The History Boys:
Education is?
EDUC1080 Group Presentation
Group 1
Content
Part 1
Objectives
Part 2
Plot summary
Part 3
General discussion
Part 4
Characters analysis
Part 5
Messages from the film
Part 6
Situation in Hong Kong?
Part 7
Conclusion
Objectives
• To analyse the educational philosophies in the
film
• To relate to nowadays HK society
• To rethink the aim of education
Plot summary
• (Play)Trailer of History Boys
“The History Boys” is about a boys’ school in the north of
England in 1980s. Students are returning to class to prepare for
winter entrance examinations to universities.
The boys are passing their A-Levels exam with brilliant results and
their sights are set on the prestigious institutions which are Oxford
and Cambridge.
Hector sets to prepare the boys with the General Studies course.
The headmaster hires Irwin to give some extra polish to the boys and
teach them how to succeed on the entrance examination.
Irwin focuses the boy entirely on the exam and teach them
techniques which allow them to stand out of the crowd in the
exam. While, Hector’s lessons are in preparation for life.
Hector is caught fondling one of the boys. The headmaster agrees to
allow Hector to finish the term unless he promises to leave silently
and shares some of his class time with Irwin.
The boys take their entrance examinations for Oxford and
Cambridge and all of them are granted admission. Hector
gives Irwin a lift and the car accident kills Hector.
The boys have their own accomplishments in life.
Hector leaves us with a plea “Pass it on, boys…Pass it
on.” and the play ends.
General Discussion
Who are the history boys?
• (Play)Beginning of History Boys
Who are they?
• Boys from Sheffield (a not very rich place)
• 8 Elites of the school
• Aimed (by Principal) to enter Oxbridge
Extra term for preparation
Meaning?
• Are they specially taught for promoting to
higher education and elite roles?
Yes
What gets taught?
• History knowledge (subject matter)
• General studies
• Exam and interview strategies
– Impress Oxbridge interviewers
Things taught are for:
• Preparing them to be the dominant people in
society
Character analysis
Profile – The principal & P.E Teacher
• Principal of the Boy’s
Grammar School In
Sheffield
• Acid to the students and
teachers
• Conservative
•
•
•
•
The P.E teacher , Wilkes
Little bit racist
Religious
Strict to students
Their role in education
The Principal
P.E. Teacher
• Business-minded
• One who imposes
– It’s a business!
• Believed only
outcome
– Utilitarianism
– requires
all
the
students to have P.E
lesson (no matter
they get a doctor’s
note)
The Principal – his perspective?
• Principal asking the boys summer jobs
P.E. Teacher – his perspective?
• (Play)Boys having P.E. Lesson
Their aim of education
Principal
A To gain reputation for the
school
P.E. Teacher
A To let the students become
good athletes
B To help students to acquire
knowledge
B To develop each individual's
abilities in order to better
serve higher power
C To fulfill his duty
C To help student reach for
perfection and be a talent in
the society
Philosophical perspectives
Pragmatism
• Principal :
–
–
–
–
Hire Mr. Irwin as provisional teacher
Demand the students  have extra elite class
Ask Hector to put the date of retirement forward
Keep asking of the students progress , unlike the
teaching method of Hector
– Resentment on student’s part-time job
* All these are for pushing students to get into
great universities-> have fame
Philosophical perspective
PE Teacher
Idealism
• Human growth is a process of spiritual
unfolding of innate power
• Goal: to seek higher ideals
• Failure of the fat students  disappointment
of himself as well as god
What is Mrs. Lintott’s belief?
Raise an example from this clip
• (Play)Boys having Lintott’s History Class
Profile – Mrs. Lintott
• The only female teacher
• Motherly caring
– For their knowledge
– For their future
• Knowledgeable &
• Respectful
– Of her students’
background
Her role in education
• To impose knowledge
– Students will be able to
master history when
they recite it
• Know all facts
– Even backwards
“Fact,fact,fact.”
Her aim of education
• What do you think
about Mrs. Lintott?
– Only subject matter?
– Or also future path?
• She is a teacher cares:
– Academic success
– Career future
– How the students feel
What is her philosophical perspective?
Realism
• Emphasises on the subject matter of the world
• Content based
– With criteria
• Mastery of facts through recitation
• Character developed
– through training in the rules of conduct
Irwin – What is his focus?
• Boys and Irwin discussing The First World War
Profile – Irwin
• Hired for exam
• Well-educated (?)
• Non-conservative
His role in education
• For exam
– Equip students with skills
to take the exam
• Facilitator
– Seldom teaches knowledge.
Instead urges students to
think
His aim of education
• What do you think
about Irwin?
– Is knowledge important?
– Or just the exam?
• He cares:
– Essay skills
– Exam results
What is his philosophical perspective?
Pragmatic
• Emphasises essay skills
• Skills based
• Exam-oriented
Hector – What and how does he teach?
• (Play)Hector having Poetry discussion with Boys
Profile – Hector
• Knowledgeable
• Poetry-loving
• Non-conservative
His role in education
• Life teacher
– Teach
poems
immense value
of
• Facilitator
– Utilises
different
methods to facilitate
students’ learning
His aim of education
• What do you think about Hector?
– Is exam his focus?
– What does he teach?
• He cares:
– Knowledge for life
– Students’ feelings
What is his philosophical perspective?
Idealist
• Attempts to teach many great poems
• Hopes students to learn for life
- “All knowledge is precious, whether or not it
serves the slightest human use."
What is his philosophical perspective?
Post-modernist
• Non-conservative teaching methods
- e.g. roleplay
• Facilitator
Irwin vs Hector
Homosexual
• open vs hidden
• Consequences
faced
Irwin vs Hector
Fate
• Hector (idealism)
dead
vs
• Irwin (Pragmaticsm)
alive
Messages from the film?
In Hector’s classroom
• Good use of teaching strategy: role playing
• Encourage students
• Creativity↑
• Learning via playing a part  vicarious feeling
with the poet
• Students’ comments : enrich their lives
In Irwin’s classroom
• Exam oriented
• Deny the use of role playing to learn
• Facts and description as the exam strategy
in History examination
• Student’ comments: useful (as the A-level is
coming)
Philosophical beliefs
Hector
Postmodernism
• Learn from past
intellectuals
• Human
constructions based
on experience
• Question the rules
Irwin
Pragmatism
• Knowledge is not
certain
• Truth is not
important
• Cater for exam
– Their answers’ styles
Hector
• Drama, Poetry, French
• NOT related to exam
syllabus
• Learn knowledge for life
Irwin
• Essays discussion
• Open-ended
• Nothing is absolutely
correct
• Encourage students to
think reversely
– for impressing the
interviewer
Is Irwin a better teacher?
Irwin VS Hector
• From the treatment of the teachers,
– e.g. the conflicts between teachers' philosophies,
the ending of some dominant teachers
• The film’s sending a message:
– Whether learning is for life or passing exams?
Irwin VS Hector
• Hector  understand life  better humanism
• Irwin  serve the interest of examiner
• Society: exam-oriented  Irwin is preferred
Discussion: Which one do you PREFFER?
Which philosophy should be adopted in education
field?
Furthermore
• An extra semester  training  Oxford/
Cambridge
• Principal: exam brings success—reputation,
better occupation, etc
Discussion
• Oxford/Cambridge = success?
• Different interests  Dry cleaner, teacher,
builder…..
• What is success/happiness?
Meritocratic society?
• Boys attended an interview
• Meritocracy:
– students are selected according to their performance
in interviews
• Rudge:
– has a place due to a family connection
• Merit-base?
• Connection-base?
• Implication?
Implication
• Academic excellence is not the only path for
people to be successful
• Connection matters
• Only one way to be success?
Prestigious career?
• All of them succeed
– in gaining a place in Ox/bridge
• entering a variety of careers
Student
Job
Akthar
headmaster
Crowther
magistrate
Timms
owner of a dry cleaning chain
Dakin
tax lawyer
Lockwood
entered the army, died at the age of
28
Rudge
builder
Scripps
journalist
Posner
teacher
• As a graduate of Oxford or Cambridge, does it mean that your
future career must be some very prestigious jobs?
– (deemed prestigious by your society)
Sexual Orientation
• Frequently mentioned: Homosexuality
• Homosexual:
– Hector, Irwin, 2 of the teachers
– Dakin, Posner, 2 of the students
Discussion
• Do you think there is any message behind the
fact that ‘Hector and Irwin, two of the
teachers, are homosexual’ in the movie?
• Think about: Accept/ Reject?
• Only the teenagers being homosexual:
teenage phrase
• But teachers as well  something else?
Discussion
• How students see homosexual teachers?
– Got used to them
• How the principal sees homosexual teachers?
– NO WAY!
• How Hector and Irwin end up in the movie?
– Hector died
– Irwin lost his memory
• Implications?
Look back at our education system
Relating to HK situation
1. Do the students in The History Boys share
anything common with us?
2. What are the possible problems for students
just to memorize all the facts for exam?
3. In Hong Kong, any subject(s) does not merely
require students to memorize facts for exam?
4. Should we change anything? Question it?
Conclusion
Hector
- To equip and guide the boys for life
The headmaster and Irwin
- How to
examination
pass
the
entrance
Example:
He uses various forms of arts to back Example:
up his points and notes.
Not to follow the historical facts but to
polish the answer to fit for the
examination.
Learn for life
or
Learn how to pass a test?
Conclusion – message in film
Learn for life
 Encourage students to think out of the box.
 Turn the short term memory to be life-long.
Learn how to pass the test
 Get the chance to receive tertiary education
 A way to obtain upward mobility
What truly is most practical in our own
educational system?
Conclusion – our opinion
• Strike a balance between learn for life and
learn how to pass the examination.
• There is not definite right and wrong approach
of educational philosophy.
Prepare the students for exams
Deepen the well of the students