Coquitlam Teachers' Association Professional Development Day, Pinetree Secondary School, February 28, 2020
(go immediately to sample lesson)
Introduction
Genealogical research is an alchemy of subjective memory, and objective evidence that parallels any historical thinking process.
In speaking to this day’s theme: Beyond Words, Taking Action, consider the fascinating cultural blend in your classroom. What historical events, or social injustices caused your and your students' ancestors to pull up stakes, starting a chain of actions that conspired to bring you all here to this place and time? - We all have an ancient personal history, from far away and deep in time - and yet here we are, talking in a common language.
Are you from an indigenous family or one who, perhaps immigrated from Germany, Russia, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Japan, or USA? What side did your country of origin take in WWII?, and how much does it matter when, in Canada the great-great-grandchildren of soldiers meet, in the school gym, in peace, every Remembrance Day.
Genealogy is a compelling research tool of relevance for students. It starts in the present and works an historical thread backwards in time, weaving oral history with hard evidence. It motivates students to want to know more, to create questions and search for answers. It puts them in the driver seat, witnesses to their own personal relevance, profound connections and identities. And it can be a springboard for the teacher to weave the 35 different stories of their diverse classroom into their lessons.
In this sample lesson, students start by gathering oral history from family members - and what they glean from family archives: photos, diaries, photograph albums, etc. - and then we take them on an online journey to the superb collections of Canadian and World Memory Institutions and dedicated genealogy sites.
The site provides two paths/focuses of research:
- <<<<----- Searching for individual records - column on left
- ----->>>> Exploring the cultural context / history of the ancestors in those records - column on right