Why Holocaust education?
The most extensively documented genocide in a long history of atrocity, the Holocaust reveals the full range of human behaviour, from appalling acts of hatred to extraordinary courage.
It raises profound questions about the human condition, making Holocaust education ideal for stimulating independent enquiry across a whole range of key stages and subjects.
Empowering young people
The Centre's approach makes complex issues accessible and engaging and helps teachers improve their practice in powerful and meaningful ways.
Why Holocaust education?
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An educational imperative
Not long ago, and not far from where we live, ordinary people across Europe became complicit in the murder of their neighbours. What will young people's education amount to if they do not confront this truth?
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Independent thinking
We help teachers to empower their students with deeper knowledge and the capacity for more critical thinking.
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Outstanding SMSC
Outstanding SMSC comes from young people wrestling with the difficult questions that emerge from a complex understanding of the Holocaust.
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Raising teaching standards
"It is hard to judge against various criteria as we have never seen anything quite like this. Extraordinary." – Ofsted
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Impact in the classroom
"The interactive timeline lesson was outstanding... observed by an assistant head and a visiting deputy head teacher who said that it was 'undoubtedly one of the best lessons' they'd ever seen."
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A model of independent learning
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
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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
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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
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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.