PowerPoint teaching British students about Ireland

kaji

What do you think of this PowerPoint which is supposed to be used in a British classroom for Geography? It's supposed to be about Ireland. I want to know your opinions... I don't know if you can download it for free(I logged in on someone else's account), but this is basically it:

It begins with a "Map of Ireland", Ireland as part of the UK. The next slide has this:

[justify][ltr]A long time ago, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. England encouraged people from England and Scotland to move to Ireland to increase the number of people living there. The majority of these new people lived in the Northern part of the country. When Ireland won its independence, the people living in the north did not want to be a part of an independent Ireland. Because there would be less of them than the native Irish people, they feared that they would be mistreated. The solution that was decided by the English government was to allow the northern part of the country to remain part of the United Kingdom and grant freedom to the rest of Ireland.[/ltr]


[/justify]

I just feel- what a way to introduce a country by stating that Ireland was a part of the UK. As if that's when it's history began. That text above is the only text on the history of Ireland, save for a few sentences about St. Patrick on another slide. And then it mentions that British people who settled in the plantations were fearful that they would be "mistreated" by the Irish, but no mention of any mistreatment from Britain on the people of Ireland of course.

Carlosthejakal

kaji wrote: »

What do you think of this PowerPoint which is supposed to be used in a British classroom for Geography? It's supposed to be about Ireland. I want to know your opinions...

http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-g-183-new-ireland-information-powerpoint

Most people will not be able to view your link, as you need to be signed up to look at it.
Post login detailsI will check it out and give you a review

kaji

Ok, I deleted the link. But I included the text from the offensive slides on their PowerPoint.

biko

Well, they even bring up the plantation.

LeinsterDub

kaji wrote: »

Ok, I deleted the link. But I included the text from the offensive slides on their PowerPoint.

Why not just use the "suggest a change" button instead of getting offended and posting here?

Winterlong

There was no "english government" in the early 1920s, it was a british government.
Fail.

Avatar MIA

Looks like it's written for (or by) 6/7 year olds. A long time ago, makes it read like a fairy tale. I suppose they get some points for not mentioning leprechauns.

kaji

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Why not just use the "suggest a change" button instead of getting offended and posting here?

I've already done that. But thanks anyway. I wanted to know what others think of the content, hence the thread.

kneemos

They don't teach any UK history over here,except its negative effects in relation to Ireland.

snubbleste

I think it's grand. It's relatively accurate for schoolkids when explaining why Ireland has a border.

Zubeneschamali

kaji wrote: »

Ok, I deleted the link. But I included the text from the offensive slides on their PowerPoint.

I agree that it is poor - it calls the UK Government "the English government", it suggests the plantation happened when Ireland was part of the UK, and it says they "granted" us "freedom", which is a strange way to put it.

But the tone clearly implies that Ireland becoming independent was a good thing, and implies that Unionists are foreigners in ireland, so it probably would offend Unionists even more than you.

Is there a definitive source for this?

ClovenHoof

kneemos wrote: »

They don't teach any UK history over here,except its negative effects in relation to Ireland.

Considering how murderously psychopathic British policy was in Ireland, I think we have restrained and dignified our experience compared to most other countries.

The Yanks are still in a state of hysteria over a tea tax.

kaji

kaji wrote: »

I've already done that. But thanks anyway. I wanted to know what others think of the content, hence the thread.

Just looking at the link, it's clearly aimed at young children, so I don't see any problem with it. Seems age appropriate information

Full Marx

kneemos wrote: »

They don't teach any UK history over here,except its negative effects in relation to Ireland.

That's not strictly true. I remember I studied the Romans in Britain, WW2, Suez, and a look and of stuff about Cromwell besides his actions in Ireland.

As for the OP, the UK have very poor standards when it comes to educating people about their colonial legacy.

conorhal

Full Marx wrote: »

That's not strictly true. I remember I studied the Romans in Britain, WW2, Suez, and a look and of stuff about Cromwell besides his actions in Ireland.

As for the OP, the UK have very poor standards when it comes to educating people about their colonial legacy.

Aww don't go and wreck he fuzzy feeling of reighteous self loathing with inconvienent facts or sense.

failinis

kneemos wrote: »

They don't teach any UK history over here,except its negative effects in relation to Ireland.

Not true, I learnt about the Civil War "world turned upside down", their roles and actions WW1 and WW2, colonies around the world especially India, when younger basic info on Hadrians wall, 1066 battles and some war of the roses.
Alongside Asian, Russain, American, NI and of course Irish history.
Well rounded.

clairewithani

I have a problem with it. It says people from England and Scotland were encouraged to come here so that more people would be living in Ireland. Not exactly what the aims of plantations were.

seamus

clairewithani wrote: »

I have a problem with it. It says people from England and Scotland were encouraged to come here so that more people would be living in Ireland. Not exactly what the aims of plantations were.

It's a geography slide for children. The political subtleties are a bit much and best left to history lessons and older children.

For the purposes of explaining to first-class children why there's a Northern Ireland and a Republic of Ireland and why one is part of the UK and the other is not, it's perfectly adequate.

Speedwell

In the US, it would be stupid, but not particularly uncommon, to refer to "when the US was part of the UK". Everyone understands what is meant, although as far as I am aware, technically speaking no part of what is now considered "the US" was ever part of what is now considered "the UK", with the possible exception of a military base here or there.

andekwarhola

seamus wrote: »

It's a geography slide for children. The political subtleties are a bit much and best left to history lessons and older children.

For the purposes of explaining to first-class children why there's a Northern Ireland and a Republic of Ireland and why one is part of the UK and the other is not, it's perfectly adequate.

We need to be inculcating partisan hatred before the teenage years though. They may turn into hippies otherwise.

kaji

OP here.

The Powerpoint has changed from this:

A long time ago, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. England encouraged people from England and Scotland to move to Ireland to increase the number of people living there. The majority of these new people lived in the Northern part of the country. When Ireland won its independence, the people living in the north did not want to be a part of an independent Ireland. Because there would be less of them than the native Irish people, they feared that they would be mistreated. The solution that was decided by the English government was to allow the northern part of the country to remain part of the United Kingdom and grant freedom to the rest of Ireland.

To this:

Ireland has a long, rich and interesting history. In the beginning this island, on the western edge of Europe, was home to Stone Age people. The Céide Fields and Newgrange are just two of the famous monuments that give us clues about how these people lived.
Later on, Vikings from Scandinavia and Normans from Britain settled in Ireland. The marriage of Strongbow, a Norman soldier, to the daughter of the High King of Ireland began the period of English rule in the country. Many rebellions took place against this.
Ireland suffered a terrible famine in the mid 1800s and many people began to emigrate from the country at that time.
Finally, in 1921 the Republic of Ireland (the 26 counties in the south of country) gained independence from Great Britain. The northern part of the island, known as Northern Ireland, remained part of the United Kingdom. Nowadays, the Republic of Ireland is part of the European Union and the Eurozone.

Nice of them to change it. See! Complaining works

pragmatic1

Full Marx wrote: »

That's not strictly true. I remember I studied the Romans in Britain, WW2, Suez, and a look and of stuff about Cromwell besides his actions in Ireland.

As for the OP, the UK have very poor standards when it comes to educating people about their colonial legacy.

It's actually staggering how little they know about the effect their empire had on the countries they invaded. The US has owned up to it's involvement in the slave trade, the UK brags about abolishing it.

Avatar MIA

kaji wrote: »

To this:

Ireland has a long, rich and interesting history. In the beginning this island, on the western edge of Europe, was home to Stone Age people. The Céide Fields and Newgrange are just two of the famous monuments that give us clues about how these people lived.
Later on, Vikings from Scandinavia and Normans from Britain settled in Ireland. The marriage of Strongbow, a Norman soldier, to the daughter of the High King of Ireland began the period of English rule in the country. Many rebellions took place against this.
Ireland suffered a terrible famine in the mid 1800s and many people began to emigrate from the country at that time.
Finally, in 1921 the Republic of Ireland (the 26 counties in the south of country) gained independence from Great Britain. The northern part of the island, known as Northern Ireland, remained part of the United Kingdom. Nowadays, the Republic of Ireland is part of the European Union and the Eurozone.

Did you write this for them ?

Smondie

Having experienced UK education system, I doubt most of the teachers or students could find ireland on a map, if it had a big red circle around it, unless they have relatives here, and even then, it wouldn't be a 70% success rate.

Smondie

Having experienced UK education system, I doubt most of the teachers or students could find ireland on a map, if it had a big red circle around it, unless they have relatives here, and even then, it wouldn't be a 70% success rate.