In the last five days, I have given a course for primary school teachers as part of continuous professional development with the Cork Education Support Centre and the Department of Education. The course is an introduction to Cork History and presents several aspects of the Core Strand Framework of the Primary History Curriculum in a local context.

 

            Key local historic issues such as everyday life, society, work and culture (e.g. home life, literature, technologies, group relationships) in Cork’s past are explored. In particular, Early Christian Cork, Viking Age Cork, the Anglo-Norman walled town of Cork (Cork’s Medieval World) and Georgian –Victorian Cork are examined.

 

This course discusses ideas on how to present Cork local history to students in particular in senior classes. What issues should a teacher and student first explore when approaching the study of Cork History ? What are the local historic issues that are most relevant to the history curriculum in senior classes ? What are the key historic issues that have formed the modern city of Cork ?

 

Aims of Course:

 

This course comprises lectures, fieldtrips and workshops, and explores key historical issues in Cork’s development. A successful course should provide the teacher with:

 

·         Increased self-awareness of the importance of identity, respect, and how to develop a sense of place for one’s city.

 

·         Provision of an up-to-date appraisal of the time-scale of the physical, social and cultural development of Cork City and surrounding areas.

 

·         Provision of several ideas on how to pursue local history in the classroom – through use of the lecture notes; workshop outcomes; how to use Cork History in the context of the wider primary school history curriculum.

 

·         Above all, the teacher should see why local history is purposeful; how it can add to the identity of the child and provides the child with enthusiasm, appreciation, sense of place and pride for one’s home area.

 

Methodology of Course:

 

The cores themes of this summer course are addressed in my own Cork Independent history column, Our City, Our Town and associated books, e.g Discover Cork (O’Brien Press); and in my locally co-ordinated Discover Cork: School’s Heritage Project, which provides a base for the completion of projects on any aspect of Cork’s past in Cork City and County schools.

 

More information is at http://corkheritage.ie/?page_id=492