Bringing the Rising into the classroom

Peter Brennan offers some suggestions as to how teachers can structure a student project on the Rising.

PREFACE:
The aim is to deepen the student's understanding of this momentous event in Irish history through group work in the classroom.

Tools needed are: discussion and explanation of the facts, largely achieved through chalk, talk and a slide show. This activity is the teacher-centred part and takes two class periods. The whole project takes the bulk of five/ six classes but is worthwhile when you see the end product.

Methodology calls for a more flexible approach and the trick is to carefully arrange groups of four/five students, so that there is a balance of different "gifts". Each group is assigned an agreed aspect of the topic and supplied with the necessary paper, pens and resource material. If there is a computer room, book it for two periods and get the students "Googleing" or "Yahooing" - these are search engines on the World Wide Web.

Student activity involves the group members allocating roles to themselves, computer hack, artist, scribe and resource manager. This creates a feeling of ownership and is a powerful motivating tool. Possible student presentations are:

• A collage of enumerated images of (say) Dublin before and after the Rising
• A bullet point presentation of some of the leaders' personal and public history
• Women's involvement in the Rising
• A study of the mythology and facts of the Rising through the: "did you know?" format
• A table quiz
• A detailed analysis of the wording of the 1916 Proclamation.
• The events that promoted rise of the Sinn Féin party
• A diary of Easter Week, kept by a British officer
• A front page of a newspaper at the time
• An enactment of Pearse reading the Proclamation outside the GPO and the onlookers (using a camcorder and digital camera).

Student groups access the library as well as the internet for their information. Classroom-based activity works provided that time is properly allotted; students know what is expected; students know how to assess the necessary information and that the group is balanced - they are all crew members and not passengers.

The success of this co-operative learning approach far eclipses the more traditional approach because:

a) Student understanding is enhanced;
b) Student ownership instils discipline and pride in their work;
c) Enthusiasm is infectious.

At the end of this project students should be able to answer the following questions:

• What motivated the leaders?
• Why did the Rising fail?
• Why did the authorities execute the leaders?
• What was life like in Dublin before the Rising?
• Why were women so involved in the Rising?
• Why is 1916 still such an emotive issue?
• Why did so few rebels turn out?
• How did the Rising affect the North?
• What was the background of each of the leaders?
• What do you think of the Rising?

Peter Brennan is a secondary school teacher.