Abstracts - a summary

“Time Travels and Historic Environment Education as part of the curriculum” 
Annina Ylikoski, Coordinator for the Ostrobothnian children’s culture network, Finland 

Time Travels and Historic Environment Education can be a central part of the local schools curriculum. In the archipelago of Turku, the museums have worked towards getting it as part of the schools curriculum. The same is now also happening in Ostrobothnia, in a special children’s culture network that spans over 18 muncipalities. When Historic Environment Education is part of the curriculum, it becomes a natural element in the schools yearly activity. The plans are made according to the age of the children and the local museum’s facilities and possibilities. The children visit the local museums every other year from the age of 7 till 16, and Time Travels are included. There are also activities for younger children from ages 3-6.   

The themes and historical times differ. The school subject does not always have to be history; Historic Environment Education can integrate a variety of different subjects! The local environment and teaching in the local history and heritage is used in maths, English, biology or geography and in practical subjects like art, music, gymnastics and crafts. Time Travels are easy to apply to many subjects.  

“Cooperation model in the culture heritage education: problems and challenges” 
Agrita Ozola, Tukums Museum, Latvia  

Recent international conventions referring to the impact of cultural heritage in the society enhance the education for both adults and young people and give prominence to the needs of a life-long learning process.  In the Baltic states, education and interpretation of the heritage has rapidly increased the last decades. The importance of heritage education and the cooperation in the field is becoming more distinct and results in different innovative forms of heritage communication. The Time Travel method and Historical Environment Education are examples of this and has spread into the Baltic States and other countries in Europe, America and Africa.  

There are different problems in each country and many of them are in the field of communication between different actors. The main formulated questions are still not answered: How is heritage and historic environment education defined on the national level and in the central organizations? What kind of status does heritage education have in strategies, structures and actions plans of the organizations? How is cultural heritage included in the school work, in their educational plans and in the training of the teachers? What kind of special training is available for people working with heritage education and/or museum and historical sites pedagogy and interpretation?  

 “An Emotional Experience as a Learning Opportunity”
Leen Jõesoo, Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union 

This presentation is based on the research I made in Tallinn University adult education department. The problem of my master thesis, arisen from the theoretical background and my practical experience as an organizer of time travels in Tallinn, was the following: what are the connections between emotional experience/thrill and learning?  

As a result of the analysis of the theoretical positions and empirical data, it became apparent that experien­cing is a process, as a result of which new experiences are gained but emotional experiences/ thrills may be experienced. What distinguishes a thrill from an experience in its relation to feelings, sensing something as special or new? A thrill cannot be measured universally; its sensing depends on the back­ground, prior experiences and emotional state of the person. A thrill is closely tied to learning, possessing characteristics that can be both conducive as well as hindering to learning. A thrill is an experience that is memorable due to its uniqueness and has the ability to fascinate the student by including emotions of surprise… In the learning process people need their emotions and senses to be included. Offering emotional thrills is a good opportunity to engage the students, to attract their attention, provided that the experience is safe and moderately emotional. In order to ensure learning, emotional thrills, just like experiences, must be connected to prior knowledge and be reflected on.  

Last updated: 2013-08-08 11:13:50