Shaping citizens: teachers enacting democratic education in the history classroom

Abstract

The work of history teachers in schools is contentious and often heavily scrutinised, characterised by conflicts between professional and ideological perspectives on the purpose of the work they do (Macintyre & Clark, 2003). History curricula in Australia have been the subject of regular, ongoing political intervention, in particular about the role of history education in constructing and maintaining narratives of Australian democracy and citizenship. Against this landscape, this paper explores how history teachers from New South Wales, Australia conceive of the contemporary role of history curriculum in the development of students’ understanding of civics and democracy, and their navigation of the tensions between the written curriculum and the contexts in which they teach. Using both observational and interview data, this paper explores teachers’ perceptions of the gap between curriculum “as intention and as reality” (Stenhouse, 1975, p. 2) illuminating the experiences of teachers who interact with and implement the curriculum in their daily work, and highlighting the role that school context plays in determining how civics and citizenship education is enacted in practice. Contrast is offered between the teachers of history in the context of a privileged, urban school community, to that of an Aboriginal teacher working in a regional context - with an exploration of the impact of these contexts in framing the possibilities for democratic and civic engagement in the history classroom. Using the theoretical framework of practice architectures (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008), I explore the role of curriculum as both an enabling and constraining force in the way teachers work to develop student understandings of democracy and civic identity and the complex relationship that emerges from teachers’ interaction with curriculum documents and their decision-making in relation to their students and communities.