Professional Development Seminar

In cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), the Sarah & Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre in Toronto, Canada, recently presented a one-day professional development seminar for high school teachers.

Forty educators from across the Greater Toronto Area, representing six different school boards, participated in the interactive seminar that addressed topics such as the curricular content, guidelines for effective teaching, and engaging the intellectual curiosity of students in order to inspire critical thought and personal growth.

The seminar was conducted by Kelly Watson, of the USHMM Regional Education Corps and Michelle Fishman, the Neuberger’s Education Coordinator. Throughout the day, new pedagogical methods were demonstrated and teachers carried out several activities to help their students learn the history of the Holocaust as well as to reflect upon the moral and ethical questions that studying the Holocaust raises. The training program also provided the practical skills needed to help students learn how and why the Holocaust happened and that it is an important component of education and strengthens students' critical thinking about their own roles in society.

In addition to classroom resources, teachers left the seminar with new insights, knowledge and pedagogical approaches to assist them in teaching about the Holocaust.