Trainee teachers collaborate to further knowledge about The Holocaust

Students at the University of Wolverhampton have been collaborating across courses to further their knowledge of the Holocaust and how to apply it to future teaching.

Students studying the Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary Education (PGCE) in Drama, English, History and Modern Foreign Languages at the University’s School of Education, had taken part in an annual event to focus on Holocaust education at the University’s Walsall Campus.

This year, the event, hosted by Wendy Frost, Subject Leader of PGCE Drama, has expanded the number of courses involved, allowing more students to advance their understanding of a difficult subject whilst also ensuring collaboration and the sharing of ideas across courses.

The workshop, led by Holocaust educator, lecturer, researcher and writer Sam Mitschke, opened the day with a lecture on Holocaust Theatre, covering areas of culture, arts and language.

The students were tasked with both theoretical and practical activities throughout the day, looking at holocaust perception in society and how it is treated, using resources including ‘If This is a Man’ by Primo Levi.

Sam said: “It has been fantastic to see students work together, learn from each other, and explore different teaching techniques.”

“As teachers, it’s not about trying to teach everything about the Holocaust, but it is about piquing their interest, and I hope I was able to do some of that today.”

“I hope the students will take new perspectives from what they have learned today and incorporate these into their teaching methods as they educate and inspire the next generation.”  

George Hallett, PGCE History student, explained the benefit of the event to trainee teachers: “It was really interesting to get this perspective about a topic that isn’t spoken about too much, especially in wider studies.”

“It was interesting to incorporate different pedagogical approaches into this, and I look forward to one day applying these techniques to my own teaching.”

Find out more about studying for a PGCE at the University of Wolverhampton.