Dedication in Times of War: Ukrainian Teachers Continue Working
Despite the dread of the war and constant rocket strikes, Ukrainian history teachers did not stop working. Twenty-seven teachers who tutored the best student entries of the Ukrainian national history competitions in 2022, spent the entire autumn working on educational materials for the future competitions. Led by two jury members and prominent educators of the Ukrainian Association “Nova Doba”, they created an online publication aiming to help teachers and young people in choosing and developing their research ideas.
The publication consists of twenty-seven cards discussing how to choose and develop a research question, how best to involve students and organise collective research, and how to create a relevant and appealing presentation of one’s findings. Drawing on the 2022 winners’ “success stories” and feedback from the jury, the publication effectively channels practical experience of the teachers and transforms it into user-friendly step-by-step guidelines.
Apart from practical advice for future competitors, the publication also addresses the issues of oral history and digital sources – the ones that Ukrainians had been extensively using over the last years. First the covid pandemic and then the war of Russia against Ukraine made any profound work in the physical libraries or archives nearly impossible. Therefore, the authors of the publication also explained how one should work with online sources and distinguish manipulation from truth. Furthermore, while discussing the topics of oral history, the authors explore ways to get the local community involved in the history studies and memory preservation.
Find out more (in Ukrainian language)