Personal Memory vs Shared Memory, Lesson 3
Lesson 3: Listening Task
Focus: How does power and bias influence historical narratives?
Suggested Length: 1 hour
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze how history is revised over time and what factors drive these revisions.
- Evaluate the role of power, bias, and perspective in shaping historical knowledge.
- Practice critically listening and evaluating information.
| Critical Thinking Concepts | TOK Concepts | Reflection Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Confronting Biases and Assumptions: Identify perspective bias, question objectivity, and challenge authority bias. Exploring Contexts and Expert Opinions: Examine how power shapes historical narratives. Responsiveness and Flexibility of Thought: Students weigh contradictory perspectives and assess the impact and effects of historical reinterpretation. | Perspectives: Who benefits from historical revision? Bias: Can we ever write a fully “objective” history? Power: How do power structures determine which historical narratives survive? | What factors cause historical revision? Does revising history mean previous knowledge was false? Who benefits from historical revision? Who loses? Can some revisions be dangerous (e.g., Holocaust denial, rewriting colonial histories)? |
Resources and Preparation
- Lesson Slides, attached below.
- Students can create their own discussion around the central question, or you can clone and use this ready-made example.
- Debate videos:
- The Ever-Changing Past: Why All History is Revisionist History - YouTube - 1hr 30mins
- Historical Revisionism and Genocide Denial - YouTube - 1hr 25 mins
- Supplemental videos:
Introduction
Highlight the focus question: How does power and bias influence historical narratives?
Pose the guiding questions: “Why do historical narratives change over time? Does this mean history is unreliable?”
Main Activity
Listening Task:
Students watch the video The Ever-Changing Past: Why All History is Revisionist History - YouTube and take notes on the speaker(s)’ key arguments and counterarguments. In the interest of time, videos can be assigned as homework prior to the class discussion.
During note-taking, students should analyze the strength of each argument presented, relating this to their previous research.
If necessary, students should seek additional sources to support their analysis.
Kialo Discussion:
In small groups, students create a new Kialo discussion around the central question.
Alternatively, if students require more structure, clone and share this ready-made discussion, based on the theses below, and use the suggested claims as prompts for students.
Students should use their analysis to ensure they select only the strongest arguments from the listening task.
They should add these to the Kialo discussion as arguments, counterarguments, examples, and evaluations.
Encourage students to refer to the concepts of power, bias, and perspective in their arguments.
Reflection Activity
Whole-class Discussion: What factors cause historical revision? Does revising history mean previous knowledge was false? Who benefits from historical revision? Who loses?
Example reflection questions:
- Should historical revision have limits?
- Can some revisions be dangerous (e.g., Holocaust denial, rewriting colonial histories)?
- What surprised you about how history changes?
- How do power structures determine which historical narratives survive?
- Can we ever write a fully “objective” history?
- If you could revise one part of history to be more accurate, what would it be? Why?
