A timeline 1975 - 2025

Building the foundations for a 'community of practice'

The early work was with individaul schools, some small projects and the setting up of a resource shop - in the Gillett Building, Selly Oak Colleges.

See 'History in Brief' [Link in Read More]

Priorities for development - India, Ghana, Colombia

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The World in Birmingham

Photo packs became a feature of DEC work. See overview. Exploring the scope of global issues in our own place.

A second edition was developed with publisher - Stanly Thornes.

How the context was seen. "Modern Britain is a highly complex, interdependent society; our lives are intertwined with the lives of people all over the world. We are part of profound social and cultural changes but are only starting to come to terms with the implications of these changes for the school curriculum."

Engaging bias - not pretending we don't have it!

The first part of the book suggests ways of teachers working together to explore their own ideas about bias. The second offers classroom ideas to help children recognise different kinds of bias, and to engage with the realities of bias.

Development Education

See chapter in 'Social Education: Principles and Practice' about development education reflecting on DEC experience.

The Gambia & Senegal

A partnership with the NEA [National Environment Agency] in the The Gambia evolved from this first visit. See overview.

A stimulus to accessing complexity?

'Thin Black Lines' brings together a wide range of cartoons from different parts of the world. It features different cartoon-styles, the work of particular cartoonists and a brief history a political cartooning. It sets out to encourage people to exploit the potential of political cartoons to enable debate and awareness of issues.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu's visit to Birmingham for two weeks provided the stimulus: ~ for setting up a group to put the pack together; ~ and then for many events that took place in Birmingham schools.

Building the foundations?

Ideas from a project that explored ways of using photographs with young children to build an awareness of how images work.

.... developing anti-racist education in predominantly white schools

"The principle of promoting antiracism within a framework of active learning distinguishes this book from arguments which rest on the didactic imposition of anti-racist/multi-cultural knowledge."

Fire! - a challenging New Year

At 12 midnight an arson event destroyed much of the Resources Shop and smoked out the whole building. Prompt reaction from the Fire Service prevented spread to the whole building.

When teachers plan 'theme work' together, there can be a dynamic creative sharing of ideas, resources and activities. The first part of this book suggests how the process of planning together might take place. It also discusses the process of learning and the value of group work. The section entitled 'Children working together' outlines some basic activities that can be applied in many different situations.

Where camels are better than cars

Positive images and stories focus on four groups of people co-existing in the Doentza market and surrounding desert: Dogon farmers; Bozo fishermen; Tuareg pastoralists; Songhrai horticulturalists. It explores their multi-cultural, "multi-economic" lifestyle.

The world in the garden?

A teacher group met over two terms, for daytime inset and after-school meetings. Central to this process were two visits per class to Botanical Gardens. These were focal points for the work in classrooms. 'Around the Garden in 80 ways' demonstrated that plants can be used to explore development issues.

This project set the scene for later partnership projects with all the environment centres linked to Birmingham LEA.   

Handsworth 10 years on ...

Three Ghana Geography publications

Issues and Enquiry includes a photo-set to enable students to raise questions that can shape their enquiry work.

There was much potential to develop such joint curriculum creativity but it was not seen as a priority by funders. See debate about study visits.

A joint DEC - Ghana GA [Geographical Association] conference was held in Accra. Key members then visited Birmingham … and a year later the Kumasi workshop took place. 'Planning to teach about development issues' was an outcome.

A framework for a wide range of activity ...

Building on the Birmingham logo: Forward this was set up to enable teachers and schools to develop their own projects. See first Forward Thinking magazine. [click read more]

The teacher group explored for themselves - issues, raised by plants from different parts of the world and their environments. They then developed schemes of work to take place over a term. This included a student visit to the Botanical Gardens early in the process and again at the end of term when they shared their stories.

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As towns and cities are expanding globally, there is a need to learn from the past if we are to plan for a sustainable future. Developed by a group of history teachers using field work in the Elan Valley and in Birmingham. Pack with collection of historical photos. See also leaflet highlighting development themes.

Policy - helping and then confusing?

The report came out of the work of the Sustainable Development Education Panel, hosted by DEFRA chaired by Sir Geoffrey Holland. Published as part of the wave of Department for Children, Schools and Families educational thinking which included the Crick Report on Citizenship Education.

See Holland Report 10 years on article

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Introducing inter-dependence

The emphasis was on pupils as researchers – looking at packaging, writing letters to companies, using IT, applying book-based skills and visiting the botanical gardens to experience the plants, consider their sustainability … and find out about where they grow.

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Relating issues to experience - and discussing

Published in partnership with Parent Line Plus. This pack developed on the experience of earlier pack: What is a family?

See Elephant Times article reviewing this pack in context of the need to talk about Covid

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Consultation - setting up a WM Coalition. See research article The needs of teachers and learners.

How do we see our part in Europe?

The proposition was "that there should be a popular understanding - that Europe as a whole has relationships with countries in Africa." E.g. much British aid went via EU. The poster pack offered stimulus to that debate.

The key question: How do we see our common future? - remains important.  It does however raise complex matters central to current political confusion, not least about how we see our common future with Europe itself.

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Arts - sustainability - and education

See article Exploring cultural identities through art See article Thinking thorough making.

Read more = Short report from working group

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Citizenship: cities, connections, commonality & change

Cities People and Change project published on line .

Overview - See Cities poster.

See Cities - creative curriculum development

See Thinking it through - cities, people and change.

A new primary Curriculum