NZ Wars ‘too boring’
Students born overseas are more interested in maths and science than New Zealand’s past, a history teacher says.
They find the topic boring, the Christchurch teacher said.
‘‘Unfortunately, as soon as you say ‘Treaty of Waitangi’ or ‘New Zealand history in the 19th century’, it turns students off,’’ Burnside High School head of history Sean Coster said.
‘‘Should we teach it in history? Yes, but unfortunately, if I put that as a seven- or eightweek topic at level 1, 2, 3 history, we would lose numbers and that means jobs.’’
Coster said Burnside High’s population is less than 50 per cent Pa¯ keha¯ and its growing number of Asian and Middle Eastern students are more interested in science, maths and technology.
And then there’s prejudice. ‘‘With the majority of the country still being Pa¯ keha¯ , unfortunately, there’s probably still an element of people’s parents and grandparents having a distorted view of the Treaty of Waitangi,’’ Coster said.
‘‘That’s a social condition and social attitude that can only be changed through education.’’
However, Ma¯ ori Language Commission boss Ngahiwi Apanui says a good teacher should be able to engage students on any topic.
‘‘I don’t buy that [Coster’s argument] – that says more about the teachers than the learners.
‘‘It’s important that teachers are familiar with the materials and are engaged. If they’re not familiar, then they need further training. If the teacher can’t engage, how the heck are they supposed to teach it with conviction?’’
Apanui said there are several parallels between having the wars as part of the curriculum and learning te reo Ma¯ ori.
And for that reason, he does not believe the teaching of the Land Wars should be compulsory.
‘‘I’m tired of the word compulsory – it brings about fears around learning. It’s important to allow the students to digest this stuff.
‘‘Let’s call it ‘something we need to know to understand the history of our country’ – It needs to be inclusive.’’
New Zealand History Teachers’ Association chairman Graeme Ball said the weakness of New Zealand’s education system is that there is no prescribed content in schools.
Ball believes teaching the New Zealand Wars should be compulsory; however, it should be up to each teacher or school how it’s taught.
He said Coster’s comments about struggling to get students
to take up New Zealand history makes a good argument for compulsion.
‘‘If you’re a history department in some place like [Christchurch] and you put that on your programme – you’re going to have empty seats in your classroom.
‘‘As a history teacher, we believe we’re doing some pretty damn good stuff. But in a way, if you stand on your principles, you’ll be teaching to a half-empty classroom and you’ve got to take that into account.’’
Ball teaches history at Northcote College. It takes a bit of convincing to get his Year 12 students to carry on and study history in Year 13, but the feedback is always positive.
It’s perception that’s a problem, he said.
‘‘I convince and persuade them. I say, as a New Zealand citizen, they’re going to have a much broader perspective on how the country works and issues that come up and I tell them that when you do this course, you’re going to be an elite.
‘‘And I say It’s really sad that you’re going to be an elite. You’re going to be part of a small bunch of New Zealanders that actually understand their own past.
‘‘I try all manner of methods to appeal to them and convince
them and they will never regret it.
‘‘That’s the part that’s hard, it’s not just year 13 history, it’s something that stays with you and influences you and shapes the way you think about things for the rest of your life.’’
Cambridge resident Matt McKinley authored a graphic novel that examines events from the New Zealand Wars.
Wars in the White Cloud: Wairau, 1843 follows Arana and Will, who are unwilling participants in the conflict at Wairau Valley, as British settlers in Nelson clashed with Nga¯ ti Toa.
‘‘The problems is, the focus is on the Treaty of Waitangi – it’s certainly important, but when you are an 11-year-old girl or boy, it’s not really the most exciting thing to capture the imagination.’’
Rachel Pope, owner of Hamilton’s Browsers bookshop, said McKinley’s graphic novel – the first in a planned series – was a solid seller and appealed especially to high school-aged readers.
‘‘There was one woman who was a school librarian and said the work was popular at her school. She said Ma¯ori boys in particular grab it, but they don’t want to let it go. They have this sort of hunger for it, actually.’’