An Analysis of Ontario's pre-service teacher candidates' attitudes and approach towards teaching the Holocaust

Abstract

Unexpectedly, 79% of the respondents expressed no discomfort in teaching lessons about the Holocaust, despite the complexity and sensitivity of the topic. Respondents indicated the necessity of Holocaust Education as a means to explore historical evidence, while developing students' empathy and morals. Most significantly, along with an anti-racist pedagogy that was evident in the findings, the respondents expressed a strong commitment to advance Holocaust Education in their classrooms beyond what is currently specified in Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum documents.