Teaching decolonisation and the end of apartheid to 13 and 14 year-olds

Cunning Plan for teaching decolonisation and the end of apartheid to 13 and 14 year-olds. The rationale behind this teaching unit is manifold: first, it takes away the idea in the children’s minds that all that happened in the twentieth century is world war. Second, it is designed to appeal to the pupils in our multi-ethnic school. Third, we feel it is important that all children know about this. Finally, it is a chance to get a bit philosophical and explore the quandary about the role of the individual in history. There are many possibilities for flexibility within this scheme. Why not compare countries in Africa instead, e.g. Zaire and Zimbabwe? Why not build on an earlier Cunning Plan in this journal and explore ‘The twentieth century: the age of the individual?’ (See ‘Cunning Plan for a world study after 1900’ by Brown, Bayes and Jeffries in Teaching History 99, Curriculum planning edition, May2000)