Alone or together? Lifelong learning of Holocaust educators

Abstract

Teaching about the Holocaust is an important part of history and social studies programmes in many countries. The main aims are to raise awareness of the issues of persecution and deportation that led to the extermination of the Jews, to promote understanding of the historical context, and to develop critical thinking and empathy in students. Despite the growing importance of these programmes, there remains uncertainty about how educators gain the experience and skills necessary to teach this subject effectively. This study explores the learning ecologies of a group of Italian educators by examining their educational and lifelong learning journeys. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten educators from different disciplines. The findings reveal a range of learning ecologies, each uniquely combining formal, non-formal and informal strategies.