Adding layers lets the students know that this is a complex issue -- not one that can easily be addressed by the teacher or understood by the teacher/ the world. Layers, such as the individual diaries/ memoirs and the photo timeline cards, allow students to connect with a specific person's story -- to make the history more real to them.
Tying it all together and providing relevant context is this generation's bread and butter. They all want to know "Why should I care?" & "How does this connect to me?" Adding layers provides the means to bind the students personal life and history to the bigger history/story. Also, there is a major push in education to get "Buy in" from your students to get them personally involved, again the layers can hook them and get them to drive the learning and seek answers. This will cause them to construct their own knowledge and retain it through experiencing the information in multiple forms.
To be effective, Holocaust lessons need to be relative and responsible. By adding layers, we make the Holocaust not just an historical fact, but we can put a real face on the event. Students relate to PEOPLE, not events. Seeing the Holocaust through a person's life, rather than through an historical telescope will make it real. Many students can hardly accept that such things happened. When they can connect that such things DID happen to real people, people like themselves, makes it personal, makes it galvanizing, makes it something to take a stand about. Hopefully we will find ways to connect this to other rights causes, such as civil rights (African American), marriage rights (LGBT), religious rights (Muslim, Jewish, Christian, atheist), etc.
Adding layers gives students the opportunity and the tools to look at the Holocaust through a variety of lenses. It enables them build understanding in a way that is meaningful to them.
The Holocaust is not a simple topic to teach. There were many events that unfolded simultaneously, however, they were not consistant. Plus, there is the information about the Conquest of Europe, the Soviet response, the Allied response, etc. Therefore, to make it more accessible for students you need to build it layer by layer.
By adding layers, a teacher will be able to connect students. It takes students a long time to grasp what happened to Jewish people. By allowing many different strategies and activities the students are sure to be able to have a strong understanding of why the Holocaust happened.
I find that teaching a topic such as the Holocaust is a somewhat daunting task. Due to time constraints and the ever-so-popular content standards being put at the forefront of the teaching profession, we often lose the idea that topics of this nature need to be delivered with a sense of precision. The use of layering really creates a more dynamic lesson rather than one that is rushed. It eases students into the topic rather than throwing them into it. As mentioned earlier, the Holocaust has too many "spokes" to just give a broad overview of the event. It MUST be broken down into individual sections which seem to be easier to understand.
Adding layers to teaching any difficult and complex subject matter like the Holocaust allows my students to better engage, understand, and internalize such convoluted events. Without layers, students are confused, disinterested, and are often disconnected from what is being taught. No one dives head first into any project without getting their feet wet. It is just like teaching, I want to ease my students into an unfamiliar, complex, and sometimes horrifying material like internment camps, concentration camps, or euthanasia.
Adding layers to a topic adds richness and depth. Because the Holocaust is a complex and sensitive topic, teachers have a responsibility to add layered lessons to make the content accessible and effective for students. These lessons will give students the tools to analyze a topic so they can draw their own conclusions.
I've never been a parent, but I know those who have remember the times where the son/daughter didn't want to wear their jacket, but now are saying they are cold. I know because I have been there. You just have to zip up what you have, tuck in everything and bear it. Well as a teacher however, I have a responsibility to make sure my students have enough layers when they go out into the Holocaust. The students need different sources, different mediums and media and a teacher who doesn't bring any bias. Because of logistics I wasn't able to visit Mauthausen. I don't want my students to not have enough, especially when it comes to tackling the Holocaust in their writing; I know mine suffered when I wrote my final college paper.
Adding layers lets the students know that this is a complex issue -- not one that can easily be addressed by the teacher or understood by the teacher/ the world. Layers, such as the individual diaries/ memoirs and the photo timeline cards, allow students to connect with a specific person's story -- to make the history more real to them.
ReplyDeleteTying it all together and providing relevant context is this generation's bread and butter. They all want to know "Why should I care?" & "How does this connect to me?" Adding layers provides the means to bind the students personal life and history to the bigger history/story. Also, there is a major push in education to get "Buy in" from your students to get them personally involved, again the layers can hook them and get them to drive the learning and seek answers. This will cause them to construct their own knowledge and retain it through experiencing the information in multiple forms.
ReplyDeleteTo be effective, Holocaust lessons need to be relative and responsible. By adding layers, we make the Holocaust not just an historical fact, but we can put a real face on the event. Students relate to PEOPLE, not events. Seeing the Holocaust through a person's life, rather than through an historical telescope will make it real. Many students can hardly accept that such things happened. When they can connect that such things DID happen to real people, people like themselves, makes it personal, makes it galvanizing, makes it something to take a stand about. Hopefully we will find ways to connect this to other rights causes, such as civil rights (African American), marriage rights (LGBT), religious rights (Muslim, Jewish, Christian, atheist), etc.
ReplyDeleteAdding layers gives students the opportunity and the tools to look at the Holocaust through a variety of lenses. It enables them build understanding in a way that is meaningful to them.
ReplyDeleteThe Holocaust is not a simple topic to teach. There were many events that unfolded simultaneously, however, they were not consistant. Plus, there is the information about the Conquest of Europe, the Soviet response, the Allied response, etc. Therefore, to make it more accessible for students you need to build it layer by layer.
ReplyDeleteBy adding layers, a teacher will be able to connect students. It takes students a long time to grasp what happened to Jewish people. By allowing many different strategies and activities the students are sure to be able to have a strong understanding of why the Holocaust happened.
ReplyDeleteI find that teaching a topic such as the Holocaust is a somewhat daunting task. Due to time constraints and the ever-so-popular content standards being put at the forefront of the teaching profession, we often lose the idea that topics of this nature need to be delivered with a sense of precision. The use of layering really creates a more dynamic lesson rather than one that is rushed. It eases students into the topic rather than throwing them into it. As mentioned earlier, the Holocaust has too many "spokes" to just give a broad overview of the event. It MUST be broken down into individual sections which seem to be easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteAdding layers to teaching any difficult and complex subject matter like the Holocaust allows my students to better engage, understand, and internalize such convoluted events. Without layers, students are confused, disinterested, and are often disconnected from what is being taught. No one dives head first into any project without getting their feet wet. It is just like teaching, I want to ease my students into an unfamiliar, complex, and sometimes horrifying material like internment camps, concentration camps, or euthanasia.
ReplyDeleteAdding layers to a topic adds richness and depth. Because the Holocaust is a complex and sensitive topic, teachers have a responsibility to add layered lessons to make the content accessible and effective for students. These lessons will give students the tools to analyze a topic so they can draw their own conclusions.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a parent, but I know those who have remember the times where the son/daughter didn't want to wear their jacket, but now are saying they are cold. I know because I have been there. You just have to zip up what you have, tuck in everything and bear it. Well as a teacher however, I have a responsibility to make sure my students have enough layers when they go out into the Holocaust. The students need different sources, different mediums and media and a teacher who doesn't bring any bias. Because of logistics I wasn't able to visit Mauthausen. I don't want my students to not have enough, especially when it comes to tackling the Holocaust in their writing; I know mine suffered when I wrote my final college paper.
ReplyDelete