European pack for visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum - Guidelines for teachers and educators

Description

This project came into being following a European training seminar held in Cracow and Auschwitz in September 2006. The week-long European workshop is held every year by the Polish Ministry of Education, the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust at Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the Pedagogical University of Cracow, as part of the Council of Europe’s Pestalozzi Programme and the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and for the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity. Following a week of intensive training, provided at Cracow Pedagogical University and Auschwitz-Birkenau for around 50 European and Polish teachers, a proposal by the Council of Europe experts that a European pack of teaching notes be produced for teachers wishing to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp with their students caught the attention of the Polish Ministry of Education and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. The teachers present had indicated that it would be useful to have teaching notes to help them organise study visits with their students, from the preparatory stages through actual conduct of the visits to follow-up. The educational areas covered by the guidelines include instructions on how to prepare students to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, what to do during the visits and the difficulties that may arise, and steps for teachers to take with their students following the visit.

Keywords

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Holocaust

World War II

Museum

Memorial

Commemoration

Teaching Guidelines

Learning materials

Remembrance

Jewish History