The curriculum in education has always been and continues to be a discussion involving different approaches and terminology. Initially, ‘Decolonizing the university’ gained attention in 2011, with its quest for non-Eurocentric content. More recently, however, students and activists are calling to decolonise not just higher education, but school curriculums. A large part of this discussion stems from the recent Black Lives Matter movements, where students realise just how much they did not know about systematic racism and colonialism. Now is the time to reflect on education, an ideal stepping stone to make real change in society, starting with, decolonising the curriculum.
What does decolonising the curriculum mean?
‘Decolonisation’ can mean different things. One interpretation asks us to look at ‘decolonising the curriculum’ in terms of the implications of a more diverse student body and the ways in which pedagogy and curriculum can affect achievement. This interpretation focuses on working on decolonising the curriculum as a means of reducing alienation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students from particular topics of study or dynamics in the classroom. This approach is typically taken in discussions for decolonising university curriculums.
Another interpretation for ‘decolonising the curriculum’ looks at questioning whose viewpoints the information being learnt is coming from. In further detail, it is believed that, for example, History lessons taught in schools are a version of events coming from a colonial perspective. This is problematic as BME students feel that the current (UK) curriculum limits the expectations and aspirations that BME students have.
“In Year 8… my teacher started the lesson by proclaiming that slavery has nothing to do with race. I remember feeling so angry.” (BBC Bitesize)
While decolonising the curriculum can mean different things, it includes a fundamental reconsideration of who is teaching, what the subject matter is and how it’s being taught.
Why do we have to do it?
It’s time to truly educate.
For education systems and curriculums that pride themselves on being ‘international’ or engaging in ‘global citizenship’, the content remains to be predominantly White and Western focused. Students need their curriculum to be inclusive, to talk about various topics including white privilege, systematic racism, and Black History. Students should be exposed and taught about the reality of the world through schools rather than hashtags and Instagram stories.
Students from various backgrounds are left feeling like “..a flag, food and festival administrations” (David, 2020), where their own culture and race has no valuable contribution to class discussions.
When discussing decolonising the curriculum it’s important to keep in mind that advocates for this movement do not believe in abolishing the current content, but rather, it is about raising questions and broadening intellectual visions to include a wider range of perspectives.
How can I help to decolonise the curriculum?
Read more about what activists have to say about this, understand what BME students experience and feel from eurocentric curriculums.
If you’re interested in knowing more about decolonising the curriculum and its impact on international students, you can check out my article in the journal ‘Decolonising the Curriculum: Teaching and Learning About Race Equality’ where I dive deep into the question ‘Why is my curriculum white?’.
Alternatively, check out this blog on how you can navigate race in the classroom, beautifully written by Zoe Patterson.
Educate yourself and educate others. Have open and honest conversations about the curriculum and the content taught with other teachers and senior leaders.
It’s important to take more active steps to ensure your students don’t feel oppressed by their curriculum, give them an opportunity to talk to you and their classmates.
Decolonising the curriculum is not something that can happen overnight, it requires serious commitment across the industry. Every member of staff needs to be involved in that process, and students should be engaged with it too. Institutions may like to think the issue can be solved by working their way through a checklist of actions, decolonising begins with individuals deconstructing themselves and looking inward to the roots of their own identity. Every conversation and every small step an individual teacher takes to make a more positive, diverse and multicultural curriculum or classroom will have a ripple effect and one day, a large scale impact.
At Teacherly we pride ourselves in housing lesson templates created by teachers from all backgrounds across the world if you’re looking to access more varied lesson templates for your classes, feel free to get in touch with Ashna on ashna@teacherly.io.
