HREC Education and Facing History & Ourselves Launch First Joint Professional Learning Day for Ontario Educators
The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC Education) and Facing History & Ourselves (FHAO) marked a significant milestone in April with their first formal collaboration, bringing together secondary educators from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and across Ontario for a full-day professional learning program focused on teaching the Holodomor, the Holocaust, genocide, human rights, and extreme ideologies.
Held on April 17, 2026, at Western Technical Commercial School in Toronto, the program was designed to support implementation of Ontario’s revised Grade 10 Canadian History curriculum – where inclusion of the Holodomor and the Holocaust have been mandated beginning in September 2026 – while providing teaching approaches that are readily transferable to Law, Social Studies, Genocide and Human Rights, and Canadian and World Studies courses.
The morning featured presentations by distinguished scholars Dr. Olga Andriewsky (Trent University) and Dr. Anna Shternshis (University of Toronto), who explored the distinct yet interconnected histories of the Holodomor and the Holocaust within the broader contexts of famine, state violence, genocide, identity and culture and human rights. Their presentations were followed by an engaging question-and-answer session, and deepened participants’ historical understanding of both genocides. The daylong program was expertly hosted by Jasmine Wong, Associate Program Director of Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO) and Melissa Moorhouse, TDSB Coordinator of Social and World Studies and Humanities.
The afternoon shifted from scholarship to classroom practice. HREC Education’s Valentina Kuryliw and Sophia Isajiw, together with FHAO educators Amanda Baric and Jasmine Wong, led interactive, curriculum-connected workshops on the Holodomor and Holocaust that modelled inquiry-based lessons using primary sources and historical thinking strategies. The workshops demonstrated practical approaches for helping students examine difficult histories with accuracy, empathy, and critical inquiry and demonstrated how these histories can be taught by having the teacher participants do them in groups themselves.
Participants left with classroom-ready resources aligned with Ontario curriculum expectations, including strategies for teaching primary source analysis, historical thinking concepts, and human rights frameworks. Each educator also received a copy of The Historian’s Craft: Human Rights and the Holodomor by Valentina Kuryliw, together with access to a downloadable PowerPoint presentation for immediate classroom use.
Impact
Professional learning initiatives such as this have an impact that extends far beyond a single event. By equipping educators with historical knowledge, pedagogical confidence, and high-quality classroom resources, HREC Education and FHAO are helping strengthen evidence-based teaching on the Holodomor, the Holocaust, human rights, and extreme ideologies in classrooms across Ontario. As participating teachers apply these approaches in their schools, hundreds of thousands of students stand to benefit from more informed, engaging, and historically grounded learning experiences.
“The most important insight I took away is knowing that I do not need to build material from the ground up, rather I can build on this.”
“The most important lesson I took away are the primary documents and survivor and family stories. Also amazing to have French and English resources! We teach in French and provide resources and advice to teachers in over 57 schools, so resources in French are always welcomed. ”
“The lesson on the Holodomor is the most helpful and useful package ever! As a curriculum consultant for my school board, the book with the primary documents allows me to share with educators in my board.”
—Anonymous teacher participants, Professional Learning Day evaluation survey (April 17, 2026)
Anonymous participant evaluation feedback reflected the day’s impact in five recurring themes: the teachers learned the history, they left with ready-to-use lessons, they valued inquiry and primary sources, they immediately connected it to the curriculum, and the they connected the history of the Holodomor to current events. Many educators said they had arrived knowing little to nothing about the Holodomor and left feeling informed with greater historical understanding, increased confidence, and equipped to teach it immediately with classroom-ready resources. Others praised the inquiry-based, engaged learning approach, the use of primary sources, and the practical curriculum-aligned lesson plans that could be implemented immediately in the classroom to support Ontario’s revised curriculum.
This inaugural collaboration established a strong foundation for future joint professional learning opportunities, reinforcing both organizations’ shared commitment to supporting educators and advancing meaningful history, human rights and genocide education.
For more information about the event, visit the Facing History & Ourselves event page:
https://www.facinghistory.org/learning-events/examining-extreme-ideologies-history-lessons-holodomor-holocaust
