Tips on Teaching About The Holocaust
The Holocaust is a complex and delicate topic to teach, and requires sensitivity and awareness of the subject as a whole. Here is some advice to help prepare educators:
- There are no simple answers. The Holocaust will invoke many difficult questions about human behavior. It’s good to allow students to explore and discuss the contributing factors, as well as the perplexing decisions that were made during that time in history.
- There should be transparency and a balance of perspectives. Be sure to communicate the source of all information disseminated – and be candid about any inherent biases, or disparities in the material presented.
- Always offer context. The events of the Holocaust should be taught in conjunction with an unabridged version of European history. That way students will have the historical context to understand what led to and influenced conditions that resulted in the Holocaust.
- Stories are more relatable and meaningful than statistics alone. The number of Holocaust victims is overwhelming and difficult to comprehend. That’s why it’s important to talk about individual experiences, and the life stories of those who perished – and those who survived. This allows for a connection to real people, by putting their stories into context of the broader account of events. Therefore, students will better be able to relate and absorb the Holocaust experience – as well as find deeper meaning in the statistics.
Please be advised of subject sensitivity. For more in-depth guidelines, please click here:
