Past Times - Talking and Teaching History

We visit the University of Utrecth and speak wth Dr. Bjorn Wansink from TerInfo. TerInfo is a project group that does research on how terrorism and war is taught and tackled in schools. In addition to research, they also create teacher guides and learning scenarios to help teachers deal with these difficult topics.

EuroClio recently had the pleasure to host students from two schools who joined us in The Hague for our Seeking Justice: From Nuremberg to The Hague workshop. We chat with Ailia Criddle and Julia Karam from the American International School in Cyprus about their experience coming to learn about various aspects of international justice, including those related to genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as their own views on international law and justice.

Seeking Justice offers workshops for both teachers and students alike - have a look at euroclio.eu for upcoming opportunities!

We visit HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and speak with Pim Renou and Pieter Mannak about artificial intelligence and ChatGPT. How can we make best use of this new technology for teaching history? What challenges does it pose to us as educators and how do we best respond?

Maayke and Andreas speak with Professor Joseph Kahne (from the Civic Engagement Research Group at the University of California, Riverside) about digital citizenship in education. We discuss the spread of misinformation, but also how digital citizenship can lead to greater participation in public life. With the fast-paced digitisation and automation underway, what can teachers and educators do to navigate new technologies and realities?

More on how teachers can do to support students in developing media literacy? Have a look at Prof. Kahne's publication 'Misinformation in the Information Age'

Discover more useful resources for teachers with EuroClio's project Watching Videos Like an Historian

We speak with South African broadcaster and author Joanne Joseph about her novel Children of Sugarcane, set mostly in 19th century colonial India and South Africa and telling the story of a female indentured Indian labourer migrating to work at a plantation in the Colony of Natal. We speak about Joanne's own family history and how it inspired her to dig deeper into what has been a largely neglected story of shared Indian, South-African and British history. We also discuss the merits of teaching history through fiction and the wider role of education both in her book and in society at large.

More on historical fiction in the classroom? Sign up for EuroClio's webinar with history teacher Sally Burham on 11 July!

In this episode, we speak to Helen Snelson and Katarína Pišútová who contributed to the development of the Teacher Guide on Effective and Blended Learning – as part of the project: Online Teaching in the Visegrad Region. We reflect on opportunities and challenges deriving from the implementation of online learning activities as well as crucial ingredients of valuable online learning materials.

In conversation with Laurence Bragard and Blandine Smilansky, we discuss the challenge of setting up a museum on European history from scratch. Which artefacts finds its way to the exhibition and what is left out? We also discover the possibilities for teachers and students visiting Brussels or working with the House of European History online from their own classroom

In this episode, Maayke and Andreas speak with Rodrigo Mayorga (Instagram rodrigomayorgac), Director of Momento Constituyente, about the consitutional reform process that took place in Chile over the last few years. Momento Constituyente is an NGO based in Santiago de Chile and focusing on civics/citizenship education. Both Rodrigo and his NGO were actively encouraging conversations around the constitutional reform process and we learn more about its implications for students, teachers and history and citizenship education.

EuroClio's Adam Dargiewicz and Andreas Holtberget speak with Prof. Joanna Wojdon (University of Wrocław) and Jacek Staniszewski (history teacher, headmaster, and co-founder of The Good Education Association). We discuss the latest developments and proposed changes to the Polish history curriculum, the new and controversial subject ‘History and the Present’ (HiT in the Polish abbreviation) and the impact of the war in Ukraine. 

Understand Polish? Have a listen to Jacek's own podcast, Podcasterix!

In this episode, EuroClio staff Eugenie Khatschatrian and Andreas Holtberget speak with a teacher, Tatjana Juric, and a student, Teofan Badza, both from a high school in Banja Luka in Bosnia-Herzegovina about their project focusing on the victims of the Ustase regime during World War II.  The work in Banja Luka was part of the  "Who were the victims of the national socialists" project funded by the EVZ foundation.