Recent searches for guest speakers on Women’s History turned up a fabulous link to John Ryland’s Library with UoM’s Widening Participation lead for libraries, Adam Cooke, and Dr Janette Martin, curator of the Library’s Peterloo exhibition: Manchester’s Fight for Freedom. As I’ve said before, at a university the size of UoM, there is always something interesting going on, and this year has provided some great opportunities to enhance the PGCE History student experience.
As a schoolteacher for 13 years I’m sometimes guilty of having a slightly parochial mindset – that is to say I’m often ignorant of the many things going on around me at UoM and sometimes don’t look beyond the immediate confines of MIE and SEED. This collaboration with John Rylands definitely has legs and resulted in some of the strongest student feedback I’ve received in the last 3 years. Janette Martin is an expert in the true sense of the word and the curator’s tour she treated us to was a fascinating insight into individual stories and lives before and after Peterloo. Interestingly, the theme of ‘fake news’ appeared during the tour, with pro-government newspapers propagating blatantly falsified information concerning some of the protesters and their families. It was also interesting to note changing attitudes to Peterloo over time; it seems that it’s only now that we are fully grasping its significance and commemorating Peterloo for what it was – a turning point in British History and a defining event in the History of Manchester. That the hundredth and hundred and fiftieth anniversaries of Peterloo should go by with barely a whisper is incredible.
Discussions with Janette about Jeremy Deller’s monument to Peterloo led to me recommending a fabulous piece of television history by the same artist. I wholeheartedly recommend Deller’s exploration of British History and the explosion of house music between 1984 and 1992. ‘Everybody in the Place: an incomplete History of Britain 1984-92’ is a wonderful piece of television, not least because it subverts the traditional narrative about the arrival of house music into the fabric of British life. It is described by the BBC as a ‘re-evaluation of acid house, a musical phenomenon that, as this film shows, did not spring out of nowhere, but owed its emergence to the social and political landscape of 1980s Britain.’ Whatever, it’s a great watch and the perfect entry point for school students and other millennials hoping to understand British society in the period.
What next? We’re planning further work with Adam at John Rylands Library and are hoping to access some of the extensive archive material stored there, amongst which are missives from Emmeline Pankhurst and Winston Churchill. We’re considering how to increase footfall from secondary schools and are aiming to plan out fieldwork opportunities later in the year. All in all this has been a great advert for collegiality and I’m thrilled the PGCE Historians are connected to such a wonderful resource.
Where can this collaboration take us next? A report will follow in March as we use the archives to plan teaching episodes for Placement 3.
Janette and I penned a joint entry for the John Ryland’s Special Collections blog which can be found at:
https://rylandscollections.wordpress.com/2019/11/14/inspiring-tomorrows-history-teachers/
Also check out the report on the University of Manchester PGCE blog at:
manchesterpgcesecondary.co.uk/
University of Manchester History PGCE 
what a great session that was at the library! I had never been before, and was amazed by the building and their collection of literature. Will definitely be petitioning my future schools to take advantage of the resources and learning activities they’re willing to provide for young people!
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This was a fantastic session and one of the best days of the course so far. The building is beautiful and the exhibition was amazing, and Janette’s exposition made me consider how to incorporate the use of exhibitions and archives into schemes of work. I will definitely attempt to get some of my future students into the library to take advantage of the resources and expertise on offer!
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The trip to the John Rylands library was truly brilliant! The opportunity to tour that fabulous building and view some brilliant sources was nice and valuable when thinking about weaving the rich history of Manchester into our History teaching. The curator tour imparts some fascinating information about the Peterloo massacre, along with the sources it really brings the event and characters to life. It was nice to hear that the library is working to increase the number of students and school visitors from all backgrounds! as it truly is a gem, with lots of learning opportunities and resources.
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This day was a clear favourite out of my many trips to the John Ryland Library. It made me realise that I was perhaps underutilising the vast opportunities on offer at the library. The exhibition and talk were fantastic and a great way to explore how field work and primary resources could be used to elevate my teaching.
I spoke to some history teachers at the time about the fantastic opportunities on offer for schools at the library and they all seemed very excited by the prospect.
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I was surprised how little my students knew about the Peterloo massacre, especially considering how knowledgeable the majority generally are regarding Manchester and it’s history. The Peterloo massacre is not part of our curriculum here, but I think a field trip would be greatly beneficial to many of our students, as they typically respond well to local history.
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A really interesting session, well organised by Tom. It was useful to go and visit/learn about the local history of Manchester. Being a trainee from outside of Manchester, I am not so much aware of its local History and this was a brilliant chance to expand on this gap in my knowledge. It certainly will help me develop my own teaching whilst knowing where to find useful primary sources. Thanks!
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