Summer PD: Democracy at Risk: Holocaust and Human Behavior

Posted by Facing History and Ourselves on April 10, 2017

July 10 – 14, Summer Seminar

Germantown Friends School

Democracy at Risk: Holocaust and Human Behavior.

https://www.facinghistory.org/calendar/s2017pa1-democracy-risk-holocaust-and-human-behavior

In today’s world, questions of how to best build and maintain democratic societies that are pluralistic, open, and resilient to violence are more relevant than ever. Studying the Holocaust allows students to wrestle with profound moral questions raised by this history and fosters their skills in ethical reasoning, critical thinking, empathy, and civic engagement—all of which are critical for sustaining democracy. In this five day seminar — featuring the fully revised, printed edition of Holocaust and Human Behavior—teachers will:

• Learn current scholarship on the history of the Holocaust and new research focused on human behavior, group dynamics, and bias
• Increase their ability to facilitate respectful classroom discussions on difficult issues such as racism, antisemitism, and other forms of exclusion in a way that invites personal reflection and critical analysis
• Learn a new way of structuring curriculum to help students connect history to their own lives and the choices they make
• Engage with classroom-ready multimedia resources and learn how to build a customized unit that meets your curriculum objectives
• Discover new teaching strategies that help students interrogate text, think critically, and discuss controversial issues respectfully

After this seminar you will:

• Become part of the Facing History educator network, with access to a rich slate of educator resources, including downloadable unit and lesson plans, study guides, and multimedia
• Be able to borrow books and DVDs through our online lending library at no cost

This seminar is intended for 6-12th grade U.S. history, world history, humanities, or English language arts teachers. Independent evaluation has shown that implementing Facing History’s approach improves students’ higher-order thinking skills, increases students’ civic efficacy and engagement with civic matters, and increases students’ tolerance for others who hold contrary views from their own.