Personal Memory vs Shared Memory, Lesson 1
Lesson 1: Opening Debate
Focus: Which is more reliable: personal memory or shared memory, such as in historical records?
Suggested length: 1 hour
Learning objectives:
- Explore different perspectives on the reliability of memory and history, with attention to power, bias, and subjectivity.
- Analyze how commonly held memories differ from documented historical facts.
- Determine whether there are circumstances under which intentionally omitting certain memories from historical narratives can be justified.
| Critical Thinking Concepts | TOK Concepts | Reflection Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Confronting Biases and Assumptions: Identify authority bias and question personal bias. Exploring Contexts: Perform a stakeholder analysis and examine cultural and societal influences. Responsiveness and Flexibility of Thought: Adapt arguments and consider contradictory perspectives. | Perspectives: How do commonly held memories differ from documented historical facts, and what implications does this have for our understanding of history? Power: In what ways do power structures shape the “official” narratives of historical events, and how does this affect collective memory? | What factors make personal memory convincing or unconvincing as a source of knowledge? How might historians’ methods (archival research, cross-verification) challenge or support personal recollections? In what ways could power or authority shape both memory and history? |
Resources and Preparation
- Slides, attached below.
- Log into Kialo and clone the linked discussion in the main activity to make a copy for your students.
- Use your preferred sharing method to share the cloned discussion with your students.
- View What is the difference between history and memory? - YouTube before sharing it with your students.
Introduction
Present the central question: “Which is more reliable: personal memory or official history?”
Share a brief anecdote: For instance, a student’s family memory of an event vs. a textbook version. Ask students what might cause these accounts to differ.
Optional viewing What is the difference between history and memory? - YouTube to give students contextual information regarding the topic.
Main Activity
Debate setup:
Use the Kialo discussion: Which is more reliable: personal memory or official history? with these theses:
- “Official history is more reliable.”
- “Personal memory is more reliable.”
The discussion includes the following pros and cons beneath the theses:
- THESIS: Personal memory is more reliable.
- PRO: Personal memory is based on individual experiences.
- CON: Personal memory is too subjective to trust.
- THESIS: Official history is more reliable.
- PRO: Official history is systematically constructed.
- CON: Official history is often shaped by power structures.
Below is a list of claims and questions that you may wish to use with students to develop the discussion.
- "History is always written by the victors."
- Debate Prompt: Does this mean personal memory is more authentic, since it’s free from official spin?
- "If a memory is shared by enough people, it becomes history."
- Question: Is there a difference between commonly held memories and documented historical fact?
- "All personal memory is too subjective to trust, while history is based on objective research."
- Pushback: Remind students that historians can also be subjective.
- "Official history is just a collectively agreed-upon memory—no more valid than personal recollections."
- Challenge: Ask if official archives, historical methods, and cross-verification make history inherently stronger.
- "Forgetting is essential to national unity—some parts of history must be left out."
- Moral/Ethical Angle: Should certain memories (genocides, atrocities, colonial abuses) ever be intentionally omitted?
- "History is always written by the victors."
Debate
Students present initial arguments, referencing examples like false memories (Mandela Effect) or controversies in historical narratives (different countries’ textbooks).
Encourage counterarguments.
Ask: “Could memory capture truths that official history omits?” “Can historians be biased, too?”
Reflection Activity
Discuss the following reflection questions in open discussion or exit ticket format:
- What factors make personal memory convincing or unconvincing as a source of knowledge?
- How might historians’ methods (archival research, cross-verification) challenge or support personal recollections?
- In what ways could power or authority shape both memory and history?
