Teacher Workshop

After the initial exposure to the Facing the Past methodology, teachers are invited to various follow-up workshops dealing with particular case studies, and their connection to the message of Facing the Past.

In March 2009, a follow-up workshop dealt with the American Civil Rights movement and, more specifically, the efforts to desegregate Little Rock Central High school. Teachers used Facing History and Ourselves resource “Choices in Little Rock” and the Eyes on the Prize DVD series as a catalyst for discussing the roles played by individual and group identities in Little Rock.

This case-study is particularly salient to the Facing the Past approach because it demonstrates that personal choices, individually and collectively, determine the structure of society; and, in addition, that our identities have a fundamental impact on our choices regarding others.

When faced with a moral dilemma, the individuals who make courageous choices are able to do so through an understanding that their decisions can make a genuine difference to society, and teachers in this workshop discussed how this message can best be brought into their classrooms.

Lets teach our learners, through the content, about civic responsibility, and that their choices do matter! (Janine Kaptein)

Below are  some extracts from some of the participants’ journal entries:

“When society is built, the basis upon which society is built would be the choices. Choices have consequences; the consequences would be the creation.”

“It will develop learners to be considerate and concerned about others.”

“The resources and methodology is extremely useful in helping learners to understand the importance of individual choices, even ordinary people can have far reaching consequences.”