As Russia wages war with Ukraine — and millions of Ukrainians become refugees in neighboring nations that fear they could be attacked next — schooling across the European continent has continued on.
In this lesson, students choose between three recent articles that look at “a war so close to home” from the points of view of teachers, students and parents in Poland, Germany, Denmark, England and other European countries. After the class jigsaws to discuss what they have learned, they reconvene to discuss the importance of education in society in general, even — or perhaps especially — during wartime.
Then, in an extensive Going Further section, we have rounded up many contributions from teachers in the United States across subjects and levels who describe ways they are helping their students understand this conflict and its roots and effects. Many teachers answered our call in mid-March to tell us how they were addressing the war in their classrooms. Here are some responses that show the many ways, large and small, that educators have sought to help their students understand the conflict and its roots, the plight of the Ukrainian people, the role of the United States and more. They have been edited for length and clarity. The first step in teaching the Russian invasion of Ukraine is noticing that your students need to talk about it. I realized this during 4th period on Thursday, February 24, when my 10th graders were more glum than usual. They’re usually very glum, due to being 15 years old and their transition between middle and high school having been ruined by Covid. They express this glumness by frowning and sighing and not turning in any work. Thursday’s glumness was characterized by even more frowning and sighing, as well as something new, a look of suppressed panic, as if many kids were about to scream. What’s all this about, I wondered, until an exceptionally cordial student asked me, “So what’s your opinion about World War III?”
That’s how I realized that my students needed to talk about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As a result, I took the following steps the next day, with positive results. My students are 11 and 12 years old and a lot of them come to the table with their own nuanced prior knowledge, but there are always gaps in basic understanding. When students feel unsure of what they know, or feel like a classmate knows more than they do, they are less likely to listen to each other and more likely to just parrot language they’ve heard at home or on TikTok. Laying a foundation of common knowledge is key for creating an environment for students to engage critically and thoughtfully. So when we discuss what’s going on in the world, especially with breaking news, one of my jobs as a teacher is to get everyone on common ground in terms of basic background knowledge and key language. When discussing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, that consisted of orienting everyone to where this conflict is happening geographically and what cities and countries are involved. We spoke about the history of NATO, key leaders, the concept of trade and supply chains — basically defining the common vocabulary and giving everyone the same tools for discussion.
Another important piece when discussing current events is to be mindful of identities in the room. For example, one of my students has Russian heritage, which is an important and public part of his identity in our classroom. I knew he might have complicated feelings, so I checked in with him before we spoke as a whole class.
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