UoM PGCE Historian Peter Brade reflects on recent collaboration with the British Library Schools team and considers the value of the spoken word as a powerful form of evidence
As Nelson Mandela once stated “education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world”; this was evident in a session conducted by the British Library that highlighted the racist attitudes faced by the Windrush generation on arrival to Britain and beyond. The British Library schools team, Reuben Massiah, Kate Fowler, Sandra Agard and Emma Bull,captivated the History PGCE cohort with a multitude of primary sources, activities and discussion points that are soon to be deployed in KS3 & KS4 classrooms.
Beginning the session with a brief introductory video, the PGCE historians were given a whistle-stop tour of the history of the West Indies as well as some background information on the Windrush generation. This was not just a fantastic resource for the PGCE cohort, but will provide KS3 & KS4 students with important historical context which is needed when tackling challenging primary source material. Following this, an interview between Oral History Curator Mary Stewart and Learning Facilitator Sandra Agard showed some good ideas on to introduce KS3 & KS4 students to oral history. The pair highlighted how oral history can bring history alive and engage otherwise disinterested students in a manner conventional materials such as the textbook sometimes struggle to do. It’s clear that oral testimonies are unique in how they can add texture and nuance to narratives and I’m now keen to incorporate them into my teaching; it’s something I’ve not seen much of on placement and I can see so much potential for incorporating them into lessons.
One of the most interesting parts of the session was when PGCE students had the chance to listen to some examples of Windrush voices from the British Library sound archive and gauge how effective they would be in a classroom setting. At first, the PGCE students were given a transcript of an interview with a member of the Windrush generation. The cohort read how one woman was subject to shocking levels of institutionalised racism by being forced to take an exam three times, despite passing it comfortably the first time. This transcript then came to life when the PGCE students listened to the voice clip of the interviewee: coming back to my point about texture and nuance, actually listening to the testimony was a revelation. We all picked up on the quiet dignity, combined with the understandable frustration and resignation this woman felt. That’s the value of oral testimonies: they allow for a more detailed and animated reading of the past. It was only through the audio clip that the cohort found that the historical and emotional creases of the source as well as the voice of the Windrush generation came to life.
To conclude, the PGCE cohort were asked to give their opinions on the potential effectiveness of this resource suite in the classroom. Overall, the group found that the suite of resources would be highly effective within a classroom setting, highlighting to KS3 & KS4 students the remarkable power of oral history and demonstrating to them that no matter what happens, the voices of Windrush would not be silenced. I’m thankful to the British Library Schools Team for joining us and am definitely focused on exploiting the sound archives in future teaching. A brilliant, thought provoking session.
Peter Brade, PGCE History, University of Manchester
University of Manchester History PGCE 