Juan Carlos

Dalibor, I am trying to do something similar to what you have done. I am gathering Spanish web sites dealing with history of aviation. On top of that, I have been collaborating with an Economics teacher at my school and we have already on line a Flash Animation on Chronology of Aviation. Cien años de la aviación 1903-2003 Hopefully, my page will be on line at the end of February. John, It seems to me very interesting this Robert Tressell's document, written just before Wrights' fly.

I would be very interested in this debate. But, unfortunately, this year I do not teach the students whose curriculum treat in-depth the European Union. I will try to convince my colleague to take part in the discussion. Is there any possibility of opening up a debate in Spanish? Núria Salvador, my last year colleague in the Spanish team in Spring, is trying to start up a topic in this forum for Spanish teachers involved in Spring. Richard, I suppose you have work enough. I suggest this possibility just in case it does not mean additional work.

John shows us an excellent example about nationalistic history. I suppose that if I my students are asked to write a famous Briton in 20th century (apart from David Beckham ) , they will reply: Winston Churchill. Only the best students will have any idea about Atlee and the welfare state in Britain. Ulrike, probably the best would be start spottin "Winston Churchills" in our national histories and teach our students about events and personalities that don't fit any national official history. Honestly, I cannot make out the frontiers between these concepts.

Richard, thanks for coordinating the project. I don't know if you have to send the application directly to Brussels or via Paris. In any case, sometimes it is worth phoning to the Agency and getting in touch with the right person. Everything is easier. As I told you, next Wednesday, Javier is attending a meeting called by our National Agency (I have to teach and I cannot miss more classes). I hope that he will manage to get useful information to send it to the rest of the partners. We need to know every partner must send a copy of the application to its national agency. Please, the first one who knows something post the information to the rest.

The next and most important step we should do is handing in our application to Brussels. The coordinator school, Richard’s International School of Toulouse, has to do it. I have been waiting for the official announcement and the official deadline to hand in the application. But, as far as I know, it hasn’t occurred yet. A meeting for coordinators of Madrid schools willing to participate in a Comenius 2.1. project has been called for next Wednesday 21st. Javier is going to attend to. I will try, but I am not sure that I manage. I deduce that this meeting means that the official announcement will be soon. Javier and I will try to send you all the useful information we can get. Richard, please, get in touch with your National Agency so that you know when you must send the application. It would be excellent if you can check the application with somebody of the Agency so that we can send you any further information required. I think that in my case all the necessary data are already filled in. Probably, we should hand in at our National Agency a copy of the application, but I am not sure. I suppose it would be a good idea that the British partners would communicate with the British Council as well. The Education Forum could be a good means of communication, although, in case of important posts the best would be e-mailing as well so that every partner receives the information. The HELP Comenius project preliminary visit page set up by Andy might be an excellent beginning of the future project web site.

Ulrike, this an interesting process that we can observe all over Europe: Scotland, Wales, Catalonia, Flanders, Basque Country... These nations or regions have a "historical background", at least, they have a different language, even if it is spoke by quite a few of these citizens. But, what about Padania? What about Humberto Bossi? I think that disguised under "historical reasons", in a lot of cases (Catalonia, Basque Country, Flanders...) there is very clear attitude: the rich neighbour don't want to contribute money for the poor one. They don't need to live in the block of apartments anymore. John, from the British point of view in WWII, from the "right side" point of view, this unification is evidently something positive. All Europe benefitted from that British people unity and fight. But, you can say the same for the Germans during the WWII. Did this sort of unity by fighting a war occurred? I am afraid that probably the answer is yes. Undoubtedly, Bismarck's victorious wars forged and enhanced German sense of unity. A recent case is American wars on Afghanistan and Irak. Patriotism is on the rise in the USA. I can understand this feeling, but I don't dare to say that is positive.

From my experience collaborating with and visiting to German schools in Rhineland and Baden-Würtemberg, I think that German people has been quite more successful in their dealing with their Nazi past than, for example, Italians and Spanish dealing with Mussolini and Franco's dictatorships. Of course, there are evident reasons for this fact: Italy didn't undergo any sort of "defascistization" (does it make sense in English?) and Franco died quietly (and very, very late) in his bed in 1975. This is a serious drawback for both Mediterranean countries and the lack of a serious settling with their past is a burden for their political systems (just have a glance at some of Mr. Berlusconi and their former fascist allies attitudes and Mr. Aznar's, whose party recently rejected to condemn Franco's uprising in the Spanish parliament). Sometimes, I think that, despite some neo-nazi movements, Germany is one of the European countries more committed agains totalitarism in Europe.

I agree with John that the EU was a sort of economic branch of NATO. In this sense there is an interesting article "La CIA finance la construction européenne" in French that highlights the importance of the American influence in the birth of the EEC. But I cannot agree with him in claiming that EEC divided Europe. It could not do anything to join it during the Cold War and, after the fall of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, the EU has launched a very complicated and risky process of enlargement that will bring in a lot of old European nations. I am not gullible about the reasons of this enlargement. I perfectly know that behind this process there are not only open-handed purposes, I know that the EU was perfectly unable to stop the Balkans tragedy in the nineties, but, as a whole, the Union is and, I hope, will be in the future a positive factor against nationalism. I am an optimistic by nature and I think that if we compare Neville Chamberlain's position about Czech people in the thirties and the current EU policy regarding Eastern Europe, we all have reasons to be a bit, just a bit, confident about EU role in the future. As I am writing that, a lot of contradictory statements come to my mind. But, well, let be optimistic tonight.

I think that the fact that nationalism is again on the rise in Europe has different causes. I agree with Nico Zijlstra that economic insecurite feeds nationalism, but...what about Basque or Catalan nationalism? Both regions or nations are richer than the average of European regions, and, in despite of the disruption of terrorism in Basque country, both areas are doing quite well from an economic point of view. Apart from historical reasons, probably the most important the extreme Spanish nationalist dictatorship of Franco (the guy died 29 years ago), one of the main causes of the new rise of Basque and Catalan nationalism is a simple fact: Catalonia and Basque country do not need Spain anymore. This point needs to be explained to. Basque and Catalan business people lead a problematic but successful process of industrialisation thanks to their having a closed and restricted Spanish market. The European Union and the common market permit them to be "independent" and try to leave a neighbourhood where they don't feel at ease. Because of this new situation and to prepare the new generations, nationalist governments in Vitoria and Barcelona have established an educational policy that do not hesitate in constructing a new false history. Only one example: they try to teach that the Spanish civil war was a war in which Basques and Catalans fought against Spaniards... and, sadly enough, a lot of youngsters believe it. Probably, they don't know that the first attack on Madrid was carried out by general Mola with a lot of soldiers coming from Basque country and Navarre or that a big deal of Catalan businessmen financed decisively Franco's army. Do you know any other recent examples of falsification of history by an indoctrinating government?

What about using history teaching as a powerful weapon to fight against nationalism? As history teachers we know that nationalism has been, is, and, sadly, will be the main source of violence and misery in Europe and all over the world. I try and try with my students to dismantle all the nationalistic cliches and stereotypes and I intend to show them how nationalist history is set up to deceive people into false images of themselves. For instance, now in Spain politics turns around and around nationalist debates that bring people to think that in the 15th century there was a clear and distinct Spanish, Catalan or Basque awareness. Nationalist teachers invent a series of lies just to make their students hate their neighbours. Catalonia, Ireland, Estonia, the Aland Islands or the British Empire... Please, let teach our students that states and nations are contingent products of history, nothing more. And that they have to be proud of what they have achieved in their life with their effort and wit. Nobody can be proud of being born in some place. A pure accident. John Kenneth Galbraith observed in their childhood in Canada that the least brilliant members of his Scottish-origined community were the most keen on using kilts and playing pipes. There was a direct relation.

I am Head of History Department in a Secondary School in Alcorcón, near Madrid. I am mainly interested in history teaching on the internet and I have set up my own web site http://www.historiasiglo20.org/ which is focused on 20th century history. I am a member of Virtual School and I have been collaborating in different European projects (Comenius, Spring Day in Europe). I also lead the Spanish section of this Educational Forum, so, please, anybody who wants to use Cervantes language just have a glance at it and contribute.

An Economics teacher from my school and I are setting up a bilingual site on the History of Aviation. A flash animation in Spanish is already on line http://www.historiasiglo20.org/aviation/aviacion.swf Hopefully, it will soon completed by a chronology in English and a commented collection of Spanish language web sites on the subject.

Hola a todos. Me llamo Juan Carlos Ocaña y soy profesor de historia en un instituto de Madrid. Llevo largo tiempo interesado en la enseñanza de historia en Internet y en fomentar la colaboración internacional. Soy miembro del departamento de Historia de la Virtual School y mantengo mi sitio web Historiasiglo20.org - El sitio web de la historia del siglo XX Este foro creado por los miembros británicos de la Virtual School puede constituir una excelente ocasión de contacto entre profesores de la misma asignatura entre sí y con sus colegas extranjeros.

This is the translation: Spanish Section - Sección en español Curriculum Issues (discussions about the curriculum and teaching methods) - Asuntos curriculares (debates sobre el curriculum y métodos de enseñanza)Resources (information on new resources available) - Recursos (información sobre nuevos recursos disponibles) Help (questions and answers on subject matter or teaching methods) - Ayuda (preguntas y respuestas sobre la asignatura o sobre métodos didácticos)

Here in Spain we are starting classes next week. It seems to me an excellent idea and I would look for two students interested and able to participate in a debate in English. What about the recent prohibition in France of the Muslim veil and other religious symbols at the schools. I suppose we will find very different points of view from different countries.

You can count on me for covering the Spanish section. I wil try to do my best. I hope it wil add up more visitors to the forum.

Excellent Andy! Well done! I have got in touch with the webmaster of the, maybe, most important history teachers forum in Spanish: http://www.educahistoria.com/foro/ We talked about working together and I told him about our project of setting up a European forum in different languages What do you think it is best? trying to collaborate with the already existing Spanish speaking forum or trying to set up a brand new one?