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Description
Inter-institutional environment established; developed and in schools verified new practices of teaching various subjects at the base of the school through examples of cultural heritage and the use of renovation skills. In Slovenia, the level of public awareness about the relevance of cultural heritage is low. This is most reflected in the physical environment where immovable heritage continues to disappear right before our eyes. Systematic change of community''s attitude towards cultural heritage as a value for life, and the skills for its renovation as competence for work in the 21st century is possible only through the education of new generations. In this respect, the project addresses Slovenia''s needs at the right moment, as it establishes an inter-institutional environment and learning practices for a better planned education of young people at primary school level about cultural heritage and its renovation. The project addresses four challenges: weak presence of cultural heritage content in primary school curricula; shortage of craft and technical occupations, which will be among the most sought-after on the labour market in the coming decades as well; poor teachers'' skills due to the dimension of cultural heritage and the untapped opportunity for inter-institutional cooperation and interdisciplinary treatment, learning in the local environment and the introduction of modern didactics. In the project, a new teaching practice is developed, tested and evaluated on a pilot basis, which enables immediate and easy integration of examples from cultural heritage and renovation skills into teaching certain selected contents of the existing lesson plans of subjects and activity days, which at the class and subject level can be treated with with the help of cultural heritage.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to bring tangible cultural heritage (such as buildings, monuments, landscapes …) and importance of traditional professions closer to teachers and pupils in primary education through new educational practice developed through inter-institutional cooperation of organisations - stakeholders in the cultural heritage promotion and preservation.
Cultural heritage in Slovenian landscape is rapidly disappearing and adapting to new, foreign trends and in some places transforming itself beyond recognition, while traditional skills and old knowledge are being lost to oblivion, and with them a wide variety of traditional professions; and, last but not least, the very identity of our area is gradually being lost. Teaching about our cultural heritage is of course present in primary education but not to the extent that it should be in order to nurture the importance, benefits of and recognition of tangible cultural heritage and knowledge that should be passed to today’s youth.
The main objective of the project was to create an inter-institutional environment and a new teaching practice for a more systematic education of the new generations in primary school about cultural heritage itself and the process of renovation of buildings as important competences and values for life and work in the 21st century.
During the project:
- the current school curriculum in Slovenia was researched and good practices were identified in the primary education in Norway.
- A new teaching practice was prepared based on inter connectivity between different school subjects on the cultural heritage topics that can be easily integrated in the school curriculum because the cultural heritage examples were meant as a tool to convey the main teaching
objective (for example, in Math class, teaching on lines which is illustrated through examples of traditional buildings and structures). The new practice has a very big emphasis on creativity and didactical tools based on learning through the play and other approaches that differ from usual teaching standard.
- The new approach has been tested through a non-invasive study based on neurological testing of children’s emotional and cognitive responses to heritage education, environment and teaching methods.
- A pilot implementation and evaluation of the new teaching practice was carried out in 16 classes (all grades) of the pilot primary school.
- Drafts of 18 open educational preparations for teachers with didactic aids and materials were prepared. More than 40 didactic aids in physical form and online templates have been created. Physical didactic aids were divided by content into three sets based on three educational periods (grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-9) - nine sets in total. Each set of didactic aids was stored in so called “heritage chest” - a special wooden chest specially designed in the project.
- four manuals for teachers (web & print) were prepared - a manual for each educational period (grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-9) and a manual for the implementation of activity days.
- The designs of didactic tools and materials for teachers and four online games and quizzes for pupils were made available to all educational staff and other interested parties through the project''s website.
- Three workshops for teachers were carried out for transfer of the new teaching practices.
- A consultative group of institutional stakeholders (Ministry of education, Ministry of culture, research institutions and other stakeholders) was established for guidance and support throughout the process of the new practice development.
- Abandoned space in the old town house in the historical centre of Škofja Loka was restored and renovated. The restored space was equipped and transformed in a Learning Laboratory, a space for teaching and learning on cultural heritage dedicated primarily to the professional staff in primary education.
- In the primary school, a didactic corner in the support of local cultural heritage was created.
The new practice with developed tools and aids for teachers was promoted to over 300 Slovenian primary schools. 53 professional staff from primary schools across Slovenia have been reached directly, which obtained the first-hand knowledge of the new practice with the aid of professionals, members of the project team. 433 primary school pupils were directly impacted by the new practice during the project duration. The evaluation showed that pupils and teachers obtained new knowledge on the local heritage, new knowledge on the terminology on the tangible cultural heritage and pupils have expressed the desire to incorporate the new practice in more school lessons.
The direct positive impact on teachers and all the pupils in the partner primary school was also achieved through the creation of a didactic corner. Empty school corridor has been given a new look and a new content dedicated to learning about the cultural heritage of the local area, where students and other visitors to the school can discover, with the help of dedicated teachers, that cultural heritage can be interesting, creative and timeless. This output will continue to flourish and has also become a very visible good practice example for other schools.
Teachers will have ongoing support structure in order to embrace the new teaching practise. One important aspect of this support is also a learning laboratory - a space for learning and organising workshops for teachers. The learning laboratory is situated in a former city hall in the historical center of Škofja Loka and was restored and renovated through the restoration guidelines in a manner that it became a prime example which showcases the restoration process and the history of changes in time and space. This is a great achievement for the municipality since the space has not been unused for more than 20 years.
The main beneficiaries were pupils and teachers, but also parents and the general public, who can learn about cultural heritage and its significance through pupils'' experiences and presentations.
Summary of bilateral results
The project has benefited from the inclusion of the Norwegian project partner by:- the exchange of good practices of the Norwegian organisation which is focusing on promotion of natural and cultural heritage in the area of Geopark Magma;- gathering good practices on how the school system in Norway integrates and promotes cultural heritage in their school curriculum. The data was compiled in a document as a base start before the development of new practices;- hosting the study visit to Norway, as the Slovenian project partners gained the first-hand knowledge on the teaching approaches of the cultural heritage promoters and archeologists working with schools in the local areas and wider.Having a Norwegian project partner was a benefit because of the attitude of Norwegian school system and also of the general populace towards the cultural heritage preservation. This attitude was reflected and could be seen just by travelling through the Norwegian landscape where the respect and preservation of the cultural heritage is seen very clearly. Slovenian project partners also experienced a big level of awareness among the youth on the cultural heritage which is much more ingrained in comparison with Slovenia.The main results of the bilateral coopration were:- shared knowledge and good practises through common activities and study visits;- a generated good practices compendium;- transfer of information between Norwegian and Slovenian teachers;- presentation of good practices on the event in Slovenia;- common research based on neuroscience that was concluded in Norwegian and Slovenian schools through the non-invasive study based on neurological testing of children’s emotional and cognitive responses to heritage education, environment and teaching methods.Project partners plan to continue the cooperation and will maintain the contact in hope that any future possibilities will arise in order to further their cooperation.