Decolonising the curriculum

Teacher Aisha Thomas, in her recent TED talk, spoke of how 'every day BAME children are educated without seeing themselves in the curriculum or their environment. They hear about the greatness of others, all that they have conquered and contributed. Then they look at their own skin and think, what have my people achieved?' (2020) Our classrooms are a microcosm of society and its people. Our curriculum should represent the whole of this society rather than merely the elements deemed of value. Recent moves to a knowledge-based curriculum in schools pose a number of possible challenges for educators and their pupils. Such a curriculum often tends to favour 'the best that has been thought and said' (Arnold 1869). This is generally translated as famous white men from history, sometimes women, with perhaps at best a token person from 'other' cultures. Without questioning and interrogation, as well as more philosophical conversations with colleagues about your curriculum's aims and purposes,