People on the Move: The Arrival of Migrants to Europe in 2015

Bistra is one of the core members of the Learning to Disagree project, and this workshop is one of the results of said project.  Learning to Disagree  was initiated in response to the needs of educators who experience difficulties in addressing sensitive and controversial issues in their classrooms. The project, now in its final stages, offers trainings and support materials for teachers to face these topics head-on with their students. These materials aim to teach students vital skills such as the ability to listen, to consider alternative interpretations, and the ability of interacting with people that they disagree with in a constructive manner.

Students develop critical thinking and the vital competences for dialogue and discussion in classrooms. This workshop is designed for history teachers and civic educators who want to foster the development of these skills.

The lesson plan discussed in this workshop aims to do so by having students deal with a diverse range of sources representing different viewpoints on migration to Europe in 2015 and take part in a discussion on migration to Europe based on recent events. This will help students to develop their knowledge and critical understanding of the complexity of reactions to migration, specifically the reaction to the arrival of the refugees in 2015 and 2016, analyse diverse historical resources, discuss and express their opinions, develop their cooperation skills, and their values of human dignity and human rights.