Facing History and Ourselves

   I may be involved in technology work now, and I did spend considerable time in the college guidance world, but my professional roots are firmly grounded in the teaching of history. It's how I started as a teacher out of college, and over the years, I have continued to find ways to learn about and teach history.
   Back in the 1980's, if I remember correctly, I first became aware of the Facing History and Ourselves organization as a classroom resource.  There was a book (also called Facing History and Ourselves) designed to help students learn about the Holocaust, but its approach was different from other textbooks.  As the organization's web site states: 

   What ignited Facing History and Ourselves in the beginning is still what guides us today. The educator’s most important responsibility—our gift to society—is to shape a humane, well-educated citizenry that practices civility and preserves human rights.
    At its inception, Facing History was one innovative course taught in two classrooms. In practical terms, it was a history class about the ideas and events that led to the Holocaust, but its beyond-the-textbook approach and methods made it about far more. Through discussion, character exploration, primary source material, and group exercises, students saw the tragic events from every perspective. In the process, they came to understand that history is the collective result of every individual’s thoughts and actions. They learned not only history, but also the critical thinking skills required to make good choices.

   Early on, then, the Facing History organization was committed to using a variety of approaches to reach students and get them thinking more deeply about content that matters. Fast forward about 30 years and the Facing History organization is still using a variety of approaches as it presents curricula of importance. But this is 2015, so naturally it is their web site - Facing History and Ourselves - that provides the platform for innovation.
   A fine example of the way they are using technology to present content that encourages reflective thinking about significant issues is their lesson set on the connection between music and the American civil rights era of the 1050's and 1960's.  The lessons are divided into four parts. The first lesson, Music and Identity, utilizes the Sam and Dave song Soul Man to stimulate conversation. The song affirms the importance of strong self-identity. 

  The second lesson, Breaking the Racial Barriers, takes a look at Booker T. and the MGs, a racially integrated band. In spite of significant pressure at the time to operate as a segregated group, the MGs retained their multi-racial composition. 

Booker T. and the MGs

    The third lesson, Respecting Self and Others,  examines the need for both self-respect and respect from others through a couple of Stax songs. And the fourth lesson, Music and Social Change, uses a Staple Singers song to help students consider the ultimate goals of the civil rights movement.    

Otis Redding

The Staple Singers

Why highlight this lesson set on this web site? I think it provides an excellent illustration of how technology can serve curricular interests. The videos, the songs and the downloadable documents all provide highly relevant materials to any student seeking to understand the connection between music and the civil rights movement. In fact, it's hard to think about teaching this material effectively in the absence of technological tools.     I hope you might find some time to explore the lessons of this site just for personal interest. But I also hope you'll use this site as a reminder of the ways in which technology can serve curricular goals. 

A few video links from the lessons:
   The origin and meaning of "Soul Man" - an interview with songwriter David Porter
   Booker T. and the MGs talk about their band and their music
   Stax recording artist William Bell discusses Otis Redding's "Respect"
   excerpt from Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story -  featuring The Staple Singers