Teaching about difficult moments in national history is a topic that educators can often be intimidated or challenged by, given that history and civics can powerfully and emotionally impact a student’s sense of identity and belonging within their community. Starting from the following definition of contested histories: ‘Contested histories’ refers to varied, contradictory, and/or controversial narratives about (the same) past events. Contested histories potentially lead to conflicts due to (severe) emotional reactions among recipients (e.g., learners). Aligned with the Monument(al) Challenges project’s main objective of empowering educators to teach contested histories through place-based learning, the self-paced course explores the educational materials developed throughout the project and offers innovative pedagogies that educators can further develop and adapt.
Focusing on the interconnectedness of heritage, history, and feelings of inclusion/exclusion, monuments become a starting point for discussing sensitive histories. These physical representations of history in the public space can have different significance depending on an individual’s background and sense of identity. They shed light not only on societies from the past and their inherent value systems but also on the processes of change, particularly in emancipatory social movements of the 21st century. This approach is anchored in the universal principles of respecting human rights, embracing cultural diversity, and promoting inclusion in democratic, multicultural societies.
This self-paced course is aimed at educators, student teachers, and teacher educators of history, civics, heritage studies, and related fields, who often need more tools and resources when discussing complex and sensitive historical events and personages with their students. The same holds for museum educators and curators who work with contested objects and narratives and work with youth. This self-paced online course has been developed to provide educators in formal and non-formal settings with resources and suggested guidelines to support their teaching and learning about contested histories. The Monumental Challenges materials are structured to encompass different aspects of learning through diverse educational policy documents, recommendations, educational principles, and guidelines that promote democratic values, research, and the development of critical thinking skills among students.
