Exploring Historical Contexts and Personal Responsibility: Strategies for Instruction
Exploring Facing History and Ourselves: A Comprehensive Resource for Teachers and Students
Facing History and Ourselves is a renowned educational nonprofit organisation, established in 1976, dedicated to equipping educators with resources to teach the complexities of history, focusing on topics like bigotry, racism, and antisemitism. Here's a rundown of the key features and resources this platform offers:
A wealth of educational resources
Facing History and Ourselves provides teachers and students with a treasure trove of resources designed to engage in thoughtful discussions about democracy, racism, antisemitism, and bigotry. These resources help users delve into historical complexities and learn from past choices [1].
Professional development opportunities
The platform offers professional development opportunities for educators, both online and in-person, to support innovative teaching strategies and improve educators' capacity to tackle difficult historical and social topics effectively [1].
Support for schools and districts
Facing History and Ourselves extends its support to schools and districts, offering community engagement initiatives aimed at fostering a more just and equitable future through education that promotes understanding and prevents hatred [1].
Primary source documents and lesson plans
The platform offers a variety of primary source documents and lesson plans, such as those related to European Jewish life before World War II and other historical contexts, providing authentic materials for teaching history critically [3][4].
Multimedia and interactive teaching materials
Facing History and Ourselves offers a broad range of multimedia and interactive teaching materials, including videos, discussion questions, maps, and assessments, on various historical events like the Weimar Republic, the Black Death, the Vietnam War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to deepen students’ understanding [4].
Accessibility and affordability
The website is accessible from any device with an internet connection and a web browser. Users must create an online profile for full access to materials, but the process requires little information and is free of charge. Some paid training options are available as courses run, including live events and webinars [2].
Engaging students in learning
The resources encourage educators and students to reflect deeply on the impact of history on present-day issues and foster an informed, empathetic, and active citizenry that can stand up to bigotry and hatred [1]. Encouraging students to share their experiences that may relate to the past can make learning more personal, while linking a current event or trend to a past event being studied can help students relate to what's happening then and now.
In summary, Facing History and Ourselves offers a comprehensive and accessible platform for educators and students to engage in thoughtful discussions about history, promoting understanding, empathy, and social justice.
A student can utilize primary source documents and lesson plans provided by Facing History and Ourselves to learn about different historical contexts and develop a critical understanding of history. The teacher can take advantage of professional development opportunities offered by the platform to improve their capacity in teaching complex and sensitive topics like bigotry, racism, and antisemitism. Utilizing the multimedia and interactive teaching materials from Facing History and Ourselves can aid schools in embracing education-and-self-development that fosters a more just and equitable future for students.
