Can learning about the Holocaust be spiritual? Reflections on a teaching and learning experience with Primary School children.

In April 2017, I spent a week in Poland researching the Holocaust in Europe. Most notably, I visited the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. Following the visit, I facilitated three History lessons with 10- and 11-year-old children on the role of Auschwitz in the Second World War. As the ses...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of children's spirituality
Main Author: Wills, Ruth Joy (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis [2018]
In: International journal of children's spirituality
IxTheo Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BH Judaism
CB Christian life; spirituality
KBF British Isles
TK Recent history
ZF Education
Further subjects:B Spirituality
B Holocaust
B Critical Pedagogy
B Auschwitz
B History
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:In April 2017, I spent a week in Poland researching the Holocaust in Europe. Most notably, I visited the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. Following the visit, I facilitated three History lessons with 10- and 11-year-old children on the role of Auschwitz in the Second World War. As the sessions unfolded, the spiritual themes of meaning, identity and remembering emerged from the children's responses; therefore, this article forms a reflection on how the lessons impacted the children's spiritual lives. It also considers how the History curriculum might include a critical dimension to pedagogy. In particular, it explores how issues such as theology, morality and the role of representation open up a space for critical questioning. I suggest that such questioning is also spiritual. Thus, the self-awareness and criticality inspired might contribute to transformation - of both the teachers and learners and the world around them.
ISSN:1469-8455
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal of children's spirituality
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/1364436X.2018.1459510