Paths to Teaching the Holocaust

Book excerpt: Paths to Teaching the Holocaust edited by Tibbi Duboys is an important new book. It offers contributions by childhood, middle and secondary teacher educators from various regions and universities in the continental United States. The array of material is a strength of this unique book. Some contributors write about ways in which they infuse existing courses with Holocaust materials, while others focus on where and when to begin the education of their students with respect to genocide. Curriculum and instruction are examined from the perspective of existing research. Preparing oneself to teach the material and personal teaching style are presented in ways that will be helpful both to new and to experienced teachers and those interested in the kinds of questions embedded in this material. Educators and others will see how events focused upon in the Holocaust are connected to violations of human rights and social justice committed during the period of National Socialism. Readers are reminded of the approximate nature of knowledge when it is not born of lived experience, and are invited to raise questions about the Holocaust and other genocides. The varied nature of the chapters offers a platform for engaging in discourse likely to pique the interest of people who have limited experience with the topic, and of those whose knowledge may be rich and of long standing. Teachers often seek to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and will find the References of each writer an invaluable resource. The contents of Paths to Teaching the Holocaust will be useful to educators and others concerned with oppression, human rights and social justice.