The First World War in the Classroom: Teaching and the Construction of Cultural Memory
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Exeter
Department Name: History
Abstract
Speaking directly to the grant scheme's theme on 'inter-generational communication, cultural transmission, and exchange', this exploratory research project seeks to critically examine the ways the First World War is taught via History and English Literature across secondary schools and universities in England. The ultimate aim of the project is to deepen our understanding of the link between education and the formation of contemporary memories of the war in the English context. It is about examining the war in its articulation in the present, to allow us to be in a position to make recommendations for the future. This cannot be achieved, however, until we find out what is actually happening in classrooms across England.
There exists, in England, a specific national perception of the First World War. A tragic disaster, fought mainly in the muddied, rat-filled and lice-ridden trenches of the Western Front, by young, innocent 'Tommies', led by imbecile Generals who willfully sacrificed their men for a cause that would, with the outbreak of the Second World War, be proven to be utterly pointless. Overall, there is a general awareness that the war was a uniquely terrible experience. Where has this view come from?
Popular cultural outputs such as Blackadder Goes Forth, Downton Abbey, Birdsong, Regeneration, and War Horse - to name a selection - reiterate and consolidate the above view. Academic commentators such as Stephen Badsey, Ian Beckett, Brian Bond, and Gary Sheffield argue that these programmes, novels, plays and films are popular because they echo the image of the war that has been taught in secondary level History and English Literature classes across the UK.
However, until now, no serious study has been undertaken into the way the First World War is taught via the subjects of History and English Literature. Until this is rectified, and in a context that allows dialogue and interaction between academics and secondary school teachers, we cannot make assertions about the links between education and the way the war is understood in the 21st century.
With its series of centenaries approaching, the First World War is likely to be of increased interest to teachers in secondary and tertiary education. It is therefore an opportune moment to begin research into the way the war is taught in schools and its role in the creation of a cultural memory of the war. If secondary education does contribute to a narrow and Anglo-centric understanding of the war - and is at a mismatch with some of the latest scholarship taught at university level - the centenary period provides a ripe opportunity for investigating capacity for change and making suggestions that consider the expertise, requirements and aims of teachers at secondary and tertiary level on equal terms.
This exploratory project seeks to listen to teachers and academics about their experiences, needs and challenges in teaching the First World War in two stages. Firstly, in the half-term break of February 2013, a symposium will be hosted in London where teachers and academics will come together to discuss and compare the ways the First World War is taught via the subjects of History and English Literature. The aim is to create a positive and fruitful atmosphere to discuss ways of achieving greater continuity between the learning experiences of students who study the First World War at school and university, with lasting outcomes such as an interactive website to allow for teacher-academic dialogue into the future. Stage two will take the form of a questionnaire circulated in a two-tier methodology, online and in face-to-face interviews with focus groups made up of teachers and academics across the country. These two research stages will form the basis of a comprehensive report into the teaching practices in secondary schools and Higher Education and two peer-reviewed journal articles relating to cultural transmission of the First World War through education.
There exists, in England, a specific national perception of the First World War. A tragic disaster, fought mainly in the muddied, rat-filled and lice-ridden trenches of the Western Front, by young, innocent 'Tommies', led by imbecile Generals who willfully sacrificed their men for a cause that would, with the outbreak of the Second World War, be proven to be utterly pointless. Overall, there is a general awareness that the war was a uniquely terrible experience. Where has this view come from?
Popular cultural outputs such as Blackadder Goes Forth, Downton Abbey, Birdsong, Regeneration, and War Horse - to name a selection - reiterate and consolidate the above view. Academic commentators such as Stephen Badsey, Ian Beckett, Brian Bond, and Gary Sheffield argue that these programmes, novels, plays and films are popular because they echo the image of the war that has been taught in secondary level History and English Literature classes across the UK.
However, until now, no serious study has been undertaken into the way the First World War is taught via the subjects of History and English Literature. Until this is rectified, and in a context that allows dialogue and interaction between academics and secondary school teachers, we cannot make assertions about the links between education and the way the war is understood in the 21st century.
With its series of centenaries approaching, the First World War is likely to be of increased interest to teachers in secondary and tertiary education. It is therefore an opportune moment to begin research into the way the war is taught in schools and its role in the creation of a cultural memory of the war. If secondary education does contribute to a narrow and Anglo-centric understanding of the war - and is at a mismatch with some of the latest scholarship taught at university level - the centenary period provides a ripe opportunity for investigating capacity for change and making suggestions that consider the expertise, requirements and aims of teachers at secondary and tertiary level on equal terms.
This exploratory project seeks to listen to teachers and academics about their experiences, needs and challenges in teaching the First World War in two stages. Firstly, in the half-term break of February 2013, a symposium will be hosted in London where teachers and academics will come together to discuss and compare the ways the First World War is taught via the subjects of History and English Literature. The aim is to create a positive and fruitful atmosphere to discuss ways of achieving greater continuity between the learning experiences of students who study the First World War at school and university, with lasting outcomes such as an interactive website to allow for teacher-academic dialogue into the future. Stage two will take the form of a questionnaire circulated in a two-tier methodology, online and in face-to-face interviews with focus groups made up of teachers and academics across the country. These two research stages will form the basis of a comprehensive report into the teaching practices in secondary schools and Higher Education and two peer-reviewed journal articles relating to cultural transmission of the First World War through education.
Planned Impact
Direct beneficiaries:
a. Teaching professionals in the secondary and tertiary sectors engaged in teaching First World War history or literature/film.
b. Educational policy makers and exam boards.
c. Professional organisations developing programmes of CPD.
Indirect beneficiaries:
d. Students in secondary and tertiary education studying the First World War.
e. Museums with First World War-related exhibits, such as the Imperial War Museum, and including digital collections, such as the University of Oxford's Great War Archive.
Economic and societal impact:
1. Contributes towards evidence based policy-making and influences educational policies at a local, regional and national level with regard to First World War teaching.
2. Contributes to increasing public awareness and understanding of social issues surrounding the remembrance and public awareness of the First World War and its legacy.
3. Transforms evidence based policy in educational practice and influences and informs teaching practitioners and professional practice with regard to First World War teaching.
The benefits of our research are by no means limited to an academic audience. The project relies on close collaboration with secondary school teaching professionals, exam board representatives and professional organisations (English Association, Historical Association), and these groups will benefit directly from the research outcomes. Through the initial symposium and regional focus group meetings, teachers and exam board representatives will have the chance to engage with the project, review and discuss results of the survey, and recommend changes to teaching policy and practice on the basis of our findings. We hope that this will contribute to a more balanced, inclusive teaching practise with regard to the First World War through exploring questions about the on-going development of the war's cultural memory through the impact of teaching. Our close collaboration with the English Association means that our findings will almost immediately inform a programme of Continued Professional Development for teachers of English developed by the EA for delivery in 2013 and 2014. Our project also coincides with a period of change in the education system, with a move from GCSEs to the new EBacc qualification proposed for 2015 (and latest proposals surrounding the replacement of A Levels with the ABacc). As this process will necessitate fundamental changes to the curriculum, the syllabi set by individual exam boards and teaching materials available, our research is excellently placed to impact upon revisions of how the First World War is taught across the subjects of History and English Literature at a national level, facilitated by our PI's position on Edexcel's History Strategic Advisory Board 2012-13.
a. Teaching professionals in the secondary and tertiary sectors engaged in teaching First World War history or literature/film.
b. Educational policy makers and exam boards.
c. Professional organisations developing programmes of CPD.
Indirect beneficiaries:
d. Students in secondary and tertiary education studying the First World War.
e. Museums with First World War-related exhibits, such as the Imperial War Museum, and including digital collections, such as the University of Oxford's Great War Archive.
Economic and societal impact:
1. Contributes towards evidence based policy-making and influences educational policies at a local, regional and national level with regard to First World War teaching.
2. Contributes to increasing public awareness and understanding of social issues surrounding the remembrance and public awareness of the First World War and its legacy.
3. Transforms evidence based policy in educational practice and influences and informs teaching practitioners and professional practice with regard to First World War teaching.
The benefits of our research are by no means limited to an academic audience. The project relies on close collaboration with secondary school teaching professionals, exam board representatives and professional organisations (English Association, Historical Association), and these groups will benefit directly from the research outcomes. Through the initial symposium and regional focus group meetings, teachers and exam board representatives will have the chance to engage with the project, review and discuss results of the survey, and recommend changes to teaching policy and practice on the basis of our findings. We hope that this will contribute to a more balanced, inclusive teaching practise with regard to the First World War through exploring questions about the on-going development of the war's cultural memory through the impact of teaching. Our close collaboration with the English Association means that our findings will almost immediately inform a programme of Continued Professional Development for teachers of English developed by the EA for delivery in 2013 and 2014. Our project also coincides with a period of change in the education system, with a move from GCSEs to the new EBacc qualification proposed for 2015 (and latest proposals surrounding the replacement of A Levels with the ABacc). As this process will necessitate fundamental changes to the curriculum, the syllabi set by individual exam boards and teaching materials available, our research is excellently placed to impact upon revisions of how the First World War is taught across the subjects of History and English Literature at a national level, facilitated by our PI's position on Edexcel's History Strategic Advisory Board 2012-13.
Organisations
- University of Exeter (Lead Research Organisation)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- English Association (Collaboration)
- Historical Association (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- University College London (Project Partner)
- University of Leicester (Project Partner)
- School of Advanced Study (Project Partner)
Publications
Einhaus A
(2014)
Learning, Literature and Remembrance in English Classrooms
in The Use of English
Einhuas A And Pennell C
Remembering the First World War
Paulson J
(2020)
Education as site of memory: developing a research agenda
in International Studies in Sociology of Education
Pennell
(2016)
Learning Lessons from War? Inclusions and Exclusions in Teaching First World War History in English Secondary Schools
in History and Memory
Pennell C
(2014)
The First World War in the Classroom: Teaching and the Construction of Cultural Memory
in The Western Front Association Bulletin
Pennell C
(2014)
On the Frontlines of Teaching the History of the First World War
in Teaching History
| Description | This research project has enabled us to examine - at a crucial moment in First World War commemoration - how the topic is taught and why by secondary school teachers of History and English Literature in England. This has allowed us to draw conclusions on the relationship between education (in its broadest sense) and the formation of cultural memory about the war. We are now in a position to make recommendations to teachers and other educators, as well as education policy makers and exam boards regarding best practice and ways to develop the teaching of the subject. The project's Final Report was published, online (via the project website) in early June 2014. It is therefore freely available to anyone interested in the project's results. At just over 100 pages long, its findings are complex and nuanced. However, highlights include: • The First World War remains a key topic for History and English Literature teachers and will continue to remain as part of the curriculum despite ongoing reforms to GCSE and A-level, although its presence in English Literature classrooms will continue to depend largely on school policy and/or teachers' individual preferences. • Misperceptions exist amongst politicians and other commentators, and in the media, about the way the subject is taught. Our findings have highlighted the innovative and complex ways many teachers engage their students with the topic often in tandem with a variety of sources that seek to broaden understanding. • In terms of History, there is clearly a relationship between popular perceptions of the war in Britain and the default topics that are taught - notably the Western Front, trench warfare and the origins of the war. Until these topics are varied by exam boards in their specifications there will be little change in the classroom, especially at KS4 and above, when the emphasis is on exam attainment. There is more freedom to teach other aspects of the conflict at KS3. • For English teachers, teaching First World War literature poses a particular challenge in that it necessarily entails the teaching of cultural and historical context, and raises questions about subject remit. This point also on occasion causes friction between English teachers and their History colleagues. Important factors for choosing authors and texts to cover are availability and inclusion in exam board units on the one hand and appeal to students on the other. • Problems surrounding the contextualisation of literary sources in English Literature lessons particularly highlights the need for more cross-curricular activities and coordination within schools. While cross-curricular approaches may often be hard to implement as part of regular teaching, our survey and focus groups flagged several examples of best practice where schools had utilised project days or weeks and/or battlefield trips to engage in cross-curricular work on the First World War. The report identified a number of practical variables that impact on the way the First World War is taught. These prominently include time constraints, budget, type of school, type of teacher, geographical location, and pupil intake (i.e. pupils' social and ethnic background). • Teachers do not necessarily want more resources on the First World War. Rather they want guidance on the best ones to use, and mechanisms to filter the overwhelming array of resources available to them already. Bite-size accessible pieces of academic research could facilitate such filtering by putting teachers in touch with the current state of research on the subject. • There is further a clear need for linking up academics and teachers, especially in terms of providing high-quality, free Continued Professional Development (CPD), to help allow the latest research to penetrate into secondary-school classrooms. • English and History teachers alike recognise the potential moral dimension in teaching about the First World War, and frequently use teaching about the war as an opportunity to build pupils' capacity for empathy. For History teaching, in particular, this raises the question of approaching the war as an historical and/or emotional event, particularly in the light of the emphasis placed on battlefield cemetery visits both by individual teachers, schools and the government (in its centenary funding). |
| Exploitation Route | We are already in the process of expanding this project to compare our findings with other regional, national and international case-studies. We are currently making an application to the HERA for a networking opportunity in Estonia (Jan 2015) where we hope to build on existing European contacts to put in for a large EU bid that would allow comparisons to be made between the First World War education experiences in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Austria, Belgium and Germany. We also hope to expand the project internationally utilising links with Australia and New Zealand, as well as potentially Canada and the United States of America. |
| Sectors | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://ww1intheclassroom.exeter.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FWW-in-the-Classroom-final-project-report.pdf |
| Description | Our findings have already been utilised by other academic researchers who have cited our final project report in their publications on topics concerning remembrance and the First World War as well as cultural memory studies more generally. In addition, the findings of our survey have been integrated into the government-funded Battlefield Centenary Tours Programme in collaboration with the Institute of Education. Teachers and other educators are able to revise existing teaching resources and methods (and develop new ones) based on our research findings. Museum education outreach officers have also highlighted that our findings are very useful to them in planning activities with schools and visiting groups. Contacts in exam boards have also indicated that our report is very useful to them when revising specifications in the light of GCSE and A-Level reform. Our findings have also been used to challenge existing ideas about the way the First World War is taught and, in particular, that teachers are doing a poor job. A good example of this was in January 2014 when Michael Gove (then Secretary of State for Education) suggested the Blackadder was being used as a teaching aid in schools to highlight the futility of the war. We were able to make public statements in the Guardian and TES as well as BBC News to counter such misguided perceptions. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
| Sector | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Partnership with the EA, HA and IoE |
| Organisation | English Association |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | By involving these three partners in the overseeing of this project allowed them to harmonise their own activities during the centenary related to education and outreach activities. The HA and EA were also able to alert their membership to events and activites that would be of benefit. We were also able to write letters of support to funding bids made by these partners for their own activity. The survey results formed the basis of the IoE's government-funded Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme. Overall, by partnering with this three organisations, we were able to encourage a greater movement and dialgoue between pedagogies at secondary and university level. It also gave the HA and EA the opportunity to work together in partnership. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The three partners were represented on the Academic Steering Committee which met three times over the course of the project. The partners were crucial in guiding the project and allowing us to gain access to their networks of teachers and educational contacts. They also helped to publicise the national survey as well as any additional outputs that resulted from the project. The IoE helped us to organise rooms for conferences, focus groups and workshops. The partners also offered feedback on survey drafts and project reports. |
| Impact | Catriona Pennell, 'On the Frontlines of Teaching the History of the First World War' in Teaching History [Historical Association] (TH 155), pp. 34-40. Ann-Marie Einhaus, 'Learning, Literature and Remembrance in English Classrooms' in The Use of English [English Association] |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Partnership with the EA, HA and IoE |
| Organisation | Historical Association |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | By involving these three partners in the overseeing of this project allowed them to harmonise their own activities during the centenary related to education and outreach activities. The HA and EA were also able to alert their membership to events and activites that would be of benefit. We were also able to write letters of support to funding bids made by these partners for their own activity. The survey results formed the basis of the IoE's government-funded Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme. Overall, by partnering with this three organisations, we were able to encourage a greater movement and dialgoue between pedagogies at secondary and university level. It also gave the HA and EA the opportunity to work together in partnership. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The three partners were represented on the Academic Steering Committee which met three times over the course of the project. The partners were crucial in guiding the project and allowing us to gain access to their networks of teachers and educational contacts. They also helped to publicise the national survey as well as any additional outputs that resulted from the project. The IoE helped us to organise rooms for conferences, focus groups and workshops. The partners also offered feedback on survey drafts and project reports. |
| Impact | Catriona Pennell, 'On the Frontlines of Teaching the History of the First World War' in Teaching History [Historical Association] (TH 155), pp. 34-40. Ann-Marie Einhaus, 'Learning, Literature and Remembrance in English Classrooms' in The Use of English [English Association] |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Partnership with the EA, HA and IoE |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Department | Institute of Education (IOE) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | By involving these three partners in the overseeing of this project allowed them to harmonise their own activities during the centenary related to education and outreach activities. The HA and EA were also able to alert their membership to events and activites that would be of benefit. We were also able to write letters of support to funding bids made by these partners for their own activity. The survey results formed the basis of the IoE's government-funded Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme. Overall, by partnering with this three organisations, we were able to encourage a greater movement and dialgoue between pedagogies at secondary and university level. It also gave the HA and EA the opportunity to work together in partnership. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The three partners were represented on the Academic Steering Committee which met three times over the course of the project. The partners were crucial in guiding the project and allowing us to gain access to their networks of teachers and educational contacts. They also helped to publicise the national survey as well as any additional outputs that resulted from the project. The IoE helped us to organise rooms for conferences, focus groups and workshops. The partners also offered feedback on survey drafts and project reports. |
| Impact | Catriona Pennell, 'On the Frontlines of Teaching the History of the First World War' in Teaching History [Historical Association] (TH 155), pp. 34-40. Ann-Marie Einhaus, 'Learning, Literature and Remembrance in English Classrooms' in The Use of English [English Association] |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Appearance on ITV Tyne Tees (regional news) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The results in terms of impact are hard to gauge, as this was an appearance on regional news and as for copyright reasons the clip was only available online for a limited time period. However, undertaking this activity jointly with students and staff from a school that had participated in our project "The First World War in the Classroom: Teaching and the Construction of Cultural Memory" strengthened our working relationship with that school. Undertaking this activity jointly with students and staff from a school that had participated in our project strengthened our working relationship with that school, who were later featured in our final project report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Article in the Newcastle Journal (local newspaper) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Half-page article (First World War stories have so much to tell us, by David Whetstone) plus half-page illustration on Ann-Marie Einhaus's research, which mentioned the project The First World War in the Classroom: Teaching and the Construction of Cultural Memory alongside other research interests. As a result of the article, I was asked to attend a dinner with the South Shields Rotary Club and discuss my research on First World War short stories. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Comment piece on BBC History Magazine official online website: Is Blackadder bad for First World War history? (www.historyextra.com) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Following the clash between Blackadder star Sir Tony Robinson and education secretary Michael Gove, three historians were asked to comment on the impact of Blackadder and other programmes on public understanding of the First World War. Attention brought to the project and its findings. Improve peoples' understanding of teaching and the role teachers play in regards to the First World War. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.historyextra.com/feature/blackadder-bad-first-world-war-history |
| Description | Letter published in national newspaper: Michael Gove's grand illusion over Oh What a Lovely War (The Guardian) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Letter to the editor of The Guardian in response to Michael Gove's comments about the use of Blackadder Goes Forth in teaching the First World War. Draw attention to the research project. Challenge government opinion on the teaching of the FWW. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/07/michael-gove-oh-what-a-lovely-war |
| Description | Live interview on BBC News 24 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview on Armistice Day promoting the project and its significance to understanding how young people learn about the First World War. International attention brought to our project and the survey. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Live interview on BBC Radio Devon |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Live interview on Drivetime programme with Bill Buckley to promote launch of survey. Increased survey participation from teachers in the local area. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Live interview on BBC Radio Devon on launch of WW1 Centenary Programmes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Live interview with Matt Woodley on the Breakfast Show discussing public perceptions of the First World War. Viewers phoned in with their responses to my comments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Live interview on BBC Spotlight South West |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview with BBC Spotlight South West on 21 June 2013 to promote the launch of our survey. Discussion of significance of First World War and importance of its legacy in terms of global ramifications. As well as seeking to promote the survey amongst local teachers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Pre-recorded interview as part of The World War One Debate (BBC Radio Cornwall) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Lunchtime hour long phone-in (live) on how the First World War is taught and remembered. Increased attention brought to research findings. Stimulated discussion and reflection on what we know about the First World War and how it is taught. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Pre-recorded interview as part of: The TES Podcast: WW1 Special |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview for TES podcast on teaching the FWW as part of their WW1 special Information about the project reached a good number of teachers who hadn't heard about our work. It encouraged them to complete our survey online. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/The-TES-Podcast-World-War-I-special-6373212 |
| Description | Published interview in AHRC commemorative publication 'Beyond the Trenches: Researching the FWW' on research project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | This was an opportunity to talk about our research findings and to hear from one of the teachers who had been involved since the beginning. It was a good way to showcase our research project to other AHRC-funded projects. Hopefully this will raise the profile of the project and stand us in good stead for future collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Published interview in TES on research project and early findings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The article was published in the TES 20 June 2014 edition. It was an interview with both researchers about the project and our initial findings. The TES is a weekly publication aimed primarily at school teachers in the UK. It has an average weekly readership of 349,000 and its website receives over 11 million visits per month. It raised the profile of the project and garnered further interest from national newspapers including the Telegraph and the Daily Mail. Both of these newspapers covered our research findings in their online versions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6434248 |
| Description | Research paper given at 'Perspectives of the Great War' conference (QMUL) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | An outline of our research findings stemming from the project and the implications for teaching the First World War in England during the centenary period. A number of colleagues from Germany, America and Scotland approached us to discuss future collaboration and potential research projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.qmul.ac.uk/worldwarone/ |
| Description | Research paper given at 'The Global Colonial 14-18' workshop (SOAS) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Workshop and public roundtable on the global experience and legacies of the First World War. Day-long workshop amongst academics before opening up to the public for a roundtable which Catriona Pennell was one of the experts. Important networking with colleagues from other disciplines (criminology and politics in particular) as well as other educators. Public roundtable was very well attended and sparked an interesting discussion and Q&A on the memory of the war and the purposes of commemoration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://cpdbisa.wordpress.com/events/the-global-colonial-1914-18/ |
| Description | Research paper given at HEA Teaching War and Remembrance conference (15 July 2014) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The workshop was significant in developing potential collaborations in the future, particularly in regards to a larger European-focused project working with experts on remembrance and pedagogy. Participants have been in touch to find out more about the project and request the project report. One of the keynote speakers has since made enquiries about Dr Catriona Pennell participating in a conference on a similar theme in Germany in 2015. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Research seminar paper (Newcastle University) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | A number of academic staff and postgraduate students at Newcastle University attended this talk, which outlined preliminary results and conclusions from the project "The First World War in the Classroom: Teaching and the Construction of Cultural Memory" and which resulted in discussion about teaching First World War literature in a range of educational contexts. Colleagues and postgraduate students who attended verbally reported an interest in finding out more about the research project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Research seminar paper (Northumbria) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Around 15 colleagues and postgraduate students at Northumbria University attended this talk, which summarised results and conclusions from "The First World War in the Classroom: Teaching and the Construction of Cultural Memory". The talk sparked a lively debate. The talk was attended by some colleagues from History, one of whom has been carrying out related research in the field of Holocaust education. As a result of the talk, we are now engaging in an interdisciplinary dialogue within my own institution about potential future collaborations on secondary school-facing projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | The First World War in the Classroom: An Interactive Workshop for 50 participants |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | workshop facilitator |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Between 18 and 19 February 2013, a unique symposium - led by academics from the University of Exeter and Northumbria University - took place bringing secondary school teachers and academics together to discuss the teaching of the First World War in History and English literature. The location, Senate House, was kindly provided by the Institute of Historical Research, London, and the event generously supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Higher Education Academy, the Royal Historical Society, the English Association and the Historical Association. This was the beginning of the project which led to a redesign of our survey, the set-up of our project website and other ideas, such as a willing experts page on our website to put academics and teachers in touch. It really established our network of participants and got the project going. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://ww1intheclassroom.exeter.ac.uk |
| Description | The First World War in the Classroom: final project event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | workshop facilitator |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | We hosted a final project event in London for 50 participants. These were drawn from the networks of teachers and professional educators that we had worked we had worked with over the course of the project. We presented our project findings as well as hosting talks from museum education outreach teams and a keynote from a political scientist working on the politics of remembrance in the UK. This was an excellent way to round off the project and to thank our participants while also sharing some initial findings. We were able to alert the participants to the project report and our future plans. It was also important for networking and keeping existing links alive for the next stage of the research project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |