As we prepare to return to school this year, knowing how to set the tone for an inclusive, productive classroom environment is essential. Since 1976, Facing History has offered industry-leading tools for establishing a classroom climate that deepens empathy, demands intellectual rigor, and invites a plurality of student voices. And we equip teachers with lessons designed to build this type of climate in our Back-to-School Toolkit. But something as seemingly basic as how we set up the physical space of our classrooms can also have a significant impact on classroom culture and learning outcomes.

Topics: Back-To-School, Innovative Classrooms

For 10 years, the Margot Stern Strom Innovation Awards have supported Facing History educators who want to bring their ideas for classroom projects to life. We’re excited to announce the chance to apply for a 2017 Margot Stern Strom Innovation Award. The 2017 awards  will be based on themes generated from our upcoming global online "game for social change,"  Face the Future, which explores empathy and civic participation. In partnership with the Institute for the Future, this game will allow students, educators, and community members to imagine what a better future might look like in 2026. It  will take place over the course of 30 hours on November 13–14, 2016. 

Make sure to sign up for Face the Future and stay tuned to hear the themes for the 2017 MSS Innovation Awards! In the meantime, take a look back at three previous award winners for inspiration!

Topics: Innovative Classrooms, Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grants

Common Sense Education's Graphite site has named Facing History and Ourselves among its 30 best EdTech resources of 2014!

Topics: Facing History and Ourselves, Social Media, EdTech, Innovative Classrooms, Media Skills, Online Learning, Facing Technology

As a Facing History-trained teacher, I strive to consistently integrate authentic voices in the classroom through survivor testimony. My students have heard my mantra many times: The greatest gift you can give another person is to listen to his/her story.

Topics: Facing History and Ourselves, EdTech, Innovative Classrooms, Media Skills, Critical Thinking, Facing Technology, Listenwise

Congrats to Beacon Academy, an in-depth Facing History school, on its Massachusetts Nonprofit Network 2014 Excellence in Innovation Award! Beacon Academy's associate head of school, Mervan Osborn, is a regular contributor to FAcing Today as well as a 2013 Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grant winner.

Topics: Facing History and Ourselves, EdTech, Innovative Classrooms, Media Skills, Beacon Academy, Facing Technology

This week Facing History announced the recipients of its annual Margot Stern Strom Innovation Awards, which grew out of a teaching award established in 2006 to recognize Facing History-trained educators who are thinking outside-the-box to transform schools and impact student learning.

Topics: Professional Development, Facing History and Ourselves, Social Media, EdTech, Innovative Classrooms, Online Learning, Facing Technology

In March, the Beacon Academy Class of 2014 took a trip to Washington, D.C. with the Close Up Foundation. Over the course of four days, 19 students from the class of 2014 had the opportunity to explore the most important sights in the city – places that gave us the chance to think, reflect, and learn about the United States’ democratic ideals and historical realities.

Topics: Facing History and Ourselves, Experiential education, EdTech, Innovative Classrooms, Media Skills, Museum Studies, Beacon Academy, Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grants

I have always been fascinated by the Balkan region of Southern Europe. Comprised of countries including Greece, Albania, Turkey, Romania, and more, and with people of countless religions and languages, the area is rarely studied in-depth in most high schools, and yet provides a rich cultural and historical case study. This year, with support from a Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grant, I set out to develop a multimedia, project-based learning tool for use in schools that explores the history of the Balkans and how this history helps us to understand European culture and identity today.

Topics: Antisemitism, Greece, Innovative Classrooms, Holocaust Education

Topics: Art, Choosing to Participate, Innovative Classrooms

Last week, news broke about the discovery of 1,500 pieces of artwork – art that Nazis had confiscated during World War II. Found in a Munich apartment, the paintings included works by artists Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Marc Chagall, among others.

Topics: Art, Video, Holocaust and Human Behavior, Innovative Classrooms, Media Skills, Museum Studies, Holocaust Education, Online Learning, Restorative Justice, Flipped Classroom