Through his work with the University of London Institute of Education’s Centre for Holocaust Education, Tony Cole teaches “hard to reach” students, who have social, emotional, behavioral or physical needs. But while these students face significant learning challenges, Cole has found IWitness to be an effective and powerful tool to teach them about the Holocaust.

The Centre for Holocaust Education is part of the Institute of Education at the University of London, and provides resources and support for teachers throughout England. Through its Beacon Schools program, schools all over the country work in partnership with the Centre for Holocaust Education to improve teaching standards, raise student achievement and strengthen SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural) provision in their schools.

Cole teaches at CSS South Quadrant, a Beacon School in Basildon, Essex, for students who are out of school for a range of reasons – behavior (excluded or positive referral), medical, anxious school refusers and others. The focus of his and his colleagues’ work with the Centre for Holocaust Education over the past year has been to differentiate the Institute of Education’s approach and materials for teaching about the Holocaust to meet the needs of these 'hard to reach' students.

He has incorporated IWitness into his teaching and development of Holocaust resources, which are tailored for students with special needs. Cole said IWitness has been an integral part of the success of the project, as it provides students with “real and personal insight into the complex issues of the Holocaust.”

The video testimonies in IWitness are especially effective for students with unique educational needs.

“Many of our youngsters struggle with emotional literacy and seeing and hearing 'real' testimonies have helped them to overcome this barrier to their learning,” Cole said. “Many of our students are kinesthetic learners. The IWitness resource enables them to engage and sustain their attention.”

Cole has also facilitated professional development trainings for educators about his work with the Centre for Holocaust Education. A presentation of IWitness is included in the training’s discussion of effective pedagogy.

This academic year, Cole will be working with two Hospital and Home tuition teams to create Holocaust educational resources for students who are either hospitalized or need to be educated at home. He said IWitness will be central to his work in this area.