may feel that it invites the question but that's another matter entirely. Here are some notes on usage :

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-beg1.htm

hot wasabi peas

What is it that you are specifically saying? The scope of your argument is shifting in and out like my pupils under a strobe light. The 'history of the people of Canada' and the 'history of North America' are for the most part quite different entities, depending on how you conceptualize them.

In my mind the history of North America is not the history of Europe.

And let you have all the pleasure?

dbd33

Well, yes, I know that but your view of history relates only to a tiny and insignificant minority of people in Canada. You seek to relate Canada to the aboriginal peoples who lived here before the Europeans and I say that they are irrelevant now. What students need to know is the history and culture of Europe and then, perhaps, of Asia. That is the history of the peoples who shaped modern Canada. They also need to know about the US, the country with which Canada has most in common. I understand your interest in aboriginal peoples but like my interest in pearly queens it's very ethno-centric and irrellevant to the world at large.

hot wasabi peas

You're making assumptions; that's not my view.

I completely disagree.

Aboriginal issues and influences are important in modern Canada.

It's not just an interest.

Souvenir

This reminds me of a fairly recent rant by my step-brat, who, unlike most of his classmates, has travelled. It related to his geography class and went more or less like this:

"Geography seems to stop at the Quebec border. Why the fudge do I need to know the names of all the fudging rivers in Quebec?"

He didn't say "fudge", by the way.

It is a little dangerous, to say the least, that students in this country are given so little education on what happens elsewhere and how Canada interreacts with other countries. In one case, depends on another country.

Lapsed Canuck

This all sounds a bit strange for me as someone who grew up in Canada. At the time it felt like we got taught everyone else's history but our own - although I did take a Canadian history elective later. European history and American history were big subject areas and I'm sorry but I don't believe that geography lessons only consist of Canadian geography. It may be awhile since I was in school but my best friend over there teaches grade 7 and 8 and even at that age the kids are learning about the rest of the world.

I don't know which system is 'better' but I feel the Canadian school system gives you a much more rounded and useful start in life - especially in terms of encouraging kids to have aspirations. But, I have a feeling that both systems are suffering from cutbacks in their budgets, a lack of good teachers and a difficulty trying to teach all levels of subjects to large numbers of kids at one time. So, it's potentially all relative.

Souvenir

I guess it depends where in Canada you are. My brat is in the Quebec system and, as far as geography and history are concerned, the world is Quebec.

dbd33

That seemed to be the case in Toronto too. For example, the text books (as of 2000) showed Labrador as being part of Quebec.

dbd33

Can you give examples ? As I see it, we speak English and French and the government is a Parliamentary democracy. There are peoples of many cultures here but none of those cultures has influence anything like the Europeans. I see Aboriginal-Canadians as being a group like all the others, Chinese-Canadians, Indian-Canadians, Cockney-Canadians, the existence of the diverse non-European cultures is important but no single one has very much clout.