During the course students learn how to integrate testimonies of the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive in their teaching for anti-bias and anti-discrimination education.
The social-psychological and constructivist pedagogical approach serves as theoretical basis for developing new teaching material for the teachers. The development of digital competence and in-depth knowledge of the world and methods of multimedia plays a central role in developing visual teaching materials. The teaching materials based on video interviews and completed with materials of local history can be effectively used in various segments of classroom work.
The VHA was incorporated into the course as outlined below. Introduction: • Social psychology (focusing on bias in the classroom/school) • History and memory, collective and personal memory, oral history • Constructivist pedagogy The Visual History Archive: • The Visual History Archive • How to use the Archive – hands-on training • Individual work Video-testimonies: • Video-testimony as historical source and as teaching material • How to use video-testimonies in the classroom – group effects, personal psychological effects, teacher’s roles and responsibilities, planning and developing a lesson Teaching materials: • Analysis of existing teaching materials, how to use it • How to create new teaching materials: choosing clips, ethical editing, implementing in different disciplines and groups • IWitness, how to use it
In general students were open-minded and interested, their reflections at the end of the course was positive. I would say that 90 minutes per week is not the best timing for this topic. Students have little experience in classroom management, so it is more difficult to implement the contructivist pedagogical approach.