Presentation Session II

This research project is focused on assessing the growth of students’ historical consciousness measured using the Historical Empathy Measurement Tool (HEMT) when students engage in perspective-taking reflective practices to conclude each lesson. Many history lessons focus on rote memorization, often highlighting facts, dates, and surface-level information about events. In the process of this, they often leave out the emotional impact that these topics can have on learners. My project aimed to create lessons that help high school students in Hawai’i connect with the past on both a thoughtful and emotional level. Through simulations, reflective writing, and class discussions, students will be encouraged to explore world history through various perspectives and understand how different people in the past felt and experienced events.