Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Teacher Decision Making In Teaching About The Holocaust Through Art, Julie Bell, Connie Schaffer, Kimberly Gangwish

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The primary objective of this comparative case study was to explore how secondary teachers make decisions regarding teaching about the Holocaust using the art of Samuel Bak as text. The researchers analyzed self-created curriculum materials, responses to a questionnaire about teacher decision-making processes, and interviews with three secondary teachers whose students visited an exhibit of Bak’s art. The researchers find that teachers have agency to make decisions based on materials, standards and curriculum, and personal connections to the content while relying on a student-centered approach. Implications for further research include a deeper exploration of teachers’ awareness of their decision making.