Practical workshops are helping to invigorate young Jordanians' interest in their heritage.
A recent visit to Jordan by Prof. Robin Skeates has helped boost the impact of his collaborative AHRC- and GNCA-funded project, ‘Learning from Multicultural Amman’ Multicultural Amman - Durham University. This aims to engage Jordan’s youth in learning about their rich cultural heritage, and to reinvigorate Jordanian museum education.
A key outcome has been the publication, by the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, of a set of professional good practice guidelines, ‘Engaging Young People in Museum Learning’.
To demonstrate how these principles can work in practice, our Jordanian partners organised a rare educational event for a group of local primary school children at the Jordan Archaeological Museum, located on Amman’s historic citadel.
Practical activities introduced the children to the work of archaeologists and conservators. Outdoors, they participated in a mock archaeological excavation and helped conserve a mock drystone wall. Indoors, they completed a treasure hunt for artefacts and related words in the museum display.
Beyond the constraints of the classroom, the pupils were interested, active and had fun. Their teachers also appreciated the benefits of ‘learning through doing’ and ‘learning through enjoyment’ and want to return.
This represents a small but significant step towards sustainable museum education in Jordan.
Find out More:
Learn more about the Multicultural Amman project.
Learn more about the work of Professor Robin Skeates.
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