Inquiry-Based Learning in

American Studies Clas

“Holocaust Denial On Trial”Bernadette May-Beaver

The Lovett SchoolThe Lovett School

Context

•Throughout the course of American Studies, I have attempted to “complicate” the history students already know. This sometimes means discussing the “myths” versus the “facts” in a particular time period...

Context

•...and it sometimes means discussing the ways that bias (gender, class, race and political bias, to name a few) distort the ways the narrative of history is told.

Context

•In short, I’ve spent most of the year outlining specific legitimate examples of historical revisionism (the re-writing of the narrative of history) for students to study and consider.

“The Big Idea”•It’s in this context, after having

discussed over the course of the year many legitimate examples of historical revisionism, that I ask students to consider the “big idea”: namely, that sometimes revisionism is legitimate and appropriate, but at other times revisionism can veer into the illegitimate. [Case in point: Holocaust Denial).

•“Having questions that guide inquiry is key, but behind the questions must be..the ‘big ideas.’ The big ideas are the critical knowledge about the topic -- written as explicit statements -- that the teacher believes must be understood for students to have a truly educational experience” (School as Inquiry).

The ‘Hook’ In the Lesson

•My “hook” into this lesson on the Holocaust and Holocaust Denial comes from experience. I introduce the lesson with personal stories of my father’s experience living as a Jew in Germany in the 1930s, and his father’s experience in a concentration camp at Dachau.

“Big-Idea” Questions

•Typically, my students are fascinated by my family’s story and want to hear more. But I take the lesson to a new place by asking some “big idea” questions.

•“How,” I ask, “do you know I’m telling the truth?”

•“How can you be sure that the Holocaust ‘happened’?”

Part I: The Assignment

•For homework, I assign a 12-page overview on Holocaust Denial for my students to read. They are given one week to read the article, formulate 8-10 questions that the article raises in their minds, and write a 2-3 page typed response, articulating and critiquing the author’s central point.

•Their written reflection must also reference two key websites (mentioned in the 12-page article) that I ask them to peruse:

CODOH

•1. The Committee for the Open Debate on the Holocaust (CODOH), a Holocaust Denial site with the “look” and “feel” of a legitimate academic source

HDOT

•Holocaust Denial on Trial (HDOT), a legitimate site sponsored by Emory University, which aims to counter common myths forwarded by Holocaust Deniers using easy-to-read language supported by concrete historical facts and documents (document translations available in Arabic, Farsi, Russian and Turkish)

What is “Inquiry-Based” About This

Lesson So Far?•According to the article, “School as

Inquiry,” there are several commonalities to Inquiry-Based Teaching. These include “Authenticity”, “Investigation”, and “Creation”.

“Authenticity”

•Holocaust Denial is a real issue, one that students will likely face on campus and in the news. (CODOH targets college newspapers with ads questioning the Holocaust and Holocaust Denial is on the rise worldwide).

•“All inquiry learning [must be] done within real contexts and for real purposes.”

“Investigation”•In this lesson, students are required

to mine three sources (one article and two websites) for information. Websites are especially powerful resources for this particular lesson because so many Holocaust Deniers, excluded from legitimate academic presses, use the Internet to disseminate information.

“Creation”•The act of writing a paper is key to

the “creating” aspect of Inquiry-Based Learning.

•“The act of creating something is vital because students are shaping an idea into an artifact. That act of creation teaches students to value and appreciate the thought...required to produce excellence.”

Part II: The Discussion

•After reading the article and websites and writing their paper, students returning to class spend an entire class period discussing the implications of what they learned. I filmed this student-led discussion, with excerpts as follows:

The Opening Question...

•The discussion began with one of the pre-designated student leaders, Daniel, asking, “What makes us ‘believe’ the day-to-day history we read in our textbooks”?

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... The Opening Answer

•In answer to this question,Taylor comments that there are two factors to take into consideration. First, most Americans know only a general version of history, and are unable to distinguish half-truths from full truths. Second, most people tend to believe the words of scholars. Taylor suggests that we can counteract this by seeking multiple scholarly perspectives in our own research.

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The Essential Question

•Another student designated leader, Chris, asks what I consider to be the essential question of the discussion: “Is it OK to question history?”

•You’ll hear me in the background, clarifying his question by asking, “When is it OK to revise history? When does revisionism cross the line from helpful to harmful?”

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•In answer to this question, Andrew M. points out that we should distinguish between types of revisionists. The first group, he suggests, are comprised of historians who genuinely desire to learn more, altering the conventional narrative based on new, emerging evidence. The second group ignores or distorts facts based on a pre-set agenda.

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•Avery points out that it’s always good to ask questions, and to make sure that you have all the facts. She notes that we have spent a good bit of time over the course of the year “complicating” the narrative of history, offering several examples. This questioning is legitimate because it aims to be objective.

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•Teferi notes that sometimes people view history only in a way that benefits them and supports their particular perspective. He notes that revisionism is particularly hurtful because it challenges the life experiences of people who have already been traumatized.

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•Alexandra adds to this conversational thread, noting that not only do deniers manipulate evidence, but they also use the enraged and emotional responses by Holocaust survivors to their advantage. Deniers seem more “legitimate” because they remain calm in the midst of heated, often emotional, debate.

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•Andrew F. adds that he used his paper to research and then debunk some claims of Holocaust deniers, using information that he found on HDOT and elsewhere. He notes that we can fight deniers’ “half-truths” and “non-facts” by using “full truths” and “real facts.”

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What is Inquiry-Based About The

DiscussionPortion of the

Lesson?•According to the article, “School As Inquiry,” there are several other commonalities of Inquiry that we can find in the in-class discussion: “The Work Space”, “Dialogue and Discussion”, “Multiple Perspectives and Answers”, and “Agency.”

“The Work Space”

•Students are seated in a circle away from their desks. This is always our room configuration on discussion-centered days.

•“A space that is about open investigations does not look like a traditional classroom.”

“Dialogue and Discussion”

•“Inquiry learning cannot happen in an academic culture of silence. Roger Simon wrote, ‘An education that creates silence is not an education.’ Talk and inquiry are deeply symbiotic. The process of inquiry nurtures good talk, and that good talk furthers the inquiry.”

“Multiple Perspectives and

Answers”•“Stimulating arguments are a by-product of an inquiry classroom because an inquiry-based classroom challenges students to see an issue from multiple perspectives and to answer questions that do not have one correct answer - and both are habits of mind that are vital in a democracy.”

“Agency”

•“Jerome Bruner defines ‘agency’ as ‘taking more control of your mental activity.’ Nurturing agency in children involves honoring their unique construction of knowledge..and teaching students to be metacognitive, that is, to help them consciously think about their teaching and learning.”

21st Century Competencies/Skill

s•The top two “21st Century” competencies that this lesson plan develops are: 1. Critical Thinking; 2. Communication.

•The top two “21st Century” survival skills that this lesson plan develops are: 1. Accessing and Analyzing Information; 2. Effective Oral and Written Communication.

Advice for Novices to Inquiry-Based

Learning•This particular class discussion went very well primarily because I empowered students by setting up a framework with one “big idea,” viz. sometimes revisionism is legitimate, and sometimes it is not. Teachers should give students a clear and specific conceptual framework to guide questions.

What I Would Do Differently

•Given time constraints, I’m not sure I could have spent more time on this project. However, in a perfect world, I would have followed up the discussion with, at minimum, a teacher-led in-class reflection. Emory University’s proximity would also have provided great opportunities for a follow-up guest speaker, since HDOT is an initiative of scholars in the College.

Follow-Up Plans•This summer, I’m working with my

American Studies colleagues to revise our joint curriculum and carve out more time for inquiry and discussion. I also plan on contacting HDOT with ideas about ways to use their site as a resource for the secondary school classroom. An IBL-oriented lesson plan would work perfectly with HDOT’s stated educational aims.

•Thank you, Westminster Center for Teaching and Learning and my colleagues in the Inquiry-Based Learning Cohort, for a wonderful year of learning and fellowship.

•Keep asking good questions!

Work Cited•Wolk, Steven. “School as Inquiry.”

Volume 90, No. 2, October 2008, pp. 115-122.