Seminars & Events

17 September 2018
13:15 - 14:45
Buys Ballot Gebouw, room 020

Seminar: Bjorn Wansink – Teaching Multiperspectivity in History Education

 

Title: Where does teaching multiperspectivity end and begin in education? 

Research has shown that teachers can find it difficult to discuss controversial questions on topics such as religion, equality, and migration. Especially history teachers and social science teachers are confronted with conflicting perspectives in their classrooms as they teach topics that can cause strong emotions. In this interactive presentation I will share some of my latest research investigating teachers’ approaches to multiperspectivity in lessons on three topics varying in moral sensitivity (i.e., the Dutch Revolt, Slavery, and the Holocaust). Moreover, I will discuss a newly developed theoretical model that is used in several teacher education institutes to train teachers how to deal with conflicting perspectives in the classroom. Finally, I would like to have an open discussion about what we have called teachers  “normative balancing” between transferring values (i.e., imposing your own perspective) and value communication, (i.e., discussing different perspectives).

 

Wansink, Bjorn, Akkerman, Sanne, Zuiker, Itzél & Wubbels, Theo (2018). Where Does Teaching Multiperspectivity in History Education Begin and End? An Analysis of the Uses of Temporality. Theory and Research in Social Education, (pp. 1-33) (33 p.).

 

Bjorn Wansink works as a lecturer, trainer and researcher at the Department of Education, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University. He also works as a teacher  trainer for Euroclio (European Association of History Educators) in countries in political transformation and in particular those with inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions.