PURPOSE OF THE HOLOCAUST INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATORS
The Holocaust, a watershed event both for the modern world and the history of humanity, has become an invaluable tool in the examination of basic moral issues. Scholars, historians and laypeople alike have been forced to examine the Holocaust in order to gain some understanding about an event which affected millions of people from varying economic, religious and social groups. Its happening transcends the purely historical context and teaches important lessons in hate, intolerance, insensitivity, and the resiliency of the human spirit.
The purpose of the Florida State University Holocaust Institute for Educators is to provide K-12 teachers with the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to teach their students and other teachers about the Holocaust. The instruction enables school districts to implement and meet the 1994 Florida legislative mandate and the Georgia legislative mandate that information about the Holocaust be taught in schools. Florida State University established the Institute in 1994 to provide teachers with the materials, methods and abilities to teach their students and teacher colleagues about the Holocaust. In 2022 the state of Florida added to the legislative mandate by adopting new, more detailed standards for Holocaust Education. The Institute thus provides the support to teachers and their school districts needed to implement the legislative mandate for instruction in Holocaust studies by teaching the content of the new standards, especially the Social Studies Holocaust Education Standards.
The Institute is designed primarily for secondary school teachers, but elementary school teachers and even high school students are are also welcome to attend one of the day-long professional development workshops. There is no cost to the participants, and K-12 educators will be paid a stipend for their time.
What are the benefits?
- Up-to-date information on the Holocaust and its impact on other countries
- Sessions on teaching materials and methods for hands-on use in the classroom
- In-service credits and continuing education units available
- Implementation of the 2022 legislative mandate for Holocaust education to be taught in the schools
The Institute’s goal is to provide the teachers with accurate and comprehensive information concerning the Holocaust, as well as with materials and methods to teach the Holocaust within their specific classrooms. The Holocaust Institute has three major goals for participants: to understand what happened, why it happened, and how best to present the Holocaust to students. These issues are complex. Professional Holocaust scholars differ in emphasis, in interpretation, and sometimes on the facts. In addition, some Institute students have considerable knowledge of the Holocaust, while the understandingof others is minimal. Thus, the Institute is designed to benefit both the experienced teacher of the Holocaust, as well as the novice.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information or to schedule a workshop in your district contact the Institute’s Director, Professor Jonathan Grant in the FSU History Department at jgrant@fsu.edu.
SCHEDULE FOR 2024-2025
Currently, the Institute offers one-day workshops on various Saturdays, 8am-4pm in different Florida counties. Typically, the is a workshop follows this schedule:
- Gainesville/Alachua County in December 2024
- Niceville/Okaloosa County in February 2025
- Panama City/Bay County in March 2025
- Tallahassee/Leon County in April 2025