There can be no doubt that we as a nation have faced countless challenges since March. While the world has been focused on addressing these challenges, educators have been given the added task of shifting from in-person to virtual learning which poses its own set of unique challenges.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis has spent the summer months critically thinking about how to best serve local educators and develop creative solutions to ensure that the stories of Holocaust survivors continue to be told in the classroom during the age of COVID. Amber Maze, Holocaust Education & Program Coordinator, has had to reimage programming, speaking engagements, and educational resources.
The biggest change will be with the JFGI Speakers Bureau as the vast majority of schools within greater Indianapolis will no longer allow outside speakers to enter their facilities. For the 2020-21 school year, live virtual presentations and pre-recorded presentations will be offered to all educators interested in the JFGI Speakers Bureau. Just as virtual school has its challenges, so does providing virtual presentations. How does one engage the audience? How does one make it interactive? What if technical issues are encountered? Audience engagement and interaction is key when telling of the horrors experienced by the families of those living within the community. To address this particular challenge, Amber has designed accompanying materials to pre-engage the students with the storied memories to which they will become witnesses. These presentation materials are designed to provide guiding questions that will allow the students to explore additional historical avenues related to the Holocaust, as well as serve as a resource for students to engage with the lessons of the Holocaust once classroom learning on the subject ends. Students will then have an opportunity to ask the speaker questions during a lengthened question and answer session. For those students viewing a pre-recorded presentation, the educator will be able to submit a consolidated list of student questions that will then be answered by the speaker who appeared in the video.
In order to continue meaningful and curricularly-aligned education surrounding the Holocaust and human rights, Amber has provided additional material resources that include an expanded genocide education website, short videos on the evolution of mass violence, and a virtual professional development workshop for educators scheduled for later in the fall. As the Federation continues to face many challenges, the organization is poised to continue to serve as an authority on Holocaust education and able to quickly pivot to address the needs of educators throughout the state. These challenges have been met successfully and will continue to do so in order to best serve the educators and community.