Migration from a Bilateral Perspective. German-Israeli teaching units
The joint teaching units on the topic of migration from a bilateral perspective are a project of the German-Israeli Textbook Commission in cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute in Braunschweig (GEI) and the Tel Aviv Center for Educational Technology (CET). In the summer of 2015, after examining German and Israeli textbooks, the Textbook Commission had determined that the image conveyed of Israel or Germany in each other's textbooks is inadequate and often one-sided. While the history, society and culture of the Federal Republic of Germany hardly play a role in Israeli textbooks, Israel is presented in German textbooks almost exclusively in the context of the Middle East conflict, which creates a distorted image of the Jewish state. The Textbook Commission published corresponding recommendations to correct these deficits and distortions. It also suggested that joint teaching materials be developed on topics that affect both countries equally, such as the consequences of globalisation, environmental protection or migration.
This suggestion gave rise to the project "Von hier -> Dorthin | Hierher <- Von dort". Like the analysis of the textbooks in the years 2010 to 2015, the work on the joint digital teaching units was also funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Israeli Ministry of Education. In Israel, the teaching units are part of a comprehensive course on the topic of migration that can be taught in the subject "General Education" in the 10th grade. The focus is on understanding migration as a worldwide phenomenon, with a special focus on Israel and Germany. At the same time, the Israeli course provides basic information about society and the political system of the Federal Republic of Germany. Several modules of this course were developed jointly by Israeli and German researchers and educators with a view to their use in both countries. The choice of topics was based on the idea that the units should, on the one hand, deal with migration in the context of the history of both countries, which is linked by immigration and emigration. On the other hand, they should provide information on migration and society in the other country in line with the recommendations of the Textbook Commission.
For use in German schools, the joint teaching modules were translated, adapted in terms of content and didactics and technically implemented at CET. The units for the subject History as well as the Geography unit on Tel Aviv are almost identical in content in their German and Israeli versions, while for the subject Social Studies/Politics parts of units from the Israeli course were combined with each other in order to be able to give German pupils an idea of Israel as a country of immigration without them having to have the prior knowledge naturally assumed by their Israeli peers.
The respective units can be dealt with as a whole, e.g. as part of a lesson project; however, it is also possible to use individual or several of the screens of a unit separately for lesson planning. The opening screen of each unit provides appropriate guidance for teachers related to the module as a whole; in most units there is also additional guidance on the individual screens. In Israel, the course is taught frontally throughout with the aid of a smartboard or beamer. This is generally also possible in German schools; however, the pupils can also be encouraged to watch parts of the units in class. However, students can also be encouraged to work through parts of the units independently in class or at home. A list of further literature and links to relevant websites enables students to work with the units in more detail.
See the interactive teaching materials in German and Hebrew
Learn more about the Joint German-Israeli Textbook Commission
[The description of the activity, individual projects and products is based on the content of the Initiative's website.]
