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Council of Europe Seminar
“Auschwitz and the Holocaust in the context of teaching about memory in Europe” is the title of this year’s Council of Europe seminar held in Oświęcim and Krakow on October 10-16. The co-organizer of the seminar is the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust.
Thirty teachers and methodologists attended the seminar from Council of Europe member states, representatives of the Ministries of Education, and specialists from the Pedagogical University in Krakow.
At the Krakow university the participants attended lectures: “Auschwitz and the Holocaust in the context of European memory”, “Teaching about the Holocaust in Poland. Historical perspectives”, “The role of places of remembrance, memorials, museums, and historical education about the Holocaust as well as human rights education in the European Union.” Participants also learned about the project “Holocaust Remembrance Day and crimes against humanity.”
Moreover, the program at the Auschwitz Memorial included, among others, a tour of the former Auschwitz camp, meeting with a former prisoner, and workshops concerning the function and meaning of works of art made illegally in the Auschwitz concentration camp, as well as workshops about the national exhibitions that show the various ways of educating about the history of Auschwitz - in exhibitions prepared at different times by different countries.
In Oświęcim, the participants also took part in workshops on preparing students for a visit to the Memorial Site and about how to use the Council of Europe package entitled “A visit to Auschwitz".
The organizers of the seminar are the Ministry of Education, Council of Europe, International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, and the Pedagogical University in Cracow.
"A visit to Auschwitz" educational packet
The educational packet is for teachers planning a visit to the Auschwitz Memorial created by experts from the Council of Europe, the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, Cracow Pedagogical University and the Institute of National Remembrance.
It consists of two parts: the first covers the methodological recommendations for working with students before, during, and after the visit at the Memorial. The teacher learns how to prepare young people for the visit, how a tour of the Memorial should look, as well as how to conduct the evaluation. There are also some ready-made lesson plans.
The second part consists of educational materials dedicated to the most important historical facts, the history of Jews in Europe, history of the Holocaust, and history following Auschwitz.
Topics of previous workshops:
- Auschwitz—History and Symbolism (2006)
- Auschwitz—History, Remembrance, and Education (2007)
- Auschwitz—History, memory, and education. Teaching about the Holocaust at an authentic memorial site (2008)
- Auschwitz and the Holocaust in the context of teaching about memory in Europe (2009)
