Participants visited the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Image courtesy of Bowdoin College.
With NEH support, Bowdoin College hosted a two-week summer seminar titled Teaching the Holocaust Through Visual Culture, which immersed middle and high school teachers in the visual history of the Holocaust. They explored an array of visual materials with interdisciplinary experts and discussed how signs, symbols, propaganda and art promoted different forms of social inclusion and exclusion. Teachers walked away with the tools and motivation to incorporate visual content into their curriculum and with a supportive cohort of colleagues from across the country.
“I left feeling so validated. Too often in education we forget to enrich our learning. Having the opportunity to study with and be listened to by individuals who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge really left me feeling respected as a professional.”
–Survey respondent
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Participants worked collaboratively and established a supportive cohort. Image courtesy of Bowdoin College.
Teachers explored a wide variety of visual forms. Image courtesy of Bowdoin College.
Participants also developed materials they could implement in their classrooms. Image courtesy of Bowdoin College.
The seminar considered how art and other visual images and objects can shed light on the nature of ideological thinking, political resistance, and memory. Teachers each produced a mini-archive of images, assignments associated with the images, and other classroom resources over the course of the seminar to ensure they had tangible materials to use when they returned home. Teachers felt that the materials not only enhanced how they will teach the Holocaust, but how they will approach teaching more broadly. One survey respondent commented: “I’m excited to incorporate what I’ve learned and I feel more confident about analyzing and choosing visual images in/for class. I want to engage students in visual culture so much more—and not only in Holocaust education, but threaded throughout my year.”
Facts & Figures
100%
of survey respondents strongly agreed they would be able to use what [they’ve] learned from this seminar in their classrooms.
Facts & Figures
100%
of respondents agreed the design of the seminar facilitated exchange of expertise among participants.
In addition to the knowledge gained and materials acquired, teachers developed a supportive cohort amongst themselves and the seminar facilitators. One-hundred percent of survey respondents felt the seminar facilitated exchange of expertise among participants, and many commented that they felt renewed energy from talking with and learning from other teachers from around the country. Survey respondents also expressed immense appreciation for the seminar facilitators, who they felt would be a consistent source of support into the future as they navigate the complexity of incorporating unique materials into their teaching. One teacher reflected on the support of fellow participants and facilitators: “I left feeling so validated. Too often in education we forget to enrich our learning. Having the opportunity to study with and be listened to by individuals who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge really left me feeling respected as a professional.”
