Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History | Teaching Tolerance
Teaching the contextual nuances of history can be extremely difficult especially in isolation during a thirty-day period. Yet, each year, we ask teachers to breathe life and give shape to the cultural, political, and social landscape of history during a very small window of time.
Given this important task, I believe it is vital to approach the study of the different heritage months the same way you would any topic/theme in the classroom (with deep thought and careful planning). In 2007, the folks at Teaching Tolerance published a useful list of do’s and don’ts for teaching during Black History month. The list was adapted from material by Pat Russo of the Curriculum & Instruction Department at SUNY Oswego, and I believe it is a useful resource tool to help teachers plan their lessons during black history month or any other heritage month. tlb
DO…
- Incorporate black history (or any other heritage month) year-round into the curriculum
- Continue learning (provide in-depth, continuous, and thorough understanding of the subject/theme)
- Reinforce to students that “black” or “women’s” history is American history
- Relate lessons to other parts of the curriculum
- Connect issues in the past to current issues to make history relevant to the lives of all students
- Include the political and social context of the community’s struggle for social justice
DO NOT…
- Stop your “regular” curriculum
- Decontextualize heroes or holidays
- Focus on superficial cultural traits based on stereotypes
- Talk about black history (or any other heritage month) in solely “feel-good” language
- Teach with little or inaccurate information
- Shy away from controversial, ambiguous, or unresolved issues
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