Shared history, Shared future: capturing the spirit of the times with AI

By: Illanga Bel MEd, English teacher Portus Meridiem

Email: i.m.bel@cvo-portus.nl

An exploration in which year 4 havo students worked on themes related to slavery, colonialism, and their ongoing impact in the present, in English, History, Dutch, and supported by CKV.

The project offered students not only knowledge, but also the space to investigate, reflect, and creatively express their insights. One of the most innovative components: creating an AI cover that captures the spirit of a historical period.

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The project: Shared History, Shared Future

The project originated from my English lessons, in which we discussed the history of slavery and abolitionism. Students noticed that they were working on similar themes in History. Since History and Dutch were already collaborating around the book Wij slaven van Suriname by Anton de Kom, we decided to join forces.

The result was a large-scale, interdisciplinary program in which students explored the influence of the history of slavery and colonialism through thirteen themes, ranging from the transatlantic slave trade to modern slavery, and from the civil rights movement to the postcolonial society.

Weekly lectures

To support the project, I gave weekly lectures in which all thirteen themes were discussed in depth. Students registered in advance for a theme that personally appealed to them and received in-depth context, stories, and perspectives through these lectures.

These lectures not only provided students with factual knowledge, but also helped them understand how stories are told, which voices are heard, and how the legacy of the past still resonates today. This formed an important foundation for all creative and analytical assignments within the project.

The AI cover assignment: one part of the bigger picture

In English, we developed various assignments that encouraged students to connect historical content with creative and technological skills. The AI cover assignment was a great example of this, but was only one part of a larger whole.

The assignment was:
“Create an AI cover that clearly reflects the spirit of your chosen topic or period.”

With the help of AI image generators, students explored how to capture atmosphere, symbolism, and historical context in a single image. They learned to:

- translate historical knowledge into a visual message;

- critically examine representation and bias in AI;

- use technology as a creative tool, without losing sight of the content.

The AI covers, together with essays, collages, speeches, timelines, creative texts, and analyses, became part of a virtual museum: a multimedia exhibition in which students presented their work.

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What was successful

The strength of this project lay in the connection between subjects and the opportunity for students to explore one major theme from multiple perspectives.

The AI covers showed how technology can help powerfully visualize historical stories. Students discovered that AI does not just create images, but that they themselves had to make choices about what they wanted to emphasize. As one student put it:

“It felt like I was standing in that time for a moment. You really have to empathize to decide what you want to show.”

The results were so impressive that some AI covers were used in presentations to the staff and management team, as an example of innovative education where history, language, creativity, and technology come together.

What I will take with me for next time

Next time, I want to pay even more attention to the ethical dimension of AI. How does technology influence our view of the past? Who decides which stories become visible?

I also think it would be valuable to have students create an accompanying text, letter, or monologue alongside the AI cover, so that image and story reinforce each other.

Tips for colleagues

- Work across subjects. Collaboration between subjects makes learning more meaningful.

- Choose themes that resonate. Intrinsic motivation arises with topics that matter.

- Integrate AI consciously. Discuss both the possibilities and limitations of technology.

- Combine knowledge and creativity. Let students investigate, reflect, and visualize.

Visual material & teaching materials

The AI covers are available to share (after students’ permission). In addition, the lesson plan can be shared for colleagues who want to work with a similar assignment. For questions or inspiration, I can be reached at i.m.bel@cvo-portus.nl