Corcyra and Ukraine: Empowering Students Critical Thinking and Metacognitive Awareness Using Thucydides Political and Historical Thinking

Abstract

Dimitris Tachmatzidis and Polymnia Anna Chasioti

A teaching intervention took place in the 4th Lyceum of Veria, GR in 2014. The purpose of the intervention was to empower (a) students’ historical awareness, (b) students’ ability to identify, correlate and critically comment raw historical material from the internet, (c) students' metacognitive abilities to reflect upon their research findings and articulate their personal view on recent events in Ukraine. Students (boys and girls, 15yrs) critically examined Thucydides account of the Corcyra civil war events in 427 BC, carried out their own research and encouraged to find correlations between Corcyra and Ukrainian events in 2014, identifying differences and similarities between them, while attempting to express critical discourse by reflecting upon the question whether civil war was inevitable or not in both cases. The educational method of this intervention used blended learning techniques. Students' responses were semiotically analysed. The results showed that students argued that in both cases civil war is/was inevitable, where there is a conflict of interests. In addition, students in 2014 expressed the opinion that the events in Ukraine in 2014 may escalate to a war, which eventually happened in 2022.

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