Overview
FAIR’s Teaching About Identity: Lessons From Around the World series is an exploration of the question: What can we learn from history about how school environments have impacted racially, ethnically, or politically divided societies?
Using as case studies 1930s Germany, 1960s China, and 1980s-90s Rwanda, the series does a deep dive into education in times and places where identity has been a divisive factor, and provides information to help the reader draw insights for building unity in classrooms today.
The Rwanda installment of the series was done as a live event, to great acclaim. The installments on 1960s China and 1930s Germany are available as PDFs, which can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the images below.
Praise for the program
From post-training evaluations:
Using a scale of 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible score, 90% of participants rated the content of the session at 8 or higher.
44% of participants gave the session a 10 out of 10.
97% of participants felt the training increased their knowledge about other countries’ experiences with teaching about identity during divisive times.
“It’s so helpful to hear about history and other countries. It’s helpful to be reminded of these things and learn from the past… Altogether great presentation.”
“Many years of history were summarized into manageable chunks.”
“Reading about the various groups in history who have had difficulties based on race, ethnicity, etc. and how teachers played a role in the knowledge given to their students at that time was very thought provoking.”
“I think this was a valuable examination of the power teachers have over young minds. It helped me to understand how necessary it is to deliver lessons in a way that encourages students to continue learning and foster a sense of curiosity.”
“[I liked] learning about the connection between oppressive societies and the early intentional limitation of free thought.”
“This was an excellent reminder of how impressionable young students can be and how we help form their opinions!”
“[The presentation] was helpful in ensuring I build a positive community and sense of belonging within my classroom, having and accepting numerous perspectives.”
“Made me look at the way I word my own questions and question myself as to why I’m really asking them.”
