Discussing Terrorism in the Classroom - Adopting an Empathizing and Historical Perspective: A Research Note

In this article, we examine the pre-existing state of knowledge, attitudes and sentiments that pupils have and display in relation to terrorism and violent extremism. Based on our experiences with our historical-pedagogical TerInfo project, we propose a new approach for dealing with these topics in the classroom: the adoption of an historicizing approach in teaching about terrorism in class. This approach relies on the creation of a historical framework that serves as a tool to both deal with emotions of shock and panic, and to help teachers and pupils find an objectified ground to discuss terrorism on a knowledge-informed base.