The Annual Conference of European History Teachers Starts Today in Vilnius University
On the 20-22 of April the 29th annual conference of European history teachers "The Complexity of History: Unpacking the Past" will be held in Vilnius, organized by EuroClio – the European association of history teachers, which unites history educators from all over Europe. Today, the opening of this international event took place in the Theater Hall of Vilnius University (VU).
At the opening event, VU Vice-rector for Partnerships Dr Artūras Vasiliauskas congratulated the history teachers and was glad that this meeting was taking place in the city of Vilnius and the university.
"This year the city of Vilnius celebrates its 700th anniversary – the first time it was mentioned in a historical document. And the occasion of this first mention in 1323 was actually related to the effort to expand the international links with Europe: the pagan Grand Duke Gediminas issued a letter to the Christian European cities inviting the merchants and craftsmen to come and settle down in the city and become co-creators of its prosperity.
At Vilnius University we strongly believe that internationalism – that is the aspiration to work across and above local agendas, connecting with diverse experiences and approaches, and establishing wide-ranging cooperation, benefits us all. Right from its foundation in 1579 Vilnius University was part of a European academic network; many of our students, professors, and even rectors came from all parts of Europe" A. Vasiliauskas said.
He emphasized that one of our university’s strategic activities, our national mission, is the education of teachers. According to him, it is a direct way of caring about the future of our societies.
In this conference, history teachers will discuss the complexity of history as it is constructed of multiple narratives and perspectives that then intertwine to create diverse and pluralistic societies of people with multi-layered individual identities. History teachers help develop the necessary attitudes, dispositions, and ways of thinking, to allow students to meaningfully engage with diverse perspectives from the past
The three-day event in Vilnius will include lectures, active seminars, plenary sessions, and discussions. The conference will address key questions such as the complexity of history and how best to recognize the complex history of the world and Europe and help our students understand them.
The mission of the European Association of History Teachers is to inspire and support educators to engage learners in innovative and responsible history and citizenship education.