According to a press release by EC, the purpose of the European Year of Cultural Heritage is to raise awareness of the social importance of cultural heritage (https://goo.gl/wVM3Zp). The aim is to reach wider audience especially children & young people to promote a common sense of ownership. In this respect, museums have the potential to allow a great variety of ways to study, discover, interact and enjoy. However, learning is at all restricted to formal schooling in the standard cases. Cultures are reflected as heritages coming from generation to generation which continue in the daily lives of people and in art, architecture, things alike. Museums reflect the heritages of the culture from different ages to the contemporary. Intercultural dialogue awareness can very well be given by getting the students and objects and antique buildings closer by presenting them a study atmosphere inside a museum. This will enrich the intercultural heritage reception in the minds of the students and will help them have a European Dimension in cultural understanding. Thus, the context of the specific project aims at the use of the museum as a pedagogical approach and at the realization of innovative activities that will be a motivation to recognize the value of the museum exhibits as important and at the same time alternative learning sources for the target groups who are ten to fifteen years old students. As a consequence, the objectives of the project are building a stronger link between the school & the museum, use of the museum as a place of non-formal education while emphasizing on the experience acquisition through the senses, learning via studying museum exhibits and through activities that improve perception skills, incorporation of the learning by doing educational approach, integration of alternative, learning by doing methods that promote collaboration among the participants. Extensive use of the museum exhibits in open cross curricula approaches, moving from the teacher-centred education model to the student-centred model where knowledge is elicited by students’ participation, understanding of present time via exploration of the past, finding similarities and differences between yesterday and today, establishing bonds among generations by encouraging the students to act out as explorers of the national & international past. Our target groups are students between 10-15 age ranges. Our project partnership is created by both experienced partners and inexperienced partners in EU Projects. Therefore, this project will give insight to new partners and develop their project management and implementation skills. Our partnership includes 2 Directorates, 2 museums, cultural foundations and (6 associated partner museums and 8 associated partner schools). Project quality will be formed basing on the template (IDA-MS-PMQP) which European Commission propose for the implementation of the project (http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/servlets/Doc7f93.pdf?id=18641). We will have 2 LTT activities during the project lifetime. The aims of each of them are to have information about how to integrate museums into our educational system and our lives and how interdisciplinary lesson plans created and implemented within the framework of museums and classrooms. 15 teachers (5 art, 5 history and 5 geography subjects) in 6 partnering countries will be locally trained after 1st LTT activity. 10 students at a time (30 students in art, history and geography subjects) will be taught in museum environments as pilot trainings and then 30 students again. (In total 60 students indirectly) in 6 partnering countries. (In total 360 students will have these lessons) After all LTT activities, eTwinning Project "Art in e-Globe" with other schools will be realized in order to create a virtual museum. At the local level, the desired impact is the improvement of the museum perception within the educational communities as a learning source for multiple academic purposes, and thus museum shall become a more friendly institution both for students at any age and for schools by educational and mediation challenges. At the regional level, the desired impact can be its influence on other educational institutions and museums, and therefore it can serve as a model for other further initiatives. It will help grow awareness for a positive understanding of multiculturalism. At the national level, the project will contribute to raising awareness regarding the potential of both learning communities (museums and schools) as transmission of knowledge, experience towards the European Culture and Art heritage onto next generations of children. At the European / international level, the project will allow students, schools and museums to connect with other students, schools and museums from other countries, will encourage them to discover, learn, travel. The project will also result into intercultural exchanges and experiences from which all parties will benefit.
According to a press release by EC, the purpose of the European Year of Cultural Heritage is to raise awareness of the social importance of cultural heritage (https://goo.gl/wVM3Zp). The aim is to reach wider audience especially children & young people to promote a common sense of ownership. In this respect, museums have the potential to allow a great variety of ways to study, discover, interact and enjoy. However, learning is at all restricted to formal schooling in the standard cases. Cultures are reflected as heritages coming from generation to generation which continue in the daily lives of people and in art, architecture, things alike. Museums reflect the heritages of the culture from different ages to the contemporary. Intercultural dialogue awareness can very well be given by getting the students and objects and antique buildings closer by presenting them a study atmosphere inside a museum. This will enrich the intercultural heritage reception in the minds of the students and will help them have a European Dimension in cultural understanding. Thus, the context of the specific project aims at the use of the museum as a pedagogical approach and at the realization of innovative activities that will be a motivation to recognize the value of the museum exhibits as important and at the same time alternative learning sources for the target groups who are ten to fifteen years old students. Specific objectives of the project were building a stronger link between the school & the museum, the use of the museum as a place of non-formal education while emphasizing on the experience acquisition through the senses, learning via studying museum exhibits and through activities that improve perception skills, incorporation of the learning by doing educational approach, integration of alternative, learning by doing methods that promote collaboration among the participants, extensive use of the museum exhibits in open cross curricula approaches, moving from the teacher-centred education model to the student-centred model where knowledge is elicited by students’ participation, understanding of present time via exploration of the past, finding similarities and differences between yesterday and today, establishing bonds among generations by encouraging the students to act out as explorers of the national & international past. Our ultimate target groups are students aged 10 to 15. Direct target groups are teachers in the field of History, Geography and Visual Arts Our partnership includes 2 Directorates, 2 museums, cultural foundations and (6 associated partner museums and 8 associated partner schools) Our project activities were 1. 1st LTT to train teachers on how to integrate museums into our educational system and our lives, 2. 2nd LTT to train teachers on how interdisciplinary lesson plans created and implemented within the framework of museums and classrooms. 3. After the realization of 2 LTTs, each partner realized ONE-DAY TRAINING SEMINARS for teachers in the field of History, Geography and Visual Arts 4. Creation and implementation of pilot interdisciplinary lesson plans as indoor and outdoor activities in museum settings and open-air sites 5. Creation and implementation of main interdisciplinary lesson plans as indoor and outdoor activities in museum settings and open-air sites We had 43 History, 45 Geography and 42 Visual Arts lesson implementation in total by 8 partners. 6. After each implementation students created POSTCARDS 7. We collected feedback of teachers, students, parents, school administrators, coordinators, other colleagues participating directly and indiretly. In total we had 731 feedback. 8. eTwinning project titled "Art around e-Globe" was commenced during the second year of the project. It has a national quality label. 9. Local seminars were organized by each partner either face-to-face or online. REACHED IMPACT *The improvement of the museum perception within the educational communities as a learning source for multiple academic purposes, *Raised awareness on how museum became a more friendly institution both for students at any age and for schools by educational and mediation challenges, REGIONAL LEVEL *Its influence on other educational institutions and museums to serve as a model for other further initiatives, *Growing awareness for a positive understanding of multiculturalism, NATIONAL LEVEL *Raising awareness regarding the potential of both learning communities (museums and schools) as transmission of knowledge, experience towards the European Culture and Art heritage onto next generations of children, EUROPEAN LEVEL *Allowing students, schools and museums to connect with other students, schools and museums from other countries, *Encouraging students to discover, learn and travel, *Intercultural exchanges and experiences from which all parties benefit.