More twits, less Dieppe in British schools

A proposal to overhaul the British primary school system would result in children no longer studying WWII or the Victorians and becoming proficient in Web-based skills, including how to use Wikipedia and Twitter, reports the Guardian. Response has been mixed. John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said: “It seems to be about trends on the one hand, then political pressure on the other hand-the government didn’t want to look like it is scrapping traditional education.” Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, praised the proposal as “giving the profession more flexibility to meet the needs of their pupils: “Children need to be enthused by learning, so they want to learn and gain the skills which will enable them to learn in later life. The debate is not about whether the Victorians are in there or not."

Guardian.co.uk