How can we or should we teach children about difficult topics? To what extent should they be told the truth, and to what extent should they be protected from it? Consider this website as well as "The Legend of the Lodz Ghetto" and consider making references to specific artifacts.As always, do not sign the blog with your full name; initials or first name only, please!
Click here to enter the Yad Vashem site.
We should teach children about difficult topics in very similar ways the website uses. It is simple enough for them to understand the hardships of the ghetto life, but did not use any graphic or potentially traumatic images or material. Children should be told the truth about what happened during the Holocaust but only to a certain degree. Both the website and "The Legend of the Lodz Ghetto" use "kid friendly" drawings and photographs which children can easily understand and relate to. The interactive experience which the website provides allows children to participate in their education and choose what they want to look at and learn about.
ReplyDeleteJulia and Jocelyn
This is a question I have been considering for many years, and am still thinking it over. while it would be nice to live in a world without much pain ( as sheltered children would), the less you know about hard the world can be, the harder you fall. It can be so dieheartening to find out all of these terrible things that some children never recover and remain pessimistic. I think it is better to gently, gradually let children know that pain is something that is unavoidable in life, but that when bad things happen, the only way through is to try and deal with it. That way, they will be more capable of handling whatever life throws at them whenever it does.
ReplyDelete-Eva
In order to teach younger children about difficult topics, the subject matter should be broken down into basic concepts. The teaching style should be very interactive in order to engage the students. Children should not be lied to directly, but they also shouldn't be exposed to very graphic detail. This particular website has a lot of interactive activities that present children with information of the ghettos without scaring them. The creative look of the website helps children focus on the information given to them.
ReplyDeleteLeah, Deirdre, Conor
Children generally respond well to interactive activities. They are intrigued by online sites that require them to think, such as this one. They can search for pictures they find interesting and learn on them specifically. From there they have the option to hear people speak, look at pictures, drawings and artifacts from the period. They can also write down answers to questions ask and find certain things in pictures to keep them engaged. The material they are being taught should be rated PG. Clearly, they do not need to see pictures of dead bodies or Jewish people starving, but reading about it is different. They can abosrb the appropriate amount of knowledge for their age by hearing that Jews were killed instead of that they were massacred, or sent into gas chambers in huge numbers. Children understand things a lot better if it is put in simple terms that they can wrap their heads around. This basic knowledge they learn at an early age is important for the future of the education they will receive.
ReplyDelete-HMP
We believe that children should be told the truth about what happened but in a sugarcoated manner. For example, through a storybook or cartoon characters, children wouldn’t be harmed by the truth, but rather accept it in a way that is appropriate for their age. It's important for children to understand the concept of what happened but not in too much depth. If a child is told the gruesome details of the holocaust it would only traumatize them so that they wouldn't want to remember it, rather than teach them the history behind it. After reviewing the "Children in the Ghetto", we came to the conclusion that a cartoon images would be a better representation of the truth. Also, through this internet activity, the pictures on the screen make it more like a game, so that children can interact and click around - they will be more interested in learning about this topic.
ReplyDelete- A.G. and C.D.
Children should definitely be exposed to difficult historical topics, such as the Holocaust. Exposure to this kind of material—thought they may not completely comprehend it—will prepare them better for their futures and for when they learn more in higher education. However, the information should be presented in a much kinder way than showing videos of deportation camps and ghettos like we see in class. Children’s books are a great way of depicting real historical events to children. An activity, such as reading a picture book, which they already greatly enjoy, will keep them intrigued and interested. I definitely think that some of the material should be “sugar coated” for the children. Details of starvation, abuse, neglect, torture and massacres should not be included in the books. Not to say that the books should be “happy-go-lucky-sunshine-and-rainbows.” They should tell the truth of the Holocaust, but definitely a watered down version that young children can tolerate. Perhaps taking the situation of the Holocaust and comparing it or applying it to a different scenario that children could handle would be helpful. Instead of directly saying that young children and their families were thrown into gas chambers and extermination camps, these inhumane acts could be represented through something a little less brutal.
ReplyDeleteN.S.
The website manages to convey a basic idea of what happened during the Holocaust in a simplified, and tempered-down form. As it is geared towards young children, this seems to be a good approach. The absence of difficult vocabulary and graphic details make it easier for a child’s mind to comprehend and bear what happened. The danger of using euphemisms is that a child might not realize the gravity of the situation, so it is important to supplement this with additional information as the child grows. The focus on a child’s experience in the ghetto makes the site more relatable to its audience. As Eva said, it’s important to let children learn gradually rather than overloading their young minds.
ReplyDelete~Stephanie & Carolyn
Children should not be lied to, however, the material they hear and see should be somewhat censored. If the children ask they should be told the truth. Also, we think children do not fully understand the severity of the matter. This website breaks down the significant components into easily understandable sections. Such as the videos of witnesses, the drawings, and actual photos. Each of which, has deep meaning and encourages thinking. Entering one group increases one's knowledge with the nature of interaction.
ReplyDelete---Britt + Matt 4eva
I think the incorporation of images in the website is very powerful to children. Pictures evoke strong emotions and help tell stories in ways that text cannot. By having an interactive site like this one, children have the ability to explore topics that THEY feel are interesting. If children are being taught this type of material, than I believe they should be of an age that enables them to make their own decisions about what they want to learn. The website does a great job of limiting graphic material, so I do not think that children would stumble upon anything that would disturb them.
ReplyDeleteI often find that the most powerful methods of teaching this type of material is when the material is related to someone's own life. If someone feels a personal connection to the material--whether that person is a child or an adult--than the material will have a much stronger affect on the individual.
--Alex T.
To a certain extent, you cannot protect children from certain realities. In the ghetto, children experienced the same fear as adults and were forced to grow up and take on responsibilities. Children in the present day have almost the same access to information as adults. It is better to teach them about these topics than to let them discover it for themselves. There was a section in the website about a girl, Sara, whose uncle taught her how to sew and she was able to survive in the ghetto by using that knowledge. We can draw a parallel between this event and teaching about the Holocaust: children are better able to face the difficult facets of this tragedy when adults help them to do so.
ReplyDeleteThis website does a very good job of trying to present information about the Holocaust and the Jewish ghettos to children. However, it cannot stand alone as a means for children to learn about the past. If a middle school age child was given this website they might not be able to fully comprehend it the way they would if an adult walked them through the various exercises.
-Alex L and Amanda
I don’t think children are actually being protected when they are kept in the dark from reality. I understand that it is instinctual for parents to want t shelter their children from the hardships of the world, but in a situation like the Holocaust where children’s parents often are killed, it may be beneficial to them to be educated and understand what is going on around them. The Nazi’s were able to take away all physical possession the Jewish people had, but they were not able to take away the knowledge they had acquired. They should capitalize on that and teach their children as much as possible. I understand that this may be extremely terrifying for a child to learn about, but it is better than having them live ignorant of why they are so hungry and why their parents could be taken away. However, the children should be taught differently than adults; they can be taught through stories instead of watching the horrors that are occurring outside. Cartoons may be useful in teaching without being too scary.
ReplyDeleteThe minds of children are more fragile than those of adults, and therefore should not be informed about harsh realties in the same matter as them. However, completely sheltering them from the ugly truths of the world does harm as well. In terms of the gruesome details that go with tragedies such as the Holocaust, it is best to teach children at an older age when their minds can better grasp it. I know that for me personally it is hard to hear about some of the events that took place during genocides, and would have a real hard time comprehending and understanding the significance of them as a child. Both the website as well as "The Legend of the Lodz Ghetto" do a good job in gently introducing the concepts of the Holocaust by putting them into terms that children could understand. For instance, I thought that the drawing of the house crowed with people in the ghetto showed the grim conditions of overcrowding, yet did not go into the harsh detail that may be upsetting to some.
ReplyDeleteThe conditions that these children had to go through were harsh and shocking. However,they grew up to these challenges and perpetuate beyond their ages.
ReplyDeleteWe especially like the use of videos, images, poems and artistic works in the website. Together they really display and give us a whole new perspective of the event of the holocaust particularly in the ghetto.
Paul $ Desal