EDUCATION
Use our resources for guidance in teaching difficult and contested histories.

Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic
Discussion Ideas
The curriculum developers at Facing History have developed relevant materials about genocide and the teaching of history. They have found that “establishing and nurturing classroom norms of respect and open-mindedness is one way to help students have productive, safe conversations about sensitive issues such as prejudice and discrimination.” They then discuss three “Levels of Questions” to help students approach difficult texts: Factual Questions, Inferential Questions, and Universal Questions.
- Factual questions (level one) can be answered explicitly by facts contained in the text. A factual discussion question suggested by the Nat Geo News article might be: What are the main ethnic groups in Rwanda, as discussed in the article?
- Hutu and Tutsi
- Inferential questions (level two) can be answered through analysis and interpretation of specific parts of the text. An inferential discussion question suggested by the Nat Geo News article might be: What groups or institutions mentioned or alluded to in the article contribute to Rwanda’s curriculum about the genocide?
- Political groups, such as the RPF; curriculum developers, such as the Rwanda Education Board; influential individuals, such as Paul Rusesabagina and Charles Kabwete Mulinda; and parents, teachers, celebrities, and other survivors all contribute to the “participatory process” of creating the curriculum.
- Universal questions (level three) are open-ended questions that are raised by ideas in the text. They are intended to provoke a discussion of an abstract idea or issue. Some universal discussion questions suggested by the Nat Geo News article might be: What is genocide? (The article relies on a solid, if complex, international legal definition.) According to the article, who is determining national identity—”Rwandanness”? How do other nations teach about genocide and other “contested events” in their own history?