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The Parthenon Marbles, or Elgin Marbles, are a collection of roughly half of the marble sculptures which were originally a part of the frieze around the inside of the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis, carved by Pheidias, depicting a battle between centaurs and a legendary people known as the Lapith at the marriage-feast of Pirithous. They immortalise moments of great heroism and are a celebration of humanity within the most sacred space. After Lord Elgin removed the sculptures in the early 1800s, he sold them to the British government, who gave them to the British Museum in 1817, where they have stayed since.

The debate surrounding the return of the Parthenon Marbles has raged for over 200 years, and contemporary British public opinion has varied. At the time, although Lord Byron condemned Lord Elgin’s actions as vandalism, lamenting ‘Dull is the eye that will not weep to see| Thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed| By British hands’, most people supported Lord Elgin as safeguarding the epitome of Western culture. However, a YouGov poll in 2017 showed that 55% thought that the marbles should be returned, and only 21% that they should remain in Britain.

The dispute received particular attention from the media when, in 2015, Amal Clooney called for the return of the marbles. She was acting as a legal advisor to the Greek government, recommending that they take legal action in the International Court of Justice to reclaim the marbles. However, the Greek government chose not to take legal action, out of concern that a negative ICJ decision might lose the fight to reclaim the marbles for ever.

In 2018, the Greek Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou asked for dialogue with Britain over the Parthenon Sculptures, probing for a possible quid pro quo for giving Theresa May consent to deliver Brexit. Notably, Jeremy Corbyn pledged that any government led by him would return the ‘stolen’ marbles to Greece.

On the one hand, the Parthenon Marbles represent a central part of Greek cultural heritage, and they are the most prominent link between modern Athenians and the greatness of their ancient ancestors, representing the cultural identity of millions of Greek people. They should also be returned in accordance with the intentions of the sculptor: to be fully appreciated, they should be reunited and viewed in their original intended location, offering an unrivalled additional insight. With the new Acropolis Museum designed closely to mirror the original experience of visiting the Parthenon, and its geographical proximity to the Acropolis (only 300 metres), this would provide a viewing experience most similar to Pheidias’ wish. Additionally, since the 2008 recession, Greece has endured crippling debt and high unemployment rates. As tourism is a large feature of their economy, repatriating the marbles could help Greece to grow their economy, leading to greater long-term stability.

However, at the time Greece was not looking after the marbles and so if Lord Elgin had not removed and preserved them, they could have been lost forever, and so the British Museum should keep them as a result of having maintained them for centuries. Moreover, there are more annual visitors to the British Museum than Athens, allowing maximal exposure for these historic sculptures. There is also the idea of this being a slippery slope – if we do not dissociate the past from the present, many of the principal museums globally would be emptied, removing the opportunity for education on a wide range of cultures that they provide, and we will be forever apologising for actions which took place in very different political and social climates. In addition, there is the argument that Greece is striving to establish a national identity through cultivating a specific cultural identity based on antiquity, but ancient Greece and modern Greece cannot be considered the same owing to the political, social and economic changes that have occurred since. This argument can be illuminated by considering similar examples: the Pergamon Altar in Turkey is now housed in the purpose-built Pergamon Museum in Berlin, but there is no similar argument for its repatriation, as modern-day Turkey has forged an alternative identity separate to the ancient Greek values that ancient Turkey comprised.

My own view is that it is imperative that such a focal point of Greek heritage is repatriated and while the Parthenon Marbles are in the British Museum, their presence serves as a physical reminder of imperialism: even their naming as the 'Elgin Marbles' shows the Anglocentric culture in which they were taken.

What do you think of the repatriation debate? Let us know!

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The internet has had a profound impact on almost every aspect of our lives. Whether it’s online shopping on Amazon, getting a cheap ride in minutes with Uber or making free international calls with Skype, a life without the internet and the inventions it has afforded is simply unthinkable.

However, while the above could be considered luxuries, the internet has also had a huge impact on education, one of the most important factors to achieving a more equitable world. In fact, it is hard to overstate the importance of education today.

Education is the theme of the United Nations’ fourth Sustainable Development Goal, which seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Across the world, education is seen as one of the keys to eradicating poverty and can have a huge impact on infant mortality rates. Knowing that a child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5 or that teaching students in low-income countries basic reading skills can lift 171 million people out of poverty shows the very tangible benefits of education.

Fortunately, the internet is making education more accessible globally, allowing those who otherwise would not receive an education, to learn and chart their paths towards a brighter future.

We highlight a few ways the internet is becoming a force for good below:

Accessibility

One of the largest barriers to education in rural areas is the lack of easily accessible schools. In many cases, even if students are lucky enough to be enrolled in a school, they must walk miles just to get there. The internet allows students to learn without having to travel huge distances to schools. This means time spent commuting, is spent learning.

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High quality education

The internet allows any student, no matter where in the world they are, to access lectures given by the top academics in the world. Whether it’s a professor at Harvard giving a lecture on “Pseudorandomness in Computer Science” or a lecturer at Cambridge University holding a seminar on “The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia”, a student anywhere in the world can watch all of these and more online.

No need for classrooms

The internet provides the flexibility for students to learn from wherever they have an internet connection. This means dedicated classrooms are no longer needed. In rural areas, this is extremely important, as it means resources can be devoted to teaching and providing internet access, not building.

Multimedia

Whereas conventional classroom-based teaching relies on a teacher lecturing at the front of a classroom and handing out physical worksheets, the internet allows for a far more interactive learning experience.

Using a range of different learning media has been proven to improve educational outcomes for students, which the internet makes easy. Whether it’s interactive videos, flashcards or quizzes, the internet allows teachers to interact with students in fun and engaging ways.

Affordable

Online education is a far more affordable alternative to classroom-based learning. MOOCs (including Udacity, Khan Academy and many others) allow students to take classes from top professors for a far more affordable fee. YouTube, which contains a plethora of lectures and other educational videos, even allows students to learn for free.

Scalability

Teaching online means educators don’t have to worry about class sizes or having too many students in their classroom at any one time. Even in classrooms at some of the top educational institutions, overcrowding can be a problem; I remember one class at Wharton, where students would have to apply to get in and even then students were sitting in the aisles! The internet allows educators to stream, record and broadcast their lectures to many millions of students across the globe.

However, while the above highlights some of the benefits the internet brings to learning, it is worth remembering that over half the world’s population has never used the internet before. Only until we start getting internet access into the hands of the remaining 50% will its effects be truly felt.

Let us know your thoughts on the internet and its impact on education here.

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With the pandemic failing to show any signs of slowing, educators across the world are being forced to rethink how they teach. Social distancing and an increasing reliance on online education have allowed education to blossom beyond the four walls of the classroom. And while teachers might have had their technological abilities tested over the past months, they’ve also had another key quality tested: empathy.

Being able to understand and share in the feelings of one’s students is vital, especially in such trying times as these. Whether it’s relating to a student that’s finding a particular topic challenging, suffering from stress or simply lacking motivation, teachers who understand their students are able to teach more effectively. After all, a good educator not only grasps the material deeply, but also understands their students beyond their last exam grade.

So why is empathy so important?

First, empathy allows educators to understand what their students are finding hard. While this might sound like something all teachers ought to know, it’s one of the most challenging aspects of being an effective teacher. Appreciating what their students don’t know is something that makes good teachers great, by allowing them to devote extra time to specific topics. After all, as a parent, you are probably all too aware that asking a student what they find hard seldom results in a fruitful response. For this reason, gaps in knowledge are often only revealed during exams, when it’s too late. By pinpointing any gaps in knowledge early, effective educators can focus on ironing out specific issues students have. For this exact reason, all of EasyA’s Oxbridge tutors are trained to pinpoint any issues from the very start of each lesson, so that they teach each student with a laser-like focus and set them up for exam success.

Fortunately, EasyA tutors are experienced online educators who understand each student’s individual needs and approach each session with a key quality: empathy.

Second, empathy allows educators to appreciate how their students are feeling. In today’s increasingly competitive environment, gauging how stressed a student might be or assessing their level of confidence can (and should) impact how material is taught. By understanding students beyond their grades, teachers can instill a sense of trust in their students, making the learning process far more rewarding. Students, especially during their teenage years, are undergoing huge transformations both inside and outside the classroom and keeping in mind how a student feels can create a far more comforting learning experience that students will appreciate. Instead of simply penalising a student for poor performance, the best educators will figure out why the student is underperforming and tackle the root of the problem. This ability to relate to students is why all of EasyA’s tutors are students or recent graduates themselves, meaning they understand the students they’re teaching and are well positioned to give them advice from their own recent experiences facing exams or other academic challenges: after all, they were in their exact shoes only a few years ago.

Third, empathy allows educators to engage their students. Just as a comedian must read their audience to ensure their jokes land well, effective educators must understand their audience so they can adjust their teaching style and captivate their students. Being able to explain concepts in a manner that resonates with students is vital to successful learning. For example, explaining concepts to a primary school student might involve relating concepts to food or certain toys, while explaining concepts to university students might involve applying these to future jobs and careers: in both cases, empathy is needed to grasp that to which the student will relate. Fortunately, EasyA tutors have all recently sat the exams they are tutoring, so are ideally placed to teach in a way that is not only relevant to the exam board, but more importantly relevant to the students they are teaching.

All in all, empathy is a vital quality of any successful educator. For it is only by understanding one’s students that can one engage them, and only once students are engaged can they learn effectively. And while teachers who show empathy undoubtedly provide a superior learning experience, they might just create more empathetic students too.

About EasyA

EasyA provides students with 24/7, on-demand tutoring from our team of Oxbridge tutors. Our on-demand format allows students to get help in minutes, empowering students to tackle tough problems head-on and build confidence. The chat-based format means students don’t feel the traditional pressure common when asking questions in class. EasyA partners with top schools across the U.K. to help their students get on-demand maths help so no student has to struggle alone.

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