Independent thinking

The Centre for Holocaust Education is the only specialist institute supporting teachers in the classroom with the best in contemporary research.

Through CPD, resources and our Beacon Schools we help teachers to deepen students’ understanding of the Holocaust so they can think for themselves.

Highlights

Major new Centre-authored collection published by UCL Press Open Access

23:42 11 Jul 2020
@UCL_Holocaust: RT: Yesterday we announced the launch of the world's first, research informed textbook on the Holocaust 'Understanding… https://t.co/b4pBB09aE8
23:42 11 Jul 2020
@UCL_Holocaust: RT: Over the last two weeks we have shared blogs by teachers reflecting on their experiences of teaching and learning a… https://t.co/UcGWeP5eLb
23:41 11 Jul 2020
@UCL_Holocaust: RT: #Resistance as a term & idea is familiar to students but how does their thinking correlate w/the myriad ways Jewish… https://t.co/lD7qudL36x

Our lesson 'Being human?' is a perfect tool for nurturing independent learners, incorporating a variety of learning styles. It helps teachers to:

1 Take account of pupils' prior thinking: Uncover preconceptions

Individually, pupils suggest what kind of people they think were the killers and collaborators, bystanders and rescuers.

This tends to reveal a range of stereotypes and misconceptions, from mad, evil monsters to heroes.
2 Focus on evidence: Test the ideas

In small groups, the pupils test their prior thinking and expectations against a range of historical case studies, examining the situations faced by real people.

They discuss and debate the dilemmas and decisions, beliefs and motivations of people in the past.
3 Embrace complexity: Expectations versus evidence

Contrasting their research findings to their prior expectations, pupils discover that the past is far more complex, nuanced and troubling than they had imagined.

They see how easily ordinary people - not monsters or psychopaths - can become complicit in genocide.

“The most challenging, inspiring and useful CPD you will ever do.”

Jane, Head of History, Bolton