OUR WORK
Our Work
Supplementary Educational Materials
AHDR leads the way in developing innovative and practical supplementary educational materials for educators and students. Materials and information gathered from archives and research – such as sources related to formerly mixed villages, missing persons, findings from research studies, translations of textbook segments, old photographs and oral history accounts – are used to create a range of original, innovative and easily accessible booklets that foster multiperspectivity, historical understanding and critical thinking among educators and students. AHDR’s educational booklets explore diverse aspects of the past of Cyprus while applying the leading techniques and approaches in history education.
All publications are available in three languages, with the exception of “Our Children Our Games” which is available only in Greek and Turkish, and “The Future of the Past: Why History Education Matters”, available only in English.
(Printed versions are also available from the AHDR office, located at the Home for Cooperation in the UN Buffer Zone, Nicosia, Cyprus. For instructions on where to find us visit Contact us.)
History Educators in the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Community in Cyprus
The research report describes the aims, methodology and research findings of a quantitative questionnaire survey investigating the perceptions and practices of a representative sample of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, all primary and secondary school history teachers in Cyprus. The research explores history teachers’ views of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot history curricula and textbooks presently used across the existing divide in Cyprus, as well as history teachers’ views on, and their use of methods that promote, historical thinking in their teaching. This material is available in English and you can access it here
The Future of the Past: Why History Education Matters
The papers contained in this volume were delivered at or inspired by the “What does it mean to think historically: 6 years on” symposium organized by the AHDR in May 2010. The volume contains the work of some of the leading figures in the area of history education internationally and also the work of local researchers on history education in Cyprus. This material is available here.
Home for Cooperation
A publication on the history of the building, its surroundings and how the AHDR’s vision has transformed a derelict building into a Home for Cooperation in Cyprus.
English | Greek | For PDF versions, please contact us at ahdr@ahdr.info
Constructing the AHDR Supplementary Educational Materials: A Journey in Cooperation for a Better History Education
This booklet is a useful tool for any organisation interested in developing similar materials, providing useful insight into the process. The AHDR also offers specialized trainings and workshops for organizations and NGOs interested in producing supplementary educational materials in their own countries. Previous trainings have taken place in countries such as Lebanon and Turkey. Please contact the AHDR to learn more about these opportunities.
To find out more about the challenges and lessons learned from this undertaking, click here to read the AHDR’s publication (only in English):
How to Introduce Gender in History Teaching
The publication entitled, ‘How to Introduce Gender in History Teaching’ is the product of the collaboration of AHDR with the Council of Europe and was funded by Norway Grants in the context of the project “Home for Cooperation”. It is a unique and innovative publication underlining the role history education can play in the deconstruction of patriarchal or hegemonic power relations in modern societies.
Members of the Research Team: Tegiye Birey, Georgina Christou, Loizos Loukaidis & Faika Deniz Pasha
Based on this publication we received further funding from the Anna Lindh Foundation for a series of workshops to introduce the publication to educators and familiarise them with the lesson plans included in the publication. The title of the project is “Gender as a missing lens – How to introduce gender into history education“
The Ottoman Period in Cyprus: Learning to Explore Change, Continuity and Diversity
The educational booklet is both for students and teachers and aims to help students to develop historical consciousness and understanding through introducing concepts like historical change, continuity and diversity while leading them to think about the Ottoman Period in Cyprus. The book has been created to be used in history classes, taking into consideration existing history teaching curricula in Cyprus.
Introducing Oral History: When People’s Stories Become History
Oral history focuses primarily on oral sources and composes histories by systematically recording, preserving, and interpreting living peoples’ stories, memories, and testimonies.
The purpose of oral history is to bring together different kinds of evidence (sometimes undoubtedly conflicting) and to apply our judgment and understanding in composing a credible account, drawing on a range of private and public, spoken and documentary material. This booklet is intended for students, teachers, educators, and all those who have a special interest in recovering history through people’s stories.
Mixed Villages in Cyprus: A Teacher's Guide
This booklet takes a constructive approach towards the nature of as well as the critical examination of evidence about the history of mixed villagesThis booklet takes a constructive approach towards the nature of as well as the critical examination of evidence about the history of mixed villagesin Cyprus. Nowadays, deconstruction of long-accepted positions, as well as feelings of remorse, guilt and anger, directed both at oneself and the‘other’, have become more and more fashionable on both sides of the ethnic divide. We decided to take a different approach: one that allowsstudents to examine and comprehend the ‘hows’, ‘whys’ and ‘whens’ about life in mixed villages.
Formerly Mixed Villages in Cyprus: Representations of the Past, Present and Future
This report begins with an overview of the history of Cyprus and its mixed villages which outlines the main socio-political and historical events from the Ottoman period until today. The intergroup processes at play in mixed villages are the focus of the next section that draws from social psychological research to make reference to the manner in which social groups are formed, to the factors which lead to intergroup conflict but also to ways in which intergroup conflict can be reduced. Furthermore, the role of contextual and socio-political factors in shaping the memory of the past is examined. The following section presents a broad review of the existing literature on life in the mixed villages of Cyprus making reference to aspects of village life such as intermarriages, education, religion etc. Particular attention is given to research conducted on the mixed village of Pyla which has been subject to the greatest research attention of all the mixed villages of Cyprus. Furthermore, the future of mixed villages is also
examined by looking at their inhabitants’ views of reconciliation.
The main focus of this research report is, however the findings of a quantitative questionnaire survey conducted in Cyprus with 1887 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of 97 formerly mixed villages.
Learning to investigate the History of Cyprus through Artefacts Teacher's Guide and Museum Activity Booklet for Students
The series of lesson plans and accompanying resources in the Teacher’s Guide is designed to help teachers to introduce students to an investigative approach to studying history. Through seven lesson plans students can explore ways of using artefacts as evidence of their own historical inquiries. The lessons form a coherent journey, gradually preparing students to engage in constructing their own arguments in the final lesson.
Learning to think historically is both challenging and exciting. Students need to learn disciplined techniques so that they can construct and support their own claims and challenge and support the claims of others. The lesson plans therefore, offer teachers a detailed step-by-step guide to supporting students in these new ways of thinking. Varied and interesting activities for students are also offered in the Student’s Booklet, accompanied by teacher guidance on how to ask questions, lead discussions, reflect on the quality of student thinking and reinforce new learning.
Thinking Historically about Missing Persons: A Guide for Teachers
“Thinking Historically About Missing Persons: A Teacher’s Guide” offers educators a way to teach this sensitive issue from a global perspective using a unique pedagogical approach that emphasizes critical thinking. The pack consists of three main sections:
- A theoretical introduction to debates and approaches to history education
- An overview of missing persons from a global perspective, including case studies of Guatemala, Spain, Morocco, the former Yugoslavia and Cyprus
- A lesson sequence which offers interactive educational activities that enable students to grapple with the question of how different societies have addressed this painful issue.
The pack comprises of six (6) booklets, a Resources CD with sample handouts, a DVD of a documentary prepared by the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus and a DVD of a documentary film prepared by The Elders. This pack is the outcome of a collaboration among AHDR, The Elders, and the International Center on Transitional Justice.
- Introduction and Acknowledgements: English | Greek | Turkish
- Developing Historical Thinking: English | Greek | Turkish
- What do we mean by Missing Persons? Experiences and Responses around the world: English | Greek | Turkish
- Missing Persons in Cyprus: English | Greek | Turkish
- How should the Missing Persons of the Cyprus conflict be remembered? Lesson Plans and Rationale:English | Greek | Turkish
- Resources: English | Greek | Turkish
'Our Children, Our Games'
'A Look at Our Past'
“A Look at Our Past” is a rich-in-ideas supplementary interactive teaching pack on non-political aspects of the history of Cyprus, produced within the framework of teacher training workshops conducted by the Council of Europe in Cyprus in collaboration with AHDR. The workshops were supported by the teacher trade unions in Cyprus.
The pack consists of a variety of sources collected by the participants in the training workshops, as well as suggestions for teachers and activities for students. This educational material aims to promote the use of interactive methods in teaching about cultural diversity through school history. Through the activities provided in this pack, students have the opportunity to develop critical thinking and to aknowledge cultural diversity as an enriching element of our societies on the basis of tolerance and mutual respect. This material is available in three languages and you can access it here.
Nicosia is calling Booklets
ENGLISH
GREEK
TURKISH
Age 14-16:
