ERIC Number: EJ1416819
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-8650
EISSN: N/A
In Search of Meaning and Relevance: Applying Participant-Centered Learning at Holocaust Sites
Wolfgang Schmutz; Yariv Lapid; Paul Salmons
Journal of Museum Education, v49 n1 p88-107 2024
Educational visits to historical sites related to the Holocaust face significant constraints: Groups have limited time to see the site; guides are meeting students for the first time; they do not know them or what preparation (if any) students have had. Teachers and students expect guides to share their expertise, show them the most important parts of the site, and relate the historical narrative. Guides, similarly, often feel a tremendous responsibility to share their knowledge and impart meaning, perhaps even more so in the case of the Holocaust. All of these factors can lead to highly guide-centered tours and very passive participants. We, the authors, argue that this approach disempowers the learner and may miss opportunities for deeper engagement. Therefore, we propose a more participant-centered approach based on social constructivist pedagogy that encourages deep conversations about ethical issues and in which students are more actively involved in their own meaning-making.
Descriptors: Experiential Learning, Place Based Education, European History, Jews, Death, Historic Sites, War, Student Centered Learning, Tourism, Dialogs (Language), Learner Engagement, Constructivism (Learning), Leaders
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A