EDUCLAB Training Handbook EN

EDucation and DIgital Cultural LABoratory
Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programme
of the European Union
Training Handbook
CONTENT
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 2
Module 1. Narratives and Oral Histories ..................................................................... 4

1.1 Reading to children: what, when, how... and why?......................................... 6
1.2 Techniques of animated reading ..................................................................... 9
1.3 Animated readings and new media ............................................................... 12
Module 2. Archaeology ................................................................................................. 17

2.1 Becoming an archaeologist ............................................................................ 20
2.2 A Walk in the Past: What’s Missing ................................................................ 25
2.3 Back to the Future: Invisible People .............................................................. 28
Module 3. Tradition and Crafts .................................................................................... 33

3.1 The true meaning of tradition ........................................................................ 35
3.2 Family traditions and celebrations ................................................................ 39
3.3 Craft ................................................................................................................... 42
Module 4. La natura ........................................................................................................48

4.1 Ecological footprint ......................................................................................... 50
4.2 Know your wildlife! ........................................................................................... 53
Module 5. Art and Science ........................................................................................... 60

5.1 Experience through Art; Educational Tools for Everyone ........................... 62
5.2 Still Life for New Perspectives ....................................................................... 65
5.3 Roleplaying for Wider Understanding ........................................................... 68
5.4 Portraits for Deeper Empathy ........................................................................ 72
IO2
TRAINING HANDBOOK
INTRODUCTION
There are different ways and levels of forming a common future but the education always remains as the foundation of
what future to be built since this future will be built by today’s younger generations. At the very beginning of their process
of becoming aware of themselves as well as the others and the surrounding world around, it is of quite importance to
have them establish a concept of plurality via culture. Tangible or intangible, culture is a distinctive feature of a certain
society, not only for today but also in the past. Therefore, this training handbook of educLab (EDucation and DIgital Cultural
LABoratory) offers new approaches for ECEC educators especially in conveying the concept of cultural heritage to the
children in their early education phase.
“United in diversity,” being the motto of European Union reveals all strata that form the society of the past, the present
and the future. This approach also brings the fact that cultural diversity lies on both common and distinct heritage that
needs to be conceived by younger generations. It is not only the concept but the instruments being implemented in the
process of teaching have undergone a dramatic change due to developments in the field of information technologies.
Therefore, educators are urged to be familiar with the new technologies and also make use of them in their classes in order
to keep up with the novelty in education.
The aim of this training handbook is to supply competences for ECEC teachers to implement cultural workshops and to
provide them skills in the digital area and inclusive approaches whereby raising awareness on STEAM approach becomes
a priority for the children in their pre-school education period.
This book what will accompany the training activity has 5 modules dedicated to the nature, archaeology, traditions
and crafts, narratives and oral histories, art and science. Each module consists of units changing from 2 to 4 providing the
trainees with an insight look of the topic of the module while inviting them to participate in the activities through which
they are supposed to develop extra qualities for their professional career. The approach is not to hand them some examples
that they may use in their classes but involving them into a wider perspective, which once absorbed can easily lead them
towards personalized and innovative applications that will fulfill their professional satisfaction as well.
This is just a step further in the field of education of future generations but each of the 5 modules touch a vital element
of cultural heritage and we hope that cultural heritage of the past and the present pave the road to a common future of
peace and prosperity.
Early Childhood and STEAM Education

STEAM education focuses on developing creative citizens who will shape society, the future, and their world in the best
way possible and embraces the fundamental pedagogical principles and practices, so far mostly classified in the area of
Early Childhood Education, including critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, innovation, communication, cooperation,
entrepreneurship, and so on.
STEAM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning by which students learn the interconnectedness of
the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Interdisciplinary STEAM education provides
a platform to meaningfully engage students to cooperative learning, problem-based learning, and the use of engineering
design process/cycle. There is a large number of ways to accomplish integrated STEAM education but in almost every
model of effective integration, the intention is to provide students with opportunities to construct new knowledge and
2 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

develop problem-solving skills through the process of design which might emerge though play (e.g. with objects or ideas)
or the involvement in projects. This is also accomplished through a series of inquiry-based, open-ended, hands-on activities
based on the emotional engagement of the children and related to a thematic topic that addresses important concepts
related to more than a single STEΑM disciplines.
STEAM is about structuring learning opportunities where students draw on their skills, knowledge, and ways of working
across multiple disciplines and apply them in integrated, authentic and meaningful contexts to solve problems, meet real-
world challenges and develop deep connections to the world around them. STEAM education also seeks to help students
develop a toolkit that would include methods, strategies, knowledge, skills and ways of thinking from which they learn to
draw upon to solve problems and address challenges.
Technology in the context of STEAM Education has an additional importance since one its main aims is technological
literacy. Technological Literacy refers to the familiarity with new information technologies and communication and it
requires the development of skills and attitudes as well as the construction of knowledge and acquisition of experiences,
beyond the use of a device (P/C, portable device etc). We focus on the realization that, the presence and use of devices
through learning processes, has a substantial value only when it is formative towards the learning culture and the ways
we comprehend teaching and learning. This attitude is based on the belief that the contribution of Technology is found in
the fact that it has changed the way we think, learn and in many cases gives access to knowledge construction that is not
possible through other means. In this way, it forms the knowledge constructed itself.

MODULE 1: NARRATIVES AND ORAL HISTORIES
Module Leader: Co&So (Italy)
SUMMARY
Duration: 6 hours: 3 lessons of 2 hours each
Module Units
1.1 Reading to children: what, when, how... and why?
1.2 Techniques of animated reading
1.3 Animated readings and new media
Aim of the Module

• Raise awareness among pre-school teachers about the importance of reading and storytelling from early childhood
• Provide pre-school teachers with knowledge and tools to implement animated readings
• Raise awareness of the opportunities new media can offer in storytelling and reading
Specific Objectives of the Module

• Acquire greater awareness about the importance of reading in early childhood
• Develop teachers’ skills in reading aloud
• Be able to create a context that facilitates reading for a group of children in the kindergarten
• Be up-to-date concerning existing publications, in particular concerning inclusive books
• Know how to design, prepare and implement animated readings using different techniques
• Be able to choose critically the media and new technological devices to use for animated readings
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the training participants will gain:
Knowledge:
• Recognize the importance of reading from early childhood
• Have a basic understanding on how to choose a quality book that is suitable for the children in their class
• Plan the duration and the spaces of the reading workshop and the appropriate methods to apply
• Know the main methods of animated reading
• Have a basic knowledge of some digital devices available on the market
Skills:
• Be able to choose books that are suitable for the children in their class
• Apply various techniques of animated reading
Competencies:
• Evaluate which animated reading technique to apply, based on the goals, available timeframe, spaces and resources, and then plan,
prepare and implement the animated reading effectively
• Evaluate which digital device to use during the animated reading, based on the goals, available timeframe, spaces and resources, and
then plan, prepare and implement the animated reading effectively
Teaching Methods
• Frontal lesson
• PPT presentations
• Use of images from picture books
• Practical examples of reading picture books and silent books
• Experimentation of reading techniques
• Examples of animated readings
• Practical demonstrations on the use of new media
• Small-group work to design materials for animated readings

Teaching Materials
Please see the activities of the units.
Assessment Methods/Tools
Please see Assessment and Self-Reflection section after each unit.
Alternative spaces
If you create the right context, reading can and must be implemented even in other kindergarten environments outside the classroom (for
example, you can create reading spaces even in the garden, where stories about nature can be told).
Reading workshops can also take place outside the kindergarten:

• at the nearest public library to let children know about its offers, to borrow books, to get advice on possible reading themes...
• at libraries specialized in children’s books
• at toy libraries
Digital tools
• Overhead projector
• Use of digital camera
• Storytelling through video editing of photos, scanned images, audio
• Making of video animations with the stop motion technique
• Scan and edit images of picture books to be shown during readings
Inclusive approaches
Use of picture books to introduce the topic of diversity and inclusion:
Reading picture books is an excellent tool to foster the child’s self-expression and, especially, to accompany the other members of the class
to enter different worlds from their own, to change their point of view by listening to those of the others.
Use of high accessibility books: gamebooks

The gamebook is a “border object” and, as such, it is strongly connected with the issue of accessible reading. The gamebooks and the
accessible books have many things in common: 1. Both are content and container at the same time; 2. Both need experts and more
professionalism than the writer and illustrator needed for their creation; 3. Both valorise multi-sensoriality; 4. Both require an active
involvement of the reader, the book is fully satisfying only when it’s “acted upon”; 5. The static nature of reading is put into play. The book
can be constructed as it is considered more appropriate, without any constraints (e. g.: silent book); 6. Different channels are involved that
invite to read together, play, share.
Interdisciplinarity (with reference to the STEAM approach

The module includes various elements of the interdisciplinary STEAM approach: a main focus is on the active use of technological devices
(both analogue and digital media), but also on the use of everyday objects, cardboard shapes or figures and other elements, as well as self-
expression skills and body movements during animated reading activities. The module raises teachers’ awareness on interdisciplinarity and
encourages teachers to actively involve children in the reading activities and also in their preparation phase, therefore includes exploration,
cooperation, artistic creation and the active use of technological devices, which are all core elements of the STEAM approach.
INTRODUCTION
Reading books and picture books with small children is an essential educational and pedagogical tool. The book is a media of excellence to
create meaningful and effective learning contexts and to promote the cognitive but also affective and relational development of children.
Someone who knows how to create a recognizable “narrative space” for reading, presumably has the adequate skills and has dedicated the
necessary attention to choosing a proper book, to creating or optimizing the narrative space and to using the right techniques. In recent
years, with the increasingly frequent use of digital technologies, the introduction of multimedia devices in ECEC services has been largely
discussed. However, we believe that we must go beyond the debate about the “pros or cons of technology” because technology exists
and for sure it is part of children’s daily life. Therefore, it is necessary to overcome resistance and ideologies and understand how to act
intelligently in this context, by re-thinking the traditional approach to reading and using books and by proposing good practices where digital
tools are seen as opportunities and used to build experiences, to give children opportunities for discovery and play. To do this, we propose
to shift our attention from technology to the learning processes.
According to our approach, the use of technology combined with other languages will become a source of enrichment, discovery, elaboration,
knowledge and will lead to new forms of thought and new expression potential. Our philosophy is the “et-et” (either) and not the “aut-aut” (or)
approach, and therefore technological devices will not replace traditional approaches.

UNIT 1.1
READING TO CHILDREN: WHAT, WHEN, HOW... AND WHY?
Objectives To acquire an understanding of the positive effects that reading can have on children from early childhood;
To be familiar with the publishing market and choose quality books;
To be able to create contexts that facilitate listening and the active participation of children in reading-narration.
Materials Coloured A4 paper, white card stock, scissors, glue, markers, post-its, kraft paper, computer, video projector
Time 120 minutes
Handouts/Activities Activity Sheet 1: Icebreaker “Komagata - I give you a present”, PPT presentation “Things that happen when we
read”, Assessment sheet “Storm of ideas with post-its”
”
The present Unit will involve the group in 2 hours of full immersion and reflection where pre-school teachers will be asked to actively
participate and share their own ideas and experiences regarding the relationship they have with books, both as teachers and as persons.
The Unit will accompany the group to discover the emotions and skills that emerge when someone reads us a book, what we really live with
children when we offer them this kind of experience. Starting from here, we will accompany the group to recognize how important it is to
dedicate attention to choosing the right books to be used in the class, to creating the appropriate settings and to defining the duration and
methods of the reading experience.
The Unit foresees:

• Welcome the group with an ice-breaker activity inspired by a workshop of the Japanese artist and illustrator Komagata. It is a brief
experience that involves the group initially at an individual level and then activates different situations and relationships that create
surprise, that deconstruct the procedures that are taken for granted and oblige people to improvise and accept the unexpected that
enriches our expressiveness. The group will be more open to the unexpected, to accept the others without judging and to contribute to
the “here and now” with imagination and without preconceptions.
• PowerPoint presentation “Things that happen when we read”, based on motivational sentences and quotes on the experience of reading.
It is recommended that the trainer goes through the slides by reading the contents but also by giving the opportunity to participants to
make comments and express their ideas.
Assessment Brainstorming activity and clustering ideas with post-its.

.

ACTIVITY 1.1.1
KOMAGATA - I GIVE YOU A PRESENT (WELCOMING ICEBREAKER ACTIVITY)
Aims To create an inclusive and welcoming environment

To decentralize the point of view
To open to the unexpected with curiosity
To let oneself go and get involved in an unknown path
To find the way to contribute in any case and welcome the other’s contribution with pleasure
Type of the activity Creative workshop in pairs
Group size Recommended activity for groups of 10 to 20 participants. We welcome the group by sitting in a circle, then
we continue the activity in pairs
Materials Colored A4 paper and white card stock, scissors, glue, markers
Instructions This is an “icebreaker” activity that tends to create a relaxing atmosphere in the group and promote curiosity,
in order to facilitate participation and motivate participants to express themselves creatively.
Each participant is given a white card stock folded in half (as it was a folder)
Inside there is a colored sheet of the same size of the white folder
Each participant is asked to cut out a freely chosen shape from the colored paper.
Everyone is asked then to give the white folder with the cut shapes inside to their colleague on the right.
Each recipient must glue the empty part of the cutout onto the white card stock “cover”, then glue the shape
inside the white folder
The trainer distributes some colored markers and asks everyone to modify the shape by creating a drawing.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Each participant describes his/her own work and how he/she felt during the different phases of the experience:
both during the individual phase and the second work phase in pairs. The teacher underlines the emotions that
have emerged from the group as key words that will serve as points of reference for the next activities.
Variations

ASSESSMENT AND SELF-REFLECTION
Assessment Tool/Method Brainstorming with post-its:

What are the characteristics of a good book for you?
The first unit ends with a brainstorming with post-its, were the trainer creates a panel with all the contributions of the participants involved in
a reflection on the inputs received during the lesson. This particular way of brainstorming allows to gather the contribution of all participants
and to organize the different ideas by placing them gradually on the kraft paper sheet, creating areas of interest on which to focus the
reflection in the final part.
The activity has the following objectives:
• to reflect on the criteria for choosing a book

• to reflect on the criteria for identifying or creating reading times and spaces
• to consolidate or develop interest and curiosity about the book as a mediator of excellence in the educational relationship with children
The materials needed to carry out the activity are: post-its, large kraft paper sheets, markers.
Stept-by-step instructions
• The trainer writes on the whiteboard or on a large sheet visible to all the sentence on which the brainstorming is based: “What are the
characteristics of a good book?”.
• The trainer distributes some colored post-its and participants are invited to write their answers, putting only one answer on each post-it.
• All the post-it notes are collected and the trainer (together with the group) starts to cluster them, creating conceptual areas with similar
ideas.
• The trainer completes the conceptual map by grouping the various ideas and writes the keywords and / or links together the various
clusters with colored markers, in collaboration with the group.
• Final group discussion on the conceptual map.
Debriefing
The trainer summarises the contents of the post-its on the basis of the conceptual map with the ideas collected by areas.

UNIT 1.2
TECHNIQUES OF ANIMATED READING
Objectives To gain knowledge on the main techniques of animated reading (projections, puppet theater, kamishibai, story
boxes, shadows)
Materials Kit of materials for animated reading: Picture books, puppets, cardboard shapes, everyday objects, story boxes,
spotlight and white background for shadow theater
Time 120 minutes
Handouts/Activities Activity Sheet 1 “Different ways of reading a book”, Assessment sheet “Circle time”
Reading aloud, narrating stories and, in particular, reading picture books are all activities that promote research and experimentation with
animation techniques. In this way, pre-school teachers can experiment creatively with the various languages that promote active and
effective communication and get on the same wavelength with childhood languages. Therefore, the focus is not on the performance but
on communication. Even when simply reading a picture book, teachers have to use and harmonize different communication codes and
shift between them: words, images, voice, posture, interaction. When we build the setting for reading, we create a “space” where something
happens, something that unites the reader with the listener and creates emotions, bonds, thoughts, the experience of identifying oneself
with the character. In the reading space kids develop basic social skills such as listening, empathy, respect for the others, the ability to
understand the multiplicity of points of view as enrichment. We create the conditions to face the unexpected with curiosity, to let oneself
go with confidence in experiences of disorientation and surprise. The adult reader can choose how to “offer” the book, using a wide range of
possibilities, but without losing touch with the sense of experience that he/she wants to propose.
This unit provides the presentation and experimentation of different reading techniques, to broaden the teachers’ “toolbox”, keeping constant
attention on the type of experience that we propose and its value of cultural promotion.
The Unit foresees:

• Presentation of experiences “Books and ways of narrating”: we present some picture books that offer a wide range of possibilities for
animated reading. We share some experiences of reading with children where different techniques are used in different contexts. All
participants can share their experiences with the group. This first phase ends with the presentation of the Kamishibai technique or
another technique that the trainer is familiar with, as well as a practical demonstration.
• Practical workshop: the trainer divides the group into 4 small groups. Each small group gets a kit of materials that contains tools for
an animated reading and a different picture book. Each small group has to prepare/present a brief animated reading using the tools
assigned to them.
Assessment Circle time activity

ACTIVITY 1.2.1
DIFFERENT WAYS OF READING A BOOK
Aims To get closer to different techniques of animated reading

To enrich participants’ experience
To reflect on the characteristics of different reading techniques and on how to choose the most appropriate
one in different conditions and contexts.
Type of the activity Workshop to promote different styles of expression
Group size 3 groups of 6/8 persons
Materials Kit of materials for animated reading: picture books, puppets and / or cardboard shapes, everyday objects.
Instructions The activity consists of a workshop in groups, where each group is given a kit for the animated reading of a
picture book, and is asked to plan and demonstrate in practice the reading of the assigned text.
The kits:
• Just the picture book: the trainer provides this group with several picture books that are different in terms
of size and types of images. The group has to choose one of them, keeping in mind that they can’t use any
other media but they have to focus on basic elements such as the use of the voice, posture, timing, space,
the ability to use the book as a main object.
• Picture book + characters represented by shapes and / or puppets: the trainer asks the group to decide
which characters or elements of the picture book they want to use for the animation, by using puppets
or simple cardboard shapes. Then the group is invited to try to read aloud the story with the use of these
animated aids, in order to reflect on the transposition of the voice into the character and to know how to
move a shape and use the book at the same time.
• Picture book + everyday objects: the group is given some commonly used objects or natural materials and
is asked to choose those ones that they want to use to build a story box that accompanies the reading of
the book. This exercise activates cognitive decentralization and develops imagination.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Circle time to reflect on the experience (see Assessment and Self-reflection)
Variations The kits can be ready-made materials, either created or chosen for and with children in concrete experiences
of animated readings carried out by the teachers. The aim is to give ideas to participants on how reading kits
can be created and how they can also represent an occasion for creative workshops with children.

Assessment Tool/Method
Circle Time activity
Circle time is a very effective method to improve the classroom atmosphere, because it helps to overcome communication difficulties and
conflicts through the sharing of opinions. Participants acquire self-awareness, develop positive interpersonal attitudes and social skills such
as active listening, empathy, cooperation.
The circle time indeed:

• allows everyone to express themselves
• promotes self-knowledge
• facilitates interpersonal communication
• facilitates the free expression of feelings and personal experiences.
Step-by-step instructions:
• Participants are sitting in a circle, on the floor or on chairs. When the weather is good, the activity can even take place in the garden
• No one is obliged to speak, but everyone is warmly invited to do so
• Everyone waits that the others finish talking
• No one gets offended or makes fun of others
• We can talk about any problem, but we must always suggest a solution
• In some cases, especially when there’s a conflict, rules can be established between participants and these must be regularly monitored
• I-messages are used during the exchange of ideas.

UNIT 1.3
ANIMATED READING AND NEW MEDIA
Objectives To know the opportunities that digital technologies offer in the field of storytelling and acquire the necessary
techniques to use them and make them used by children in the classroom.
Materials Overhead projector, videoprojector, PC, tablet, scanner, picture books, transparency film, permanent markers,
coloured card stock, A4 paper, scissors, glue, large kraft paper sheets
Time 120 minutes
Handouts/Activities Activity Sheet 1 “Experimenting in small groups”, Assessment sheet “Windows””
The debate that has been developing at every level regarding the opportunity to use digital devices even with small children gives rise to
different and often contradictory points of view. Reading a book or a picture book is already a multimedia activity: the book is a very old
media and picture books that involve more than one codes can be easily used digitally. There are many initiatives in the children’s publishing
industry concerning digital books and connected applications, but we must distinguish and identify those products that are truly innovative
and creative. According to our experience, it is always recommended to introduce digital tools only after a fairly long use of books and
always alternating the digital product with the paper one. The path that we propose is, indeed, to alternate paper-based and digital tools, and
to use the devices to document and create new content in an active way, instead of using them passively. Therefore, we propose a creative
use of technological devices, where children can experiment different cultures and bring their own, where they always approach media
as protagonists and never passively. The activities start from the book and move through games and workshops where children use their
body and hands, through activities that involve them in pairs or small groups and where they share technological devices as mediators of
meaningful relationships.
The Unit foresees:

• Presentation of experiences: the trainer presents some experiences carried out in kindergartens, which is followed by an open discussion
with the whole class, where everyone can share their opinion and experiences in a reflective atmosphere.
• • Testing of devices and applications. Participants experiment with some digital tools that can be easily used for animated readings
and for workshops with children on narration. Participants are divided into 4 groups. The groups have about 40 minutes to experiment
with the 4 technological settings.
Assessment Debriefing with the “Windows” activity.

ACTIVITY 1.3.1
EXPERIMENTAL ACTIVITY IN SMALL GROUPS
Aims To become familiar with some multimedia tools to animate storytelling and reading activities
To share ideas and experiences regarding the use of ITC
To exercise in practice the transposition of a paper book by using multimedia tools
To involve children in the use of multimedia resources in an active and creative manner
Type of the activity Work in small groups
Group size 6/7 persons
Materials Overhead projector, video projector, PC, tablet, scanner. Picture books, transparency film, permanent markers,
colored card stocks, A4 paper, scissors, glue.
Instructions The trainer divides the group in 4 small groups that will experiment with the different materials in the 4 corners
of the room. Each group has about 40 minutes to imagine and design a short activity, starting from a a picture
book chosen by them and using the devices and the applications at their disposal. Then the groups present
their work to the class.
Step-by-step instructions:
The trainer creates 4 settings with different materials:
• overhead projector, transparency film, colors (analogue media)
• video projector + scanner + PC (immersive experience)
• tablets + stop motion
• tablets + book creator - digital book
Participants are invited to experiment with the materials at their disposal and create a short activity for kids
using the available devices.
Groups are invited to present their activity to the class.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity The windows (see Assessment and Self-Reflection)
Variations

The “Windows””
The “Windows” activity is a technique of cooperative learning that includes a phase of individual reflection, the elaboration of a shared
content in groups of 4 and the presentation of such contents to the whole class group.
The activity has the following objectives:

• to create a moment of reflection and verification on the learning outcomes achieved
• to identify the key concepts that have emerged from the experience
• to share the experience made in small groups and then with the whole class group through dialogue and participative approaches
The materials needed to carry out the activity are: large kraft paper sheets and markers.
Step-by-step instructions
• Participants are divided in groups of 4, each group is arranged around a table with the window tab in the center, so that each participant
can easily write on one of the 4 parts drawn around it.
• It is important to give a precise task, a question or a clear topic to think about.
• It is important to set a timeframe that includes individual reflection, discussion in small groups and enough time to present the results
to the class.
• Each participant is given a certain amount of time to reflect individually and write down their thoughts in the assigned area.
• As a second step, each small group of 4 participants reads their thoughts to each other and agrees on some common elements by
writing them in the central space.
• Each group chooses a spokesperson who reads the contents of the central “window” to the class.
The activity ends with a discussion to create a conceptual map with the results of the different windows.
It is recommended to arrange the layout of the window on a fairly large sheet, at least an A3 paper or a quarter of a kraft paper sheet and
draw it with a clearly visible marker with clear and sharp lines. Imprecise or too small patterns do not help the process.

CONCLUSION
The module has been developed to provide opportunity for a pedagogical reflection and for practical experimentation in a balanced manner,
as we believe that the two must go hand in hand and that “doing” can be the best basis for “reflecting”. The module was aimed at acquiring
skills and competences regarding the use of animated reading techniques through a plurality of languages, with particular attention to
technological devices, and each activity is always followed by or connected to moments of reflection individually or in small groups. Learning
to use one’s creativity when narrating to children requires also an in-depth reflection on what happens when one reads a book and/or tells a
story, which emotions are involved and what opportunities are created. Starting from the choice of the story, the use of the voice and one’s
own body language, different analogical and digital techniques were experimented, in order to allow participants to create a “toolbox of
experiences” that they can deepen further on, according to their own aptitudes.
FURTHER READING (RESOURCES)
Bibliography “Narratives and Oral Histories”

1. Acerra, E. (2017), Letteratura per l’infanzia e applicazioni: adattamenti ipermediali di opere classiche e albi contemporanei, Italica
Wratislaviensia, vol. 8 (1), pp. 11-28.
2. Arizpe, E.. and Styles, M. (2003), Children reading pictures. Interpreting visual texts. Londra: Routledge
3. Bang, M. (2000), Picture this. How picture work. San Francisco: Chronicle books
4. Beckett, S. (2012), Crossover picturebook. A genre for all ages. New York: Routledge
5. Beseghi E., Grilli G. (a cura di) (2011), La letteratura invisibile. Infanzia e libri per bambini. Roma: Carocci
6. Campagnaro, M. (2012), Narrare per immagini: uno strumento per l’indagine critica. Lecce: Pensa multimedia
7. Campagnaro, M., Dallari M. (2013), Incanto e racconto nel labirinto delle figure. Trento: Erickson
8. Cardarello, R. (2004), Storie facili e storie difficili. Valutare i libri per bambini. Azzano San Paolo (Bg): Edizioni Junior
9. Catarsi, E. (1999), Leggere le figure. Il libro nell’asilo nido e nella scuola dell’infanzia. Tirrenia (PI): Edizioni del Cerro
10. Cotton, P. (2000), Picture books sans frontiers. Tretham books
11. Evan,s J. (2009), Talking beyond the page. Reading and responding to picturebooks. New York: Routledge
12. Farina, L. (2004), Il libro gioco. Un po’ mestiere, un po’ passione, testo autoprodotto. Milano
13. Freschi, E. (2013), Il piacere delle storie. Per una didattica della lettura nel nido e nella scuola dell’infanzia. Parma: Edizioni Junior
14. Gotti, G. (2015), Ne ho vedute tante da raccontar. Crescere con i libri. Firenze: Giunti
15. Hamelin associazione culturale (a cura di) (2012), Ad occhi aperti. Leggere l’albo illustrato. Roma: Donzelli
16. Kiefer, B. Z. (1995), The potential of picture books. Merrill
17. Kummerling-Meibauer, B. (ed.) (2011), Emergent literacy. Children’s books from 0 to 3. Amsterdam: John Benjamins
18. Nikolajeva, M. E Scott C. (2001), How picturebooks work. Garland Publishing
19. Nodelman, P. & Reimer, M. (2003), The pleasures of children’s literature. Allyn and Bacon
20. Pantaleo, S. (2008), Exploing children’s responses to contemporary picturebooks. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated
21. Salisbury, M. & Styles, M. (2012), Children’s picturebooks. The art of visualstorytelling. London: Laurence King Publising
22. Terrusi, M. (2012), Albi illustrati. Leggere, guardare, nominare il mondo nei libri per l’infanzia. Roma: Carocci
23. Valentino Merletti, R. (1999), Libri per ragazzi: come valutarli?. Milano: Mondadori
24. Valentino Merletti, R. (2001), Libri e lettura da 0 a 6 anni. Milano: Mondadori
25. Valentino Merletti, R., Tognolini, B. (2006), Leggimi forte. Accompagnare i bambini nel grande universo della lettura. Milano: Salani
Editore
26. Valentino Merletti, R., Paladin, L. (2012), Libro fammi grande. Campi Bisenzio (Fi): Idest
27. Valentino Merletti, R., Paladin, L. (2015), Nati sotto il segno dei libri. Campi Bisenzio (Fi): Idest
Bibliography on media education

1. Beschorner, B & Hutchinson, A. (2013), iPad as a literacy teaching tool in early childhood. “International journal of education in
Mathematics, Science and Thecnology”, vol. 1
2. Bonaccini, S. (ed.), (2015), Bambini e tecnologie. Parma: Junior
3. Bonanomi, G., (2018), Prontuario per genitori di nativi digitali. Ledizioni
4. Di Bari, C. & Mariani, A. (ed.), (2018), Media Education 0-6. Roma: Anicia
5. Fedeli, D., (2011), Il bambino digitale. Roma: Carocci
6. Ferri, P., (2011), Nativi digitali. Milano: Bruno Mondadori
7. Ferri, P., (2013), La scuola 2.0. Verso una didattica aumentata dalle tecnologie. Parma: Spaggiari
8. Ferri, P., (2014), I nuovi bambini. Come educare i figli all’uso della tecnologia, senza diffidenze e paure. Milano: BUR Rizzoli

9. Ferri, P., (2014), Ai bambini piace il tablet, alla scuola italiana no. Sito Agenda digitale
10. Ferri, P., (2014), Dilaga la tecnofobia in Italia: allarme rosso. Sito Agenda digitale
11. Ferri, P., (2016), Chi ha paura del digitale? Bambini, vol. March 2016, pp 21-25.
12. Gardner, H., (2014), I cento linguaggi e le intelligenze multiple nell’era digitale, Bambini, vol. March 2014, pp 18-20.
13. Gardner, H. & Katie, D. (2013), The App Generation. Yale University Press
14. Nardone, R. & Pacetti, E. & Zanetti, F., (2018), Giocare col tablet, Bambini, vol. February 2018, pp 36-41.
15. Pennanzio, V. & Traverso, A. & Parmigiani, D., (2016), Immergersi nelle immagini, Bambini, vol. March 2016, pp 41-45.
16. Prensky, M., (2012), From digital natives to digital wisdom: hopeful Essays for 21st Century Learning. Corwin
17. Ripamonti, D., (2016), Generazione touch, Bambini, vol. March 2016, pp 26-30.
18. Riva, G., (2014), Nativi digitali. Bologna: Il Mulino
19. Rosin, H., (2013), Generazione touchscreen, Internazionale, n. 995, pp. 34-41.
20. Tisseron, S., (2016), 3-6-9-12, Brescia: La Scuola
21. Tisseron, S., (2017), 3-6-9-12: Apprivoiser les écrans et grandir. ERES
Websites
1. www.biblioragazzi.wordpress.com
2. www.eukidsonline.net
3. www.gallinevolanti.com
4. www.ibby.org
5. www.ilustration-mag.com
6. www.lajoieparleslivres.bnf.fr/masc/
7. www.lefiguredeilibri.com
8. www.liberweb.it
9. www.libricalzelunghe.it
10. www.libriemarmellata.wordpress.com
11. www.mamamo.it
12. www.milkbook.it
13. www.natiperleggere.it
14. www.raccontareancora.org
15. www.scaffalebasso.it
16. zazienews.blogspot.it

MODULE 2: ARCHAEOLOGY
Modulo sviluppato da: European University Cyprus (Cyprus)
SUMMARY
Duration: 6 hours (3 units of 2 hours each)
Module Units
2.1 Becoming an archaeologist
2.2 A Walk in the Past: What’s Missing
2.3 Back to the Future: Invisible People
Aim of the Module

• Raise awareness among trainees about the importance of integrating archaeology and cultural heritage in early childhood;
• Provide early childhood trainees with knowledge and tools necessary for implementing cultural heritage and archaeological sites in
their practice;
• Provide early childhood trainees with the opportunity to engage with archaeological methods (exploring, unearthing, archiving,
interpreting) and offer them ways of adopting them in their practice;
• Raise awareness regarding alternative methods of producing archaeological knowledge through art.

• Determine what artefacts are, the way they are discovered and processes of interpretation;
• Adopt archaeological methods in teaching (exploring, unearthing, recording, archiving, interpreting);
• Use primary and secondary sources of information for the interpretation of the past;
• Create a context that facilitates alternative knowledge production about the past, including silenced histories;
• Design, prepare and implement workshops that involve archaeology for early childhood education.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the training trainees will gain:
Knowledge:
• Recognize the importance of integrating archaeology in early childhood;
• Have a basic understanding of archaeological methods and how these can be adopted and used in an early-childhood setting;
• Acknowledge the importance of biases in processes of history making.
Skills:
• Be able to adopt methodological approaches used by archaeologists for developing appropriate workshops suitable for early-childhood
children;
• Use primary and secondary sources of information for the interpretation of the past in the present;
• Apply various archaeological methods for learning in alternative environments and in an interdisciplinary manner.
Competencies:
• Evaluate their own biases in processes of sharing and representing histories in a teaching and learning environment;
• Assess which method and/or strategy to apply, based on the goals, available timeframe, spaces and resources, and then plan, prepare
and implement a cultural heritage workshop effectively.
Teaching Methods
• Simulation (i.e. of excavation with processes of gathering data, observing, recording, archiving and interpreting to reach conclusions/
scientific paradigm)
• Outdoors activities
• Small group workshops
• Brainstorming/visual mapping
• Objects-based learning
• On-site visits
• Digitally enhanced learning (video recording, digital sharing, blog-writing)
• Role-playing
• Performance/theatre
Teaching Materials
Alternative spaces
The aim of this module is to equip early-childhood trainees with the necessary skills to adopt methodological approaches used by
archaeologists and be able to transfer them to alternative environments, concepts, themes and spaces. For instance, processes of
unearthing, observing, and interpreting are equally necessary in a module of science, art or math. More so, the module is designed in such a
way so that it can be adopted accordingly to diverse locations and audiences.
Digital tools
• Digital camera for video recording
• Polaroid camera or smart phones for photo documention and archiving
• Digital sharing (could be a blog, social media account etc)
• Scanner
Acknowledging and representing diversity: One of the module’s main aims is to raise awareness concerning the biased processes of history
making and to acknowledge those voices that remain silent in conventional historical and archaeological knowledge production. The idea of
representation of diverse audiences and perspectives is at the core of the module.
Inclusive activities: Archaeology is not approached here as a specialized field of truth and objectivity, but rather a discipline in which
subjectivity is at its core. Thus, all the suggested teaching methods, activities and tools, allow for an inclusive and integrated approach to
learning, which is open-ended and allows for multiple perspectives and interpretations.
Interdisciplinarity (with reference to the STEAM approach)

Following STEAM education’s main principles, this module emphasizes on critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication
and cooperation throughout its suggested activities. Opportunities for interdisciplinary learning through the integration of technology,
art, cultural heritage, and the scientific methods adopted by archaeologists (in processes of archiving, collecting and interpreting
artefacts) are integral to this module. This allows for the creation of new knowledge and advancement of problem-solving skills
that emerge though hands-on activities and open-ended inquiry. Also, on-site visits to museums or archaeological sites, as well as
opportunities for reflecting upon participants’ own experiences with reading, understanding and enacting the past, allows for the
development of an educational environments that is authentic, challenging, meaningful and fully aligned with STEAM’s philosophy.
Overall, the emphasis of this module is on working across multiple disciplines for the cultivation of those skills necessary in establishing
deep connections to the world around us.
INTRODUCTION
Archaeology is the field of inquiry that aims to document, collect, archive and interpret the past. Traditionally, most archaeological work
has been defined by heavy contextualization, specialized knowledge, and explicit explanations about the past and its people. However,
recent years have witnessed a shift in the ways in which we understand archaeology and archaeological knowledge production.
Unable to assert objectivity, archaeology was met with suspicion and was criticized for environmental determinism, a lack of human
representation in its process, and its view of cultures as homeostatic. It was further criticized for excluding minority audiences and for
failing to recognize issues of subjectivity and biases within its field” (Stylianou & Eleftheriadou, 2020).
Searching for a singular historic event (as origin) to explain the past or the present was no longer adequate; the past had to be seen
as multi-layered and, as such, the task also had to become to identify how an object, idea or meaning are constructed out of discourse
(Jansen, 2008). In other words, archaeologists currently acknowledge that there is no single way to look at the past and the way we
look at it depends on various factors, pre-existing knowledge, information available, as well as biases and ideological constructs. The
past is in effect never complete and is constantly constructed (Stone & Planel, 1999).
For educators, the idea of a flexible and fluid interpretation of the past, as much as the idea of multiple pasts offer great possibilities
for inclusive teaching and for allowing students to acknowledge different voices, diverse histories and perspectives. It also closely
relates to education that is reflexive and encourages both educators and students to acknowledge their own biases and positions in the
process of knowledge-production. As Arias-Ferrer & Egea-Vivancos (2017) suggest, when students adopt archaeological methodologies
in their learning, they can inquire, construct hypotheses and take part in the construction of history in an active and reflective way.
More so, archaeology’s hands-on, explorative approaches towards unearthing the past and its emphasis on object-based learning are in

alignment with basic principles in early-childhood education and care and are essential tools for creating a critical space for reflection
and reconnecting subjectivity and experience with knowledge. Hamilakis (2004) similarly argues that such processes “allow students
not only to understand the material and social processes that generate and reproduce their own subjectivity, but also question and
even transform these processes and conditions” (2004, p.287).
This module is based on the above fundamental principles of contemporary archaeology, with particular emphasis on diversity,
multiplicity and reflexivity.

UNIT 2.1
BECOMING AN ARCHAEOLOGIST
Objectives With the completion of this unit, early-childhood trainees are expected to:
Investigate objects as primary sources of information, like archaeologists;
Discuss the archaeological processes of excavation, archiving and interpreting;
Critically reflect on the process of archaeological knowledge production through objects.
Materials Polaroid cameras or smart phones, grid paper, sand tools kits, magnifying glasses, glue, markers, pencils of
different colours, post-it notes, Roll of paper for visual map (assessment)
Time 120 minutes
Handouts/Activities Please see Activity 2.1.1
The first Unit of the module will engage early childhood trainees with an introductory workshop relevant to what is archaeology and to the
processes of archaeological knowledge production, beginning from excavation. The main question of this unit is how we learn about the
way people lived in the past through the objects they have left behind like buildings, artefacts, tools, or graves. Through this unit, trainees
will adopt the role of the archaeologist in an outdoors activity that aims to trigger discussion about how we gain knowledge about the past
through objects, as well as about trainees’ pre-existing ideas (and possible misconceptions) relevant to archaeology, its significance, and the
possibility of incorporating archaeology in early-childhood settings.
The Unit includes:

• An outdoor activity, where trainees are asked to explore a small area to “unearth” objects/artefacts/things in order to gain information
about the lived environment, our surrounding areas, our past (recent or more removed). Trainees are also asked to create a map of their
excavation site, marking the location they have found their “artefacts” (Activity Sheet 1: “Mapping: Excavation Site”).
• In class Activity sheet 2: “Arte(fact) Sheet”. Trainees are asked to work independently to record and observe their object, as well as to
use their polaroid cameras or smart phones to take photographs of the objects they have found for purposes of recording and archiving.
• In class Activity sheet 3: “Archaeological Findings”. Trainees work together in groups of 5-6 to record their findings, compare and organize
them based on different elements they should decide collectively.
• Discussion/Assessment: Trainees share their experiences and reflect on the archaeological processes of excavation, unearthing,
recording, archiving and interpreting are discussed.

ACTIVITY 2.1.1
MAPPING: EXCAVATION SITE
Aims Early-childhood trainees are expected to:

Investigate objects as primary sources of information, like archaeologists;
Discuss the archaeological processes of excavation, archiving and interpreting;
Critically reflect on the process of archaeological knowledge production through objects.
Type of the activity Outdoor activity/exploratory
Group size Trainees work independently for this activity
Materials
Graph paper, pencils, sand tools kits, magnifying glasses
Instructions
Trainees are asked to explore and find objects that might not necessarily hold any scientific or archaeological
significance in a conventional manner but nonetheless, can be used as a starting point for a discussion on
archaeological processes of excavation, unearthing, observing, recording and interpreting.
During this activity, trainees are also asked to create a map of their excavation site, marking on a graph paper
the location they have found their “artefacts”. They should make sure to mark down elements/symbols/notes
that will clearly indicate the exact location of their excavations.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Trainees present their findings and artefacts and discuss:
• Processes of unearthing
• Selection processes
• Mapping
Variations
The same or adjusted activity can take place with objects in the classroom, with trash (what people leave
behind as traces), or with objects that trainees can trace in their own environments.
The process of “excavation” can also take place with chocolate chip cookies, where trainees and essentially children, can excavate the
chocolate chips from the cookie. The same process of discussing what happens during excavation (how delicate one needs to be so that
the chips/“artefacts” do not break in the process of removing them from the cookie, how they selected one chip over another etc.).

ACTIVITY 2.1.2
ARTE(FACT) SHEET

• Investigate objects as primary sources of information, like archaeologists;
• Discuss the archaeological processes of excavation, archiving and interpreting;
• Critically reflect on the process of archaeological knowledge production through objects.
Type of the activity Exploratory/drawing/archiving
Group size Trainees work independently for this activity
Materials
Pencils, magnifying glasses, polaroid cameras or smart phones, paper
Instructions Trainees are asked to record and observe their object in as much precision as possible. They draw their object
using a magnifying glass for details.
In this activity, trainees also use their polaroid cameras or smart phones to take photographs of the objects
they have found for purposes of recording and archiving.
They make some first interpretations about their artefact (i.e. location of finding, material and colour of object,
suspected age of artefact, condition, how it was used, etc.).
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Trainees present their artefacts and discuss:
• Processes of recording
• Processes of interpretation
Variations A similar activity can take place in a museum where trainees/children select artefacts for which they might
know nothing about. Additional questions on processes of interpretation and knowledge production, especially
in relation to the formal institutional framework can be raised and critically discussed.

ACTIVITY 2.1.3
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS

• Investigate objects as primary sources of information, like archaeologists;
• Discuss the archaeological processes of excavation, archiving and interpreting;
• Critically reflect on the process of archaeological knowledge production through objects.
Type of the activity Reflective
Group size Groups of 5-6
Materials Pencils, paper
Instructions Trainees work together in groups of 5-6 to share their findings. The aim of this activity is to compare and
organize their information based on different elements they should decide collectively.
Then they are asked to draw some conclusions about the objects they have found and how these conclusions
can provide useful information about the surrounding area that they have explored and its people..
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Trainees present their artefacts and discuss::
• Processes of interpretation about the past

Visual Map
Trainees share their experiences, their challenges in excavating and selecting objects, the way they have decided to organize their findings,
their value judgments regarding which objects are worth selecting, and how objects can be potentially interpreted in order to provide
important information about the place where they were unearthed. Relevant questions such as “what else is needed” in processes of
knowledge production are expected to arise. Reflections on the archaeological processes of excavation, unearthing, recording, archiving and
interpreting are discussed and all is organized in the form of a visual map.
Step 1
Trainees present their findings and artefacts and discuss:
• Processi di disseppellimento (Processes of unearthing (Questions address some of the following: how they excavated, what they tried
to pay attention to, how easy or difficult it was to unearth something from the ground, how this is similar or different to the work of
archaeologists).
• Selection processes (Questions address the following: how they decided what was important to excavate and connect this to the
archaeological process of deciding what is important as artefact – what has historical significance and what not.)
• Mapping (Questions address the following: how they re-created the excavation site, symbols used, how do archaeologists mark/record
excavation/archaeological sites).
Step 2
Trainees present their artefacts and discuss:
• Processes of recording: how these recorded information/details (drawings, notes, photographs) are used by archaeologists; the
importance of archiving as well as politics of classification processes systems.
• Processes of interpretation: how they reached their interpretations/conclusions; what kind of information they used from their detailed
recordings above, and what else did they use in order to complete their interpretations (personal biases and assumptions, previous
knowledge, information they might have found online, what others might have told them etc.). How can this be used to better understand
the subjective nature of historical/archaeological knowledge and interpretation.
Step 3
Trainees present their artefacts and discuss:
• Processes of interpretation about the past: how a group of objects can provide information not simply about these objects’ functionality
but most importantly about the people who used them in the past. How archaeologists organize findings and reach conclusions about
the people of the past through objects. How can we interpret use without anachronisms, the importance of reflexivity, etc. What else
is needed?

UNIT 2.2
A WALK IN THE PAST: WHAT’S MISSING?
Objectives With the completion of this unit early-childhood trainees are expected to:
• Investigate secondary sources of information for informing interpretations about artefacts and the stories
these artefacts tell us;
• Use historical information to narrate an aspect of the past;
• Discuss the importance of interpreting the past;
• Refer to different ways they can use archaeological sites and/or museums in their early childhood settings.
Materials Props relevant to the archaeological site/museum (i.e. replicas of objects, clothes, crowns, tools, etc.), cameras
for photographing and video-recording, markers and notepads, projector
Time 120 minutes
Handouts/Activities Please see Activity 2.2.1
In the second part of the module trainees are asked to critically reflect upon their findings from the previous unit and discuss the way
that archaeological knowledge is produced based on what’s left from the past. They are asked to discuss what they think would happen
if the objects that they excavated during their first unit were to be buried and left for some hundreds of years. How many of these items
would survive and how one’s conclusions would change based on what was left? This second unit aims to acknowledge the importance of
contextual/historical information in forming an interpretation, the gaps in processes of meaning-making and self-reflectivity. In this unit,
early childhood trainees will be asked to find additional information about the area they have already explored during their previous meeting;
this can involve talking to people of the area, conducting research online, finding historical records in a nearby library, and visiting a local
museum or archaeological site.
The Unit includes:

• On-site visit to a relevant location (local history or archaeological museum or archaeological site) depending on where the module
takes place. Trainees will be asked to draw parallels between the past and the present through objects (what they found and analysed
in the first unit and what is available in the museum or archaeological site). During the visit trainees will be asked to take photographs
of objects, buildings or parts of buildings, texts etc., that somehow relate to their first study of contemporary mundane objects (first
unit) and critically question what and how is preserved as historical/archaeological knowledge.
• Trainees are asked to work in pairs to complete Activity Sheet 1: “Interviewing an artefact” of their choice from the on-site visit. The
aim of this activity is to record information already available by adopting those skills they used and acquired during Unit 1 (unearthing,
observing, recording, and interpreting). But also, to identify information that is still needed from secondary sources in order to sketch a
complete profile/ interpretation of an object and/or site relating to a specific historical moment (wider context).
• Performance: Imagining living in the past. Trainees work in groups of 4 and are given time to gather more information about the
site they have explored and its objects (based on what they identified as missing in the previous activity) in order to enact a day from
the past (role playing), relevant to the object(s) they have studied/recorded. The main aim of this activity is to use information they have
gathered from both primary (objects, buildings, etc.) and secondary sources (information available at the site, online, from tour guides,
in books, etc.) to learn about the past, as well as about the process of learning about the past. They use cameras to video record their
performances, which they will then present to the rest of the group for the final reflection and discussion.
• Reflection: Trainees reflect upon their own experiences enacting the past, their challenges in gathering historical information, the
gaps in historical information, the process of interpretation and the way in which their knowledge about artefacts and site were utilized
during their performance. It is necessary to return to the unit’s main question about “What’s missing” and how we fill these gaps in order
to make sense of our past.

ACTIVITY 2.2.1
INTERVIEWING AN ARTEFACT
Aims Early-childhood trainees are expected to::

• Investigate secondary sources of information for informing interpretations about artefacts and the stories
these artefacts tell us;
• Use historical information to narrate an aspect of the past;
• Discuss the importance of interpreting the past;
• Refer to different ways they can use archaeological sites and/or museums in their classroom.
Type of the activity Investigative/exploratory
Group size Pairs
Materials
Pencils, paper, internet, cameras
Instructions Trainees choose an artefact from the site visit (museum, archaeological site). They are asked to take
photographs of objects, buildings or parts of buildings, texts etc., that somehow relate to their first study of
contemporary mundane objects (first unit). They work in pairs.
They adopt the role of the interviewer/investigator aiming to find as much information as possible about their
selected “artefact”. They ask questions (pretend that the object can reply back), they talk to museum staff and
tour guides, they gather textual info available onsite, use the internet, etc.
They are also asked to identify information that is still needed from secondary sources in order to sketch a
complete profile/ interpretation of their selected object and/or site relating to a specific historical moment
(wider context).
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Trainees present their findings and discuss the:
• Importance of contextual information

Performance/Video recordings
Trainees use performance and video recordings, which they then critically discuss. The aim is to reflect upon their own experiences enacting
the past, and better understand the processes of historical knowledge construction.
Step 1
Performance: Imagining living in the past
Trainees work in groups of 4 and are given time to gather more information about the site they have explored and its objects (based on
what they identified as missing in previous activities) in order to enact a day from the past (role playing), relevant to the object(s) they have
studied/recorded. The main aim of this activity is to use information they have gathered from both primary (objects, buildings, etc.) and
secondary sources (information available at the site, online, from tour guides, in books, etc.) to learn about the past as well as about the
process of learning about the past. They use cameras to video record their performances, which they will then present to the rest of the
group for the final reflection and discussion.
Step 2
Reflection/Assessment
Trainees reflect upon their own experiences enacting the past and discuss the
• Importance of contextual information: their challenges in gathering historical information, the gaps in historical information, the
process of interpretation and the way in which their knowledge about artefacts and site were utilized during their performance. It is
necessary to return to the unit’s main question about “What’s missing” and how we fill these gaps in order to make sense of our past.
During the final presentation and reflection trainees should address the following:
• What they have learned
• How they have learned about it (Primary-secondary sources of information)
• Selection processes for creating their performances
• Challenges faced during enacting the past (anachronisms, gaps in information etc)
• What do they still need to learn (what’s missing!)
• In which ways this process was important and why
• How is this process relevant to their own teaching
It is necessary for trainees to discuss ways in which their own practices/processes during the training sessions can be modified and applied
to their own early childhood classrooms with children aged 3-5. Although young children might not be able to discuss the complex processes
of selection and interpretation in archaeology they can still understand how something is not not of their own time period (something really
old, used by people in the past etc) as well as the notion of narrative and storytelling (integral in the actual processes of history-making and
interpretation in the archaeological).

UNIT 2.3
BACK TO THE FUTURE: INVISIBLE PEOPLE
Objectives With the completion of this unit early-childhood trainees are expected to:
•
Refer to possible groups that have remained silenced in mainstream archaeological discourse;
•
Design a virtual space/museum for the collection of diverse voices in a particular time/location;
•
Critically reflect on personal and institutional biases in processes of archaeological knowledge production;
•
Acknowledge the importance of sharing histories among diverse groups of children.
Materials
Computers, markers and notepads
Time 120 minutes
Handouts/Activities Activity Sheet 1, Assessment sheet
In this final unit, trainees will be asked to reflect upon what they have learned through their own engagement with archaeological processes,
with objects and the particular site, as well as about the information they have gathered and produced during the previous two units. The
focus of this last unit is the community, because archaeology is a discipline that aims to unearth information not simply about objects of the
past, but about the people who used them. A significant aspect of archaeology, history and contemporary museology is to also acknowledge
those stories that remain in the margins and have been silenced. This will allow trainees to acknowledge their biases and the significance of
biases in keeping historical and archaeological records. Through an activity during which they are asked to think about what people in the
future will not know about us, because of their biases, they are expected to better understand the processes of history-making, acknowledge
silenced voices and the importance of sharing histories with their students in the present.
This unit includes:
• A group discussion following the previous presentation of trainees’ videos/performances regarding those stories presented and those
stories that perhaps have remained unrecorded. Which voices remain in silence? Women, workers, children, diverse minority groups,
etc. Trainees brainstorm possible groups whose stories have not been recorded in mainstream historical/archaeological records, reflect
upon reasons why, and discuss possible ways in which such information could potentially be gathered. How could we retrieve such
histories? How could we prevent this from happening in the future?
• In the next activity, trainees are called to think of the ways in which such voices could be preserved in the present for the future
archaeologist. Which aspects of culture should we preserve and how? (connection to oral histories and narratives, contemporary
artefacts, stories that should be heard). They work in groups to prepare a list and create a plan of preservation of our current condition
for the future. This process allows trainees to identify aspects of lived reality that are important, yet are taken for granted in the present
but nonetheless might get lost in the future. It is also a way of making sure that diverse voices are heard, acknowledged and recorded
(Activity Sheet 1: The Present as Past).
• Crowdsourcing and Digital Sharing: Trainees work first together to identify different aspects of social life that are important to
safeguard for the future and which might get lost (personal narratives, social issue such as climate change or immigration, craft
practices of minorities, etc.). Then, they split in groups of 5-6 to create blog (or other digital/ social media) content about these
identified aspects of their contemporary realities. Each group engages with a different aspect. They discuss what needs to be included
and what might be missing and think of ways in which they can engage the wider community through crowdsourcing for gathering
more information, opening it up to diverse voices, and allowing for the inclusion of aspects that they might have ignored or neglected
in the first place. The idea of a continuous, open platform enhances the notion of fluid and ever-changing histories. If there is limited
knowledge or technical skill for creating a blog or other digital platform (i.e. Facebook page) this activity can conclude with simply
writing/preparing the content. The material can then be used by Educlab and CY partners to create the platform that can continue to
remain open after the module/project is complete.

ACTIVITY 2.3.1
THE PRESENT AS PAST

• Refer to possible groups that have remained silenced in mainstream archaeological discourse;
• Design a virtual space/museum for the collection of diverse voices in a particular time/location;
• Critically reflect on personal and institutional biases in processes of archaeological knowledge production;
• Acknowledge the importance of sharing histories among diverse groups of students.
Type of the activity Reflective/digitally enhanced learning
Group size Groups of 5-6
Materials Computers, markers and notepads
Instructions Trainees are called to think of the ways in which different voices of the present could be preserved for the
future archaeologist. Which aspects of culture should we preserve and how? (connection to oral histories and
narratives, contemporary artefacts, stories that should be heard, social issues, craft practices, indigenous
traditions etc.).
Trainees prepare a list and create a plan for the preservation of our current condition for the future. This
process allows trainees to identify aspects of their lived reality that are important, yet are taken for granted in
the present, and might get lost in the future. It is also a way of acknowledging the way that some stories might
remain silent and of making sure that diverse voices are heard, acknowledged and recorded.
Trainees split in groups of 5-6 to create digital sharing content about these identified aspects of their
contemporary realities. Each group engages with a different aspect. They discuss what needs to be included
and what might be missing and think of ways in which they can engage the wider community through
crowdsourcing for gathering more information, opening it up to diverse voices, and allowing for the inclusion
of aspects that they might have ignored or neglected in the first place. The idea of a continuous, open platform
enhances the notion of fluid and ever-changing histories.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Trainees present their findings and discuss the importance of archaeologists/historians, museums and
archaeological sites as institutions that are neither neutral nor apolitical in forming and informing our
understandings of the past in the present. It is important for trainees to acknowledge these institutions’ biases
in shaping histories, as well as coming to terms with their own biases.

Digital Sharing Content/Discussion Forum
Discussion forum/assessment: Trainees discuss the importance of archaeologists/historians, museums and archaeological sites as
institutions that are neither neutral nor apolitical in forming and informing our understandings of the past. It is important for trainees to
acknowledge these institutions’ biases in shaping histories, as well as coming to terms with their own biases.
Step 1
Silent Voices
Trainees are called to discuss and critically reflect upon questions such as:
• Which aspects of our current condition we need to safeguard?
• Which aspects of our present might remain silent in the future/escape the future archaeologist?
• How can we decide what is important to safeguard for the future?
• Who decides what is historically significant?
Step 2
Crowdsourcing and digital sharing
After educators work towards gathering their material for a potential blog or other online page (Facebook), they are called to reflect upon their
processes of selection, interpretation, and planning for the actual construction of the blog. Critical issues such as: how do we engage the
community, how we represent the under-represented, how we select and how we interpret are again discussed and reflected upon. Personal
biases, stereotypes and misconceptions are expected to be acknowledged, as well as the idea of continuous, fluid and ever-changing
histories. This part is particularly important for trainees in better understanding diversity in their classrooms, as well as representation of
diverse communities in museums and heritage sites.
Similar to the previous unit, it is essential that trainees discuss during the evaluation process the ways in which this is applicable to their own
practice and reflect upon possible ways these modules can be modified for an early childhood and care classroom.

CONCLUSION
This module aims to raise awareness among trainees about the importance of integrating archaeology and cultural heritage in early
childhood and to provide trainees with knowledge and tools necessary for implementing cultural heritage and archaeological sites in their
practice. Through specific hands-on and minds-on activities the module takes trainees through the complex processes of exploration,
unearthing, archiving, and interpretation that are integral to archaeological processes. Through these activities that are mainly exploratory,
experimental, object-based and building upon the trainees own experiences (excavating observation, drawing, photographing, performance,
etc.) it is expected that trainees will be able to not only better understand the field of archaeology and processes of history-making, but also
find ways to modify these same activities for their own early-childhood classrooms. After all, the suggested activities in this module are all
based on the very principles that are essential for establishing a successful early childhood and care environment that fosters creativity and
acknowledges diversity.
VOCUBULARY
(from Archaeology: History Found in Pieces: http://www.independenceparkinstitute.com/ArcheologyLessonPlans1-16-07.pdf)
1. Anthropology: The study of the origin, the behaviour, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans. Anthropology
studies humanity from the earliest times up to the present. Anthropology is broken into four subcategories: archaeology, cultural
anthropology, linguistics, and physical anthropology.
2. Archaeological “Context”: Archaeologists use the term “context” to describe the observable stratigraphic units, which include
specific layers or deposits of soil, or features such as post molds. Archaeologists dig according to the different contexts that they find
within the site, starting with the excavation of the most recently deposited context and moving back in time or deeper in the ground.
Artefacts are bagged, analysed and eventually stored according to context. Artefacts within each context can be used to date the
context and help to determine the date or timeline of the history of the entire site.
3. Archaeologist: Someone who uses scientific methods to study the material remains of past human life and activities. As scholars
and scientists, archaeologists do not collect artefacts for profit or personal use.
4. Archaeology: The scientific study of how people lived in the past through analysis of material remains uncovered during scientific
excavations or digs.
5. Artefact: Anything made and /or used by humans, including tools, containers, and food remains. Buildings are also artefacts, but
archaeologists usually apply the term “artefact” only to portable items.
6. Excavation: An archaeological dig.
7. Feature: A non-portable artefact that cannot be moved without destroying it. Examples of features include wells, privy pits, walls,
and fence posts.
8. Historical Archaeology: The study of archaeological sites from the modern period in conjunction with historical records and other
kinds of information.
9. Material Culture: A term given to objects that people use on a daily basis that reveal facts about their lives.
10. Post Mold: A type of feature; a circular stain left in the ground after a wooden post has decayed. It usually indicates the former
existence of a house or fence.
11. Primary Source: Made by people who actually saw and wrote about a historical place or activity at the time when that activity
happened.
12. Provenience: A specific location where an artefact or feature is found in the ground.
13. Secondary Source: Made by people who learned about the place of events from someone else or by looking at primary sources.
14. Stratigraphy: Used as a relative dating technique to assess the sequence of artefact position.
15. Urban Archaeology: Urban archaeology usually occurs when land is being cleared for new buildings or older buildings are being torn
down. Archaeologists are called to excavate the sites in order to collect and preserve the artefacts. This type of archaeology is many
times considered a rescue excavation because of the time pressure of the builders and construction crews.

Bibliography
1. Agbe Davies, Anna S. (2010) Concepts of community in the pursuit of an inclusive archaeology, International Journal of Heritage
Studies, 16:6, 373-389.
2. Apaydin, Veysel (2016) Effective or not? Success or failure? Assessing heritage and archaeological education programmes – the case of
Çatalhöyük, International Journal of Heritage Studies, 22:10, 828-843.
3. Chan, Alexandra A. (2011) Translating archaeology for the public: empowering and engaging museum goers with the past, International
Journal of Heritage Studies, 17:2, 169-189.
4. Clark, Bonnie J. & Anne Amati (2019) Powerful objects, difficult dialogues: mobilizing archaeological exhibits for civic
engagement, International Journal of Heritage Studies, 25:7, 708-721.
5. Díaz-Andreu, Margarita (2017) Heritage Values and the Public, Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage, 4:1, 2-6.
6. Hamilakis, Yiannis (2004) Archaeology and the politics of pedagogy, World Archaeology, 36:2, 287-309.
7. Jansen,I. (2008), “Discourse analysis and Foucault’s ‘Archaeology of Knowledge’,” International Journal of Caring Sciences 1:3, 107-111.
8. Laura Arias-Ferrer & Alejandro Egea-Vivancos (2017), “Thinking Like an Archaeologist: Raising Awareness of Cultural Heritage Through
the Use of Archaeology and Artefacts in Education”, Public Archaeology, 16:2, 90-109.
9. Smardz, Karolyhn and Shelley J. Smith (eds.) (2000). The Archaeology Education Handbook: Sharing the Past with Kids. Walnut Creek,
CA: AltaMira Press.
10. Stone, Peter & Philippe G. Planel (eds.) (1999) The Constructed Past: Experimental archaeology, education and the public. London and
New York: Routledge.
11. Stylianou, E. & A. Eleftheriadou (Forthcoming, 2020). “The Dig, the Fragment, and the Archive: The Archaeological Imaginary in Greek-
Cypriot Contemporary Art”, in E. Stylianou, E. Tselika & G. Koureas (eds) Contemporary Art from Cyprus: Politics, Identities, and Cultures
Across Borders. London, UK: Bloomsbury.
Websites
1. American Museum of Natural History, ArchaeOlogy: Clues for the Past, https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/archaeology
2. Archaeology: History Found in Pieces, http://www.independenceparkinstitute.com/ArcheologyLessonPlans1-16-07.pdf
3. National Museum of Natural History, Teaching Resources: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources
4. Museum of London: What is Archaeology? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQtlqyv-llA
5. Show.Me, http://www.show.me.uk/
6. Smithsonian Learning Lab, https://learninglab.si.edu/
7. Society for American Archaeology / K-12 Activities & Resources, https://www.saa.org/education-outreach/teaching-archaeology/k-
12-activities-resources
8. Telling an Object’s Story, https://documents.saa.org/container/docs/default-source/doc-teachingarchaeology/object_story.
pdf?sfvrsn=b7e03409_6
9. The Archaeology Channel: Lesson Plans, https://www.archaeologychannel.org/resources-guide/teacher-resources/195-lesson-
plans?start=40

MODULE 3: TRADITIONS AND CRAFTS
Module Leader: DGASPC HR (Romania)
SUMMARY
Duration: 6 hours
Module Units
3.1 The true meaning of tradition
3.2 Family traditions and celebrations
3.3 Craft
Aim of the Module

• Raise the awareness of the importance of cultural traditions and heritage;
• Achieve knowledge on the topic of tradition and craft.

• Learn about traditional rituals, craftsmanship;
• Explore of the cultural background of the different traditions;
• How to distinguish customs from traditions;
• Exchange of experiences of the trainees when organizing and implementing visits to cultural institutions;
• Gain knowledge on the significance behind famous landmarks while recreating them with the help of building blocks;
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the training participants will have:
Knowledge:
• Get to know the local cultural heritage through traditions and crafts;
• Improvement of creativity;
• Exploration of different processes of creation.
Competencies:
• Creativity and imagination;
• Critical thinking;
• Observation.
Teaching Methods
• Learner-centred methods
• Content focused methods
• Interactive methods
• Participative methods
• Experimentation
Teaching Materials
Alternative spaces (please see recommendations in IO1)

Indoor spaces, museums.
Digital tools (to be prepared by PT2/IT)

Online resources and additional activities.
These activities are no discriminative and does not segregates.

The proposed activities are STEAM approved.
INTRODUCTION
Engaging with the kindergarten children and getting them to notice the world around them – how things were built, how they work and
why they work, and even encouraging them to think about how to change it or make it better, is what STEAM is all about!1 In this unit we
have chosen interactive approaches and STEAM activities for the trainees in the topic of tradition in general, that they can later share with
kindergarten teachers who work with children aged 3-5.
Traditions are rituals communities engage in over and over. There is a reason we intentionally maintain and create traditions – it’s because
they bring meaning to our celebrations and help bond us to those we love. They lend a certain spirit that nurtures the family connection,
giving us a sense of belonging.
More importantly, traditions create positive memories for children. Children crave the warmth and promise that comes with traditions. Even
a new family, foster family or non-traditional family can find ways to create little rituals that everyone looks forward to. Just because there
are not generations of relatives binding individuals by blood doesn’t mean loving traditions can’t make a lifelong impact. In both direct
and subtle ways, traditions play a role in shaping a child’s personal identity. Rituals tell children a story about who they are and what is
important to the community, and it creates a connection that comes from feeling like they are a part of something unique and extraordinary.
Psychologist Marshall Duke found that children who have intimate knowledge of their family’s history are typically more well-adjusted and
confident than children who don’t. They have higher levels of self-esteem, fewer behavioral problems, and better family functioning. Ellen
Galinsky, author of Ask the Children, and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute surveyed children, asking them what they would
remember most about their childhood. Most of the kids responded by describing family traditions. Happy childhood memories offer positive
benefits that children take with them long into adulthood.2
With the advance of the industrial age and the subsequent emergence of the knowledge economy, the crafts got marginalized in the
economy. Traditional crafts were just that, traditional, therefore history and only interesting as part of (cultural) heritage. Utilitarian crafts
(think of plumbers, housepainters, roof workers, dental technicians and so on) continued to do their thing, but such work, at least that was
the reigning impression, was intended for those who cannot do the intellectual work that a knowledge economy calls for. The educational
systems in developed countries sanctified intellectual intelligence and looked down on manual skills. In the arts conceptual innovation had
overtaken craftsmanship as the core competence.3 Traditional crafts are an important part of local identity, that is why in this unit we are
going to focus beside traditions, on crafts and craftmanship as well. It is important that schools see craft as a viable, skilled and impactful
career and a valid alternative to what may be considered more mainstream careers.4
1 http://www.sylvanlearning.com/blog/index.php/4-ways-to-spark-your-childs-interest-in-stem/
2 https://www.childhelp.org/blog/traditions/
3 Crafting Culture: The importance of craftsmanship for the world of the arts and the economy at large
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4948/d49285e3220ce6fab82f12bbf66ad616a332.pdf
4 Preserving heritage crafts https://princes-foundation.org/preserving-heritage-crafts

UNIT 3.1
TRADITIONS
Objectives To understand the importance of knowing our traditions;

To learn about the cultural diversity;
To talk about the difference between customs and traditions;
To exchange approaches and techniques used in classrooms when teaching the children about traditions and
if there are good practices about how the trainees prepare the children for outdoor cultural visits.
Materials
PowerPoint presentations, computer and projector, other materials detailed in Activity Sheet 3.1
Time 240 minutes
Handouts/Activities World Café, group exercises, group debates (Please see Activity 3.1.1)
Materials
Flip chart, markers, PC/Laptop, projector, paper, pen
Time 90 minutes
Handouts/Activities Activity 3.1.1, Activity 3.1.2
Although the western teaching standards coming from abroad are gaining more and more attention, getting to know our culture is even
more significant, because it’s our heritage. The cultural workshops are the foundation of the preschool education; all the activities are based
on them. Keeping the local traditions alive should be a crucial part of the everyday life. In this unit trainees will be able to exchange teaching
ideas and experiences, to discuss what is the true meaning of traditions, what are the differences between customs and traditions and
more over about how they prepare the children for visits in cultural institutions. Implementing cultural visits in preschool will consent to the
development of the children`s social sensibility. Thereby the children can learn how to behave during a visit to a museum. When organizing
activities, teachers should take into account the needs and abilities of the children, and thus compile the program so that the children with
disabilities can feel themselves useful and fully involved in the activities.

ACTIVITY 3.1.1
THE TRUE MEANING OF TRADITIONS
Aims Understand the importance of knowing our traditions;

Learn about the cultural diversity;
Exchange approaches and techniques used in classrooms when teaching the children about traditions;
Learn the difference between custom and traditions.
Type of the activity Group talk
Group size Up to 20 trainees
Materials
Flip chart, markers, PC/Laptop, projector
Instructions
Invite the trainees into a group talk.
Write the word tradition on the flip chart.
Engage the trainees in a conversation about the importance of traditions.
Invite each of trainees about their classroom experience when teaching this topic.
Ask them to describe tradition with a word or expression, what comes first in their mind.
Write down the key words on the flip chart.
Finish the conversation by identifying the connection between the written expressions on the flip chart that are
describing the word tradition and summarise this topic stating that: these are the true meaning of traditions.
Play the video Traditions and rituals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL_soq_Xwms (ENG – 8:06 min.)
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Ask the trainees to reflect on the video about traditions and rituals.
Variations
Using the same technique engage in a conversation about the differences between customs and traditions.

ACTIVITY 3.1.2
LET’S VISIT A MUSEUM!
Aims The trainees will be given the opportunity to exchange their experiences about how they prepare the classroom
for a visit in a cultural institution.
Type of the activity Indoor activity
Materials Flip chart, marker, paper, pen
Instructions Ask the trainees to divide into 4 group by 5 people.

Distribute handout 3.1.1.
Each group should write down the best practices when preparing the children for a visit in a museum and enlist
the steps.
After that they should also write down in two columns the positive and the negative experiences they had
before.
When the groups are finished with the task, ask one trainee from each group to read aloud what they collected
and write it down on the flip chart.
Have a group talk all together at the end.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Exchange ideas and best practices that could be incorporated at the next cultural visit with children.
Variations This activity could be implemented with other cultural institutions.

ASSESSMENT AND SELF-REFLECTION TOOL
Synthesis and Reflection
Teacher engage the trainees in a conversation about:

• What they learned: what is the true meaning of tradition, difference between customs and traditions.
• What their opinion was on the activities, whether they learned something new and if they could incorporate this information in the
future.

UNIT 3.2
FAMILY TRADITIONS AND CELEBRATION
Objectives To learn about family traditions and celebrations;

To brainstorm about how different classroom traditions could be incorporated;
To learn about the cultural background of the certain traditions and celebrations.
Materials Flip chart, markers, paper, pen
Time 90 minutes
Handouts/Activities Activity sheet 3.2.1
This unit will teach the trainees about the different family traditions and celebrations that are held in each represented country, and the
cultural background of such activities. The trainees will have the possibility to talk about how could these traditions be transferred to
classroom traditions in kindergarten.

ACTIVITY 3.2.1
FAMILY TRADITIONS
Aims Learn about family traditions and celebrations;

Brainstorm about how these traditions could be incorporated in their family`s life;
Learn the essence of having family traditions.
Type of the activity Indoor activity
Materials Paper, pen, flip chart, marker
Instructions Ask the trainees to divide into 4 group by 5 people.

Ask them to write down family traditions and festivities they remember from their childhood.
Once everybody is done, invite one trainee from each group to write 3 family traditions on the flip chart.
When each group`s traditions are enlisted discuss together what is the common thing about these traditions
and celebrations.
Draw the conclusion stating that whatever activities the trainees had experienced during these traditions and
celebrations, the most important thing about them was that the family was united and spent a lovely time all
together and created happy memories.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Ask the trainees about what their favourite part was during the activity and engage in a conversation about
these traditions and their origins.
Variations To propose classroom traditions that could be incorporated later in the kindergarten.

Trainer engage the trainees in a conversation about:

• What they learned: what the enlisted family traditions have in common.
• What their opinion was on the activities, which was the most fun, the most difficult or if there was an activity that they disliked.

UNIT 3.3
CRAFTS
Objectives Trainees will be able to explore the different craftmanships and the specific landmarks of each participating
country.
Develop creativity.
Materials Printable templates, building blocks or Lego bricks, flip chart, marker, paper, pen, laptop/PC, video projector
Time 90 minutes
Handouts/Activities Please see Activity 3.3.1, Activity 3.3.2 and Handout 3.3.1
This unit is dedicated for crafts. With the help of building blocks, the trainees will have the chance to show their trademark buildings from
their countries and to talk about their cultural heritage, in the meantime to learn about the other represented countries historical buildings5.
Based on the board game named Activity, the trainees will show their local traditional craftmanship and will give the opportunity to explore
the different craftmanship from all partner countries.
5 https://thestemlaboratory.com/product/stem-challenge-build-famous-landmarks/

ACTIVITY 3.3.1
BUILDING FAMOUS LANDMARKS6
Aims The trainees will gain knowledge about famous landmarks and the significance they possess.
Type of the activity Steam indoor activity, practical
Group size Up to 20 trainees.
Materials Printable templates, building blocks, Handout 3.3.1
Instructions Pair the trainees with their respective colleague from the partner countries.
Distribute the trainees the building blocks or Lego bricks and one template, each pair should receive their own
building.
After finishing their building, ask them to say a few things about the cultural aspect of these building and if they
know a few information about them.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Discuss in group the importance of man-built cultural heritage.
Variations You can add more buildings to this list, if it is necessary
6 Taken from: https://thestemlaboratory.com/product/stem-challenge-build-famous-landmarks/

HANDOUT 3.3.1
We selected one emblematic from each partner country. With the help of building blocks or Lego bricks, the trainees in pairs should recreate
their own specific building, as seen as on the template below.
Colosseum, Roma, Italy
Torre de Belem, Lisbon, Portugal Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Palace of the parliament, Bucharest, Romania Machairas Monastery, Nicosia, Cyprus

ACTIVITY 3.3.2
NAME MY CRAFTSMANSHIP!
Aims To learn about the different craftsmanship, that are specific for each represented country.
Type of the activity STEAM indoor activity, practical
Group size Up to 20 trainees.
Materials Pen, papers, flip chart, marker
Instructions Pair the trainees with their respective colleague from the partner countries.
Ask each pair to think about a craftmanship that is specific in their region, they can make some notes for
themselves if it necessary.
As is works in the board game Activity, the pairs should express themselves with motions, without saying
words and the other trainees have to guess what their craftsmanship is. This process goes on until one of the
trainees manages to guess the word.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Discuss in group about the craftsmanship presented in this activity.
Variations If someone would like it, they can draw their craftsmanship on a flip chart.

Discuss with the trainees about the significance of the enlisted famous landmarks.
If anyone visited these places before, what was their impression about these building?
Ask the trainees about other famous local specialties that could be added to this list.
Talk about the presented craftsmanship. Which were familiar and which one were unknown for the trainees
.

CONCLUSION
Our cultural heritage is based on tradition so this is why it is so important to start teaching our customs in early childhood in creative and
age-appropriate way while making this topic accessible to the little ones. Family traditions are essentially ritualistic behaviors that nurture us
and our relationships. They are primal parts of us, which have survived since the dawn of man. Traditional celebrations of holidays have been
around as long as recorded history. Holiday traditions are an important part to building a strong bond between family, and our community.
They give us a sense of belonging and a way to express what is important to us. They connect us to our history and help us celebrate
generations of family. They keep the memories of the past alive and help us share them with newer generations.7
Crafts are deeply embedded in the culture and are endowed with a multitude of intangible values.
It is very important to put accent on the teaching of traditions and crafts, because we need to promote and preserve them as being them
crucial part of our cultural heritage.
RESOURCES
1. http://www.sylvanlearning.com/blog/index.php/4-ways-to-spark-your-childs-interest-in-stem/
2. https://www.childhelp.org/blog/traditions/
3. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4948/d49285e3220ce6fab82f12bbf66ad616a332.pdf
4. https://thestemlaboratory.com/product/stem-challenge-build-famous-landmarks/
5. https://princes-foundation.org/preserving-heritage-crafts
6. https://blogs.psychcentral.com/balanced-life/2013/11/why-holiday-traditions-might-be-more-important-than-you-think/
7 https://blogs.psychcentral.com/balanced-life/2013/11/why-holiday-traditions-might-be-more-important-than-you-think/

MODULE 4: NATURE
Module Leader: Municipality of Lousada (Portugal)
SUMMARY
Durata: 6 hours (4 hours Unit 1.1; 2 hours Unit 1.2)
Module Units
4.1 Ecological footprint
4.2 Know your wildlife!
Aim of the Module

To provide teachers and educators with accurate concepts needed to appropriately convey on environmental awareness to children:
• Understand the impact and causes of environmental threats;
• Recognize natural patrimony as an important part of our cultural heritage;
• Understand the concept and importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services;
• Know ways of reducing the individual environmental footprint;
• Understand the concept of ecological invasion.

• Understand the causes and impacts of some environmental threats;
• Know some wildlife groups and their importance in our lives;
• Demonstrate fun and creative ways of helping the environment.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the training participants will have:
Knowledge:
• Recognize the importance of natural heritage in the human quality of life;
• Understand environmental threats and the role of humans as nature’s caretakers;
• Understand the concept of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Skills:
• Environmental awareness
• Wildlife species observation and identification
• Outdoors exploitation
Competencies:
• Critical thinking
• Observation
• Creativity and imagination
• Environmental awareness
• Plastic and artistic expression
Teaching Methods
• Learner-centred methods
• Content focused methods
• Interactive methods
• Participative methods
Teaching Materials

Alternative spaces
• Outdoors: forest, parks, gardens etc.
Digital tools (to be prepared by PT2/IT)

Online resources and additional activities, pictures, footprint calculators, etc.
If dealing with children with physical or mental disabilities, the educator may tackle biodiversity through sensorial/tactile approaches.
Different animals and plants may be presented through their sounds, textures and even taste (in case of plants).
If dealing with children from social or ethnic minorities or challenging backgrounds, the educator may invite them to draw biodiversity items,
and celebrate diversity. The educator must stress out that, in nature, diversity is the key for beauty and for the balance among all things,
establishing a parallel to how human societies should also work.

The module is interdisciplinary. Fields of knowledge to be exploited: Science, Arts and Maths. As in the whole STEAM approach, inquiry,
collaboration, and an emphasis on process-based learning are at the heart of this module.
Trainees will get aware of interdisciplinarity and use of STEAM approach.
INTRODUCTION
The need for contact with the natural environment and the natural affiliation that the human being has with nature were concepts introduced
by E.O. Wilson (1984) under the term “biophilia”. Several studies have followed this line of thought and have proven that even minimal contact
with a natural space, even through a window, has many benefits for physical and mental health. For instance, it can improve children’s cognitive
development, promote the process of medical recovery in hospitalized patients, improve health in the workplace, reduce the frequency of
illness in prison environments, reduce stress and irritability in adolescents, improve the living conditions of Alzheimer’s patients and children
with autism, and even reduce crime rates, confirming that Nature is essential to our physical and psychological balance (e.g. Barton and
Rogerson, 2017; Hartig and Marcus, 2006; Jonveaux et al., 2013; Kondo et al., 2016; Ewert and Chang, 2018).
In the absence of such contact with the natural world, there is a tendency toward decreased use of the senses, attention deficit in adults and
children, and a prevalence of physical and mental illness. Louv warns of these consequences by introducing the term “Nature Deficit Disorder”
(Louv, 2008). The mechanism of action of nature in the human body, although not yet fully deciphered and known, seems to show that the
presence of green spaces (woods and parks) causes a reduction in the concentration of cortisol (stress hormone) in the bloodstream, which
results in a body response that tends to calm and well-being.
For these effects to be revealed, exposure does not need to be intense or prolonged. Numerous studies show that the use of green spaces
(woods and parks) in a didactic context has positive impacts on students’ learning ability, attention and concentration, producing effects
similar to the peaks of Ritalin (a chemical used to stimulate the nervous system and enhancing attention) (O’Brien and Murray, 2017; Dillon et
al., 2006; Nedovic and Morrissey, 2013, Roe and Aspinall, 2011) decreasing aggressive behaviors and signs of stress and depression (Taylor
and Kuo, 2009; Roe and Aspinall, 2011; Chawla et al., 2014). Short exposures to green spaces or woods allow to record these changes, which
are felt in all segments of the population (Roe and Aspinall, 2011). However, the larger and more frequent the exposure, the greater significance
will be found in this relationship (Barton and Pretty 2010). Given this evidence, society’s current departure from nature may still take on even
more dramatic proportions when we talk about the kind of action it can take in relation to the present environmental issues (Kahn et al., 2009).
Nature in the learning process of children

Nowadays, children and young people have lost their connection with the natural environment, particularly in urban areas. They can more
easily identify names of Japanese cartoon characters or product brands than species of flora or fauna from the area they live in. This reality
is certainly associated with the fact that they spend less and less time outdoors (Louv, 2008). Nature, besides contributing to a better
physical and psychological condition of children and young people, also has the virtue of constituting an excellence field for experimentation,
stimulating and autonomous integral learning (Ulset et al., 2017). Moreover, the development of an ‘ecological identity’, that is how people
see themselves in the context of nature, how people see animate and inanimate aspects of the natural world, how people relate to the
natural world as a whole, and how people relate to each other in the context of larger environmental issues (Clayton and Opotow, 2003)
is a fundamental, but often overlooked, pillar for personal development and identity (Davies, 1996). Natural heritage, including culturally
significant landscape and biodiversity, is a relevant part of culture and education (Plumwood, V. 2006).
This module will provide insights and simple activities that will guide teachers to mediate a pedagogical approach on the process of children
understanding nature around them. The module is divided in three units referring, respectively, to plants, wild animals (such as insects and
birds), and our role as nature’s caretakers, introducing general concepts of nature and biodiversity, and presenting general aspects of local
natural heritage.
The educator as a ‘nature facilitator’

All educators should have the ability of using natural resources as pedagogical tools, or at least the responsibility to educate children
towards the importance of nature. This does not mean educators must be experts on nature interpretation or conservation, but some basic
concepts are important to know. A full set of basic notions well imprinted will allow educators to better – and more accurately – do their
work in conveying environmental awareness.

UNIT 4.1.
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
Obiettivi Comprendere i concetti base di impatto ambientale ed impronta ecologica;

Conoscere le principali minacce ambientali;
Comprendere il concetto di ecosistema;
Conoscere modi interessanti per compensare l’impronta ecologica.
Materiali Presentazioni PPT, computer e proiettore, altri materiali descritti nella Scheda attività 4.1.1
Durata 240 minuti
Dispense / Attività World Café, esercitazioni di gruppo, dibattiti di gruppo (consultare la Scheda attività 4.1.1).
Mentre la popolazione umana sta crescendo, il consumo di risorse naturali e la gestione dei rifiuti stanno diventando problemi molto seri. La
creazione di una coscienza ecologica e di una sensibilità ambientale nei bambini, fin dalla tenera età, può facilitare il processo di creazione
di una società con maggiore senso di responsabilità e rispettoso verso i limiti delle nostre risorse comuni. Questa unità aiuta gli insegnanti
a organizzare le loro conoscenze e pensieri sull’impatto ecologico delle attività umane, sulle principali minacce ambientali che affrontiamo
e su come possiamo aiutare la biodiversità a mitigare e correggere tali minacce.

ACTIVITY 4.1.1
WORLD CAFE
Aims To promote debate, group discussion and reflection about human actions and environmental impacts;
Informal way to convey ecological concepts.
Type of the activity Group activity
Group size Up to 20 participants
Materials Cards (which may be improvised) stating ecological issues such as waste, deforestation, biodiversity loss,
water pollution, etc.
Room organization: separated tables with chairs around each table.
Instructions Divide the group in 2, 3 or 4 smaller groups according to the number of proposed discussion topics and
available time.
Each discussion table has a specific topic and additional information to get the discussion started (image,
graph, phrase, etc.).
Determine the duration of each round of discussion and explain the activity.
Once the World Cafe starts, each group discusses the topic until the time is up. Then, the groups move to
another discussion table until all the groups have discussed all topics.
For each topic, each group should provide their main reflexion.
At the end, the facilitator might want to ask some questions about some more controversial topics or try to
determine if there was group consensus or opposite views regarding each discussed topic.
The facilitator will comment of the groups’ answers providing accurate information.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Synthesis of what was learned and discussed.
Recall the impact of human actions (which is sometimes invisible to the untrained eyes)
Reflection on environmentally friendly behaviors and the protection of natural heritage, under the light of
resources exploited by humans.
Variations The activity may be enriched if carried out outdoors and focused on specific aspects the groups is observing.

ASSESSMENT AND SELF REFLECTION
• After cleaning the room from the World Cafe, get trainees seated in a way they can all see you.
• The facilitator should ask questions, guiding an oral reflective discussion:
- Synthesis of what was learned: the importance of ecosystem services, the human impact on natural resources, main environmental
threats, types of ecological footprints, etc.
- Promote a brief reflection on environmentally friendly behaviors and the protection of natural heritage, under the light of resources
exploited by human development, the resources we all use daily, our several ecological footprints, and the general impact of pollution
and human behaviour on nature.
- Invite trainees to be informed and adopt more sustainable ways of living, briefly recalling the importance and benefits of having a
healthy environment.
- Inspire trainees to pass this message on to children from early age

UNIT 4.2
KNOW YOUR WILDLIFE
Objectives Understand the concept of biodiversity;

Distinguish native vs exotic vs invasive species;
Understand the impact of invasive species;
Understand the role of people in protecting wildlife.
Materials
Detailed in Activity 4.2.1
Time 120 minutes
Handouts/Activities Please see Activity 4.2.1 and Handout 4.2.1
More and more, wildlife and nature face threats directly triggered by human activities and behaviors. For a species to thrive, it needs suitable
habitat, water to drink, food to eat/forage, places to rest and breed. Even in urban areas, wildlife species surround us but struggle to survive!
All these species have a role to play in the balance of the ecosystems, on which our health and life quality depend.
Human activities often lead to habitat degradation and consequent decreased availability of nesting and feeding sites, thus representing a
major cause of threat to many wildlife species. This activity aims to capacitate educators to better explore the topic of biodiversity, providing
important ecological concepts.
Moreover, it introduces the concept of “invasive species”. Sometimes, under good intentions, people introduce all the kind of inadequate
species to a certain environment. Within this unit, trainees will have the opportunity to understand the risks of introducing new species, for
instance through plantations, transportation or leisure activities. The trainees with thus be capacitated to implement ecologically correct
activities with the children, and pass on eco-friendly behaviors. Before acting, as learned in Unit 1, one must know. This unit will give trainees
basic insight to better understand, share and interpret the landscape around them.

ACTIVITY 4.2.1
FIND THE INVADERS!
Aims This activity is targeted at educators;

Understand the concepts of native, exotic and invasive species;
Understand the ecological issue of invasive species;
Know some invasive species in Europe.
Type of the activity Serious game
Group size Up to 10 educators
Materials Handout 4.2.1.a and Handout 4.2.1.b – printed A3 sheets (flora and fauna) + ‘native’ and ‘invasive’ cards
Instructions Print the A3 sheets (Fauna and Flora) in color. Also print the ‘native’ and ‘invasive’ cards (in A4 sheets), as many
as 8 of each card for each participant.
Cut the paper cards.
Place the A3 sheets (fauna and flora) on a table.
Distribute 8 ‘native’ and 8 ‘invasive’ cards to each participant.
Ask each participant to place ‘native’ or ‘invasive’ cards over each picture, according to the species origin.
At the end, provide the correct answer and provide some insights about each species’ ecology, threats and/or
conservation issues, introduction means, impacts, etc.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Synthesis of what was learned (concepts, threats of invasive species).
Reflection on environmentally friendly behaviors.
Reflection on the role of biodiversity in our ‘landscape’ identity.
Variations The activity may be enriched with the following procedures:

• Field trip to observe native, exotic and invasive species.
• Consultation of online material about each species depicted in the game.
• Enlarge the list of native and invasive species with the participants.

ASSESSMENT AND SELF REFLECTION
• After having fun with the 4.2. game, have trainees seated and recall the topics covered in this session.
• The facilitator should ask questions, guiding an oral reflective discussion:
- Synthesis of what was learned: what is biodiversity, what “biodiversity loss” means and implications, what are invasive species.
- Promote a brief reflection on environmentally friendly behaviors and the protection of natural heritage, under the light of ecological
invasions.
- Highlight the message that nature can be fully enjoyed with plants and animals remaining in their natural habitats.
- Recall some simple measures to avoid the spread of exotic species.
- Inspire trainees to pass these messages on to children from early age.

HANDOUT 4.2.1.A

HANDOUT 4.2.1.B

CONCLUSION
The contact with nature is a very important part in the healthy development of a child. Natural resources, local biodiversity and typical
landscapes, such as landmarks, festive days, representative dishes and arts, integrate what is designated as ‘culture’, however, natural
elements are sometimes overlooked in what comes to education and culture. It is as important for a person’s education and development
to understand their origins and history, as the plants, animals and ecosystems that surrounds them. Understanding “who we are” and our
“place in the world” cannot disregard contact with nature and ecological reasoning, as part of an integrative education. This is more and
more important as the pace of environmental degradation rises and we face several nature-related crises.
This module provided basic concepts and suggests activities that will allow educators to be better equipped for their mission as ‘green
ambassadors’.
A little goes a long way and these units may trigger the will to further explore the fascinating natural world and the great outdoors, with all
the proven benefits for children and their healthy growth as a bonus!
Bibliography
1. Barton, J., Pretty, J. 2010. What is the Best Dose of Nature and Green Exercise for Improving Mental Health? A Multi-Study Analysis.
Environmental Science & Technology, 44 (10): 3947-3955
2. Barton, J., Rogerson, M. 2017. The importance of greenspace for mental health. BJPsych international, 14(4), 79-81.
3. Chawla, L., Keena, K., Pevec, I., Stanley, E. 2014. Green schoolyards as havens from stress and resources for resilience in childhood and
adolescence. Health & place, 28, 1-13.
4. Clayton, S., Opotow, S. 2003. Identity and the natural environment: The psychological signiﬁcance of nature. MIT Press, Cambridge.
5. Davies, M. M. 1996. Outdoors: An important context for young children’s development. Early Child Development and Care, 115(1), 37-49.
6. Dillon, J., Rickinson, M., Teamey, K., Morris, M., Choi, M. Y., Sanders, D., Benefield, P. 2006. The value of outdoor learning: evidence from
research in the UK and elsewhere. School science review, 87(320), 107.
7. Ewert, A., Chang, Y. 2018. Levels of nature and stress response. Behavioral Sciences, 8(5), 49.
8. Faber Taylor, A., Kuo, F. E. 2009. Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park. Journal of attention disorders,
12(5), 402-409.
9. Hartig, T., Marcus, C. C. 2006. Essay: Healing gardens—places for nature in health care. The Lancet, 368, S36-S37
10. Jonveaux, T. R., Batt, M., Fescharek, R., Benetos, A., Trognon, A., Bah Chuzeville, S., ... & Soulon, L. 2013. Healing gardens and cognitive
behavioral units in the management of Alzheimer’s disease patients: the Nancy experience. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 34(1), 325-338.
11. Kahn Jr, P. H., Severson, R. L., Ruckert, J. H. 2009. The human relation with nature and technological nature. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 18(1), 37-42.
12. Kondo, M., Hohl, B., Han,S., Charles Branas, C. 2016. Effects of greening and community reuse of vacant lots on crime. Urban Studies, 53(15):
3279–3295
13. Louv, R. 2008. Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books.
14. Nedovic, S., Morrissey, A. M. 2013. Calm active and focused: Children’s responses to an organic outdoor learning environment. Learning
environments research, 16(2), 281-295.
15. O’Brien, L., Murray, R. 2007. Forest School and its impacts on young children: Case studies in Britain. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 6:
249–265
16. Roe, J., Aspinall, P. 2011. The restorative outcomes of forest school and conventional school in young people with good and poor behaviour.
Urban forestry & urban greening, 10(3), 205-212.
17. Ulset, V., Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., Bekkhus, M., Borge, A. I. 2017. Time spent outdoors during preschool: Links with children’s cognitive and
behavioral development. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 52, 69-80.
18. Wilson, E.O. 1984. Biophilia. Harvard University Press
19. Plumwood, V. 2006. The concept of a cultural landscape: Nature, culture and agency in the land. Ethics and the Environment, 115-150.
Useful links (in English)

1. https://imprintplus.org/courses
2. https://imprintplus.org/documentfiles/IMPRINT_ResearchReport_PartIII_PracticalGuidelines.pdf
3. https://identify.plantnet.org
4. https://www.naturallylearning.co.uk/50-outdoor-activities-toddlers/
5. https://www.xeno-canto.org/collection/area/europe
6. https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/nestboxes/frequently-asked-questions/
7. https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/nestboxes/nestboxes-for-small-birds/
8. https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/nrs/publications/bto-nestbox-guide

MODULE 5: ART AND SCIENCE
Module Leader: Yaşar University (Turkey)
SUMMARY
Duration 6 hours (4 units of 90 minutes each)
Module Units
5.1 Experience through Art; Educational Tools for Everyone
5.2 Still Life for New Perspectives
5.3 Roleplaying for Wider Understanding
5.4 Portraits for Deeper Empathy
Aim of the Module

• Equip teachers with new approaches to apply in order to reveal creativity of their students in art activities.
• Make ECEC teachers aware of their own artistic perspectives and how to project them to children
• Raise awareness on STEAM approach for artistic activities.
• Create experiences to interrelate an artistic activity with KCA (Knowledge, Comprehension and Application).

• Construct an understanding to acknowledge the importance for visiting an art institution in order to illustrate a productive process for
artistic creativity of the children.
• Present ways of getting the children acquainted with various art practices.
• Use art for composing the experiences that the ECEC teachers will need in their future teaching practices.
• Demonstrate how to raise awareness and understanding among the children towards animals and other living creatures.
• Demonstrate how an artistic activity may lead to a process of better knowing self and the others.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the training participants will:
Knowledge:
• Have a basic understanding the use of certain genre of art works in teaching.
• Recognize the importance of the role of the ECEC teacher in art workshops.
• Explain and interpret the art works and practices chosen for any specific activity.
Skills:
• Assemble the methods of applying different techniques of art applications.
• Select art works and practices needed for the workshop.
Competencies:
• Argue how to organize a specific workshop of art.
• Evaluate the means of material to be used in the workshop.
Teaching Methods
• Frontal lesson
• PPT presentations
• Practical demonstrations on the use of various techniques and activities.
• Small-group work as part of the workshop.
Teaching Materials

Alternative spaces
• Art spaces (museums, exhibitions, etc.)

• Animal farms or zoo/aquarium.
Digital tools
• Use of digital camera (smartphone or tablet)
• Printer
Art itself has an inclusive quality to viewer from the expression point of view. The subject-matter, the technique executed by the artist, the
movement which the art work is considered with are all individual choice of the artist while they all represent his/her worldview. Being
inclusive content-wise by its nature, this module on art and sciences will provide the participant with a platform where each of them will
have the possibility of active participation even they do not have a formal education on art. They will also gain insights on how the proposed
activities will be implemented for the needs for the children in their classes.

This module dedicated to the fields of art and sciences is interdisciplinary by its nature. Along with artistic creation, exploration, cooperation
and discovery through experience is included in this module, like in the essence of the STEAM approach. The planned activities encourage
children to express personal feelings and senses, engage in experiential learning, invite for collaboration and create through artistic
processes, and also adding sensitivity about their friends, other living creatures and the whole community.
INTRODUCTION
Art education, states Paul Klee, is a figural activity of ideas and thoughts. The art disciplines are a way of knowing the world. As the children
get associated with arts, create dances, music, theatrical productions, and visual artworks, they learn how to express themselves and how to
communicate with others (NAEA, 1994). Arts provide children with tools and experiences to think in symbols, direct their thoughts and feelings,
shape their formless ideas, explain and interpret their own mental summation. This is also how they form their repertoire of marks forming a
grammar of communication. Through experiences involving art practices, they also engage themselves a creative process of problem solving,
objectivity and selectivity as well as aesthetic appreciation (Wright 2010: 171). They gain opportunities to learn to elaborate on their ideas,
interests, and meaningful life experiences, and also question qualitative relations and alternative solutions for isolated challenges. On the
other hand, an active and participatory approach to education encourages individual’s sense of self being put at the forefront (Page 2000, 46).
It is not even a matter of discussion that the world is under a constant change and within a world that is under a constant change it is of
great importance important to be able to negotiate the dynamics of this change (Masini 1982: 7). Therefore, the education system has been
under a continuous challenge forming the future of education while dealing with the existing one. While discussing the future learning,
Massini (1982) underlines the following points on which the future learning should be based:
• Awareness of the Interrelation Between Psychological and Social Character,
• Respect for One’s Own Culture and at the Same Time Awareness of Other Cultures,
• Learning Should Be Geared to Identity
• Learning Must Be Geared to the Ultimate Questions of Existence.
She also puts out that the aim is not to prove the correctness of any certain set of answers but rather to develop the capability of perceiving
different answers to such questions.
These set of answers are only achieved through experiences and plain practices. Because mental skills and psychological processes are
influenced by opportunities to use them (Eisner, 1994), children need to have experiences with various forms of representations such as
pictures, music, and dance as well as literature art, science, and mathematics. ECEC teachers are essential to guide children’s artistic
development to forming an environment with discussions and demonstrations in order to help children become more creative.
For children’s mind with no limitations, a creative idea is in a way reformulation of present ideas. New connections between thoughts and
tools which are already familiar are made with new experiences and new applications (Rogoff, 1990). Creativity, which is highly valued in
early childhood education, does not only come from inside the children but also from human and physical environments outside the children.
Therefore, adult and peer mediation are a very important aspect for children becoming more creative.
So, the role of the teacher is highly directive and orienting for art workshops and activities in ECEC. When children are very young, arts
experiences become social only when teachers make them so. Therefore the art experience might turn into a social experience during the
cooperative activities. Since both solitary and social approaches are favored, it is important that teachers are aware of related developmental
stages (Krogh & Slentz 2001: 176).
The module consists proposed practices to the teachers on how an experience of the children of visiting an art institution may turn into a
means of learning while creating. These activities will let the children to perceive themselves as a part of the whole, as special personalities
with genuine features but also as living beings sharing values (not necessarily the same) with the others.
Having founded the STEAM approach as the base of EDUCLAB project, this module will focus on how teachers can create an artful
atmosphere, in which they will find ways fostering the creativity of children while they find a platform to convey KCA requirements to them..

UNIT 5.1
EXPERIENCE THROUGH ART;
EDUCATIONAL TOOLS FOR EVERYONE
Objectives To construct an understanding to acknowledge the importance for visiting an art institution in order to illustrate
a productive process for artistic creativity of the children.
To become aware of own artistic perspectives and compose structures how to project them to children
Materials
Computer, video projector, A4 paper, sticky papers.
Time 90 minutes
Handouts/Activities PPT presentation\Activity Sheet 5.1.1
The Unit will invite the trainees for 90 minutes to reflect their own experiences and views regarding to the relationship they have with
various disciplines of arts and art spaces. The frame of the Unit consists on how the quality of pre-school and kindergarten art activities
depends on the aesthetic features on the environment, as well as the expertise of the teacher. Therefore, the artistic understanding and the
competencies of the teacher who prepares the art materials and determines the art activities are vital for the success of the process. The
Unit will guide the trainees through a set of inquiries, suggestions and presentations in order to reveal their own reflection concerning art
related activities. With the inspiration from personal experiences, the trainees will be invited to recognize their own potentials as art viewers,
spectators and interpreters, so that they are capable of leading the art workshops, participating in the art workshops, interpreting the art
works and responding to the needs for the activities.
The Unit contains:

A short group talk to introduce importance of the confidence and competency of the ECEC teacher, as a model for the children to follow
and imitate in order to gain motivation for unfamiliar activities like a visit to an art space or a new application workshop. The personal past
experiences are shared to establish a base understanding that everyone is somehow related to art and can reflect from it. This way trainees
will be invited to a common ground to argue the importance of being experienced and informed about the activities and concept of the
artistic education they will present. The empathy for the children’s future experience and the acknowledgment for the need to plan and
experience ahead is expected outcome.
PowerPoint presentation about a well-known art institution nearby (museum or gallery). The location, the contents of the art space,
exhibitions, art works, categories and the other features of the institution are presented in order to emphasis the value of virtually tour an art
space, in order to achieve a solid introduction before a related art activity.
Group evaluation to recall the memories if the art space is formerly visited, if not the experience gained from the presentation. The trainees
are expected to argue the effects of the physical environment involving artistic features as motivators for the children and themselves for
constructing a sensitivity for art works. Also, the remembered past experiences about art activities, like visiting a similar art space, attending
to theater, dancing, going to concerts etc. are evaluated as a mental background to sense the “aesthetic” and look for it, and also to guide
the children to sense and look for it. The comparison between the aesthetic sensations before and after the self-evaluation is used as
methodology.

ACTIVITY 5.1.1
EXPERIENCE THROUGH ART; EDUCATIONAL TOLLS FOR EVERYONE
Aims Construct an understanding to acknowledge the importance for visiting an art institution in order to illustrate
a productive process for artistic creativity of the children;
Become aware of own artistic perspectives and compose structures how to project them to children.
Type of the activity Group talk\ PPT presentation\ Evaluation of the concepts and experiences discussed as a group
Materials
Computer, video projector, A4 paper, sticky papers
Instructions Invite the group of trainees to a circle.

Inquire about their artistic backgrounds (any training or practice they have in advance).
Identify their connection and relation to various disciplines of art (playing music instruments, theatre, cinema,
concerts, exhibitions, etc.).
Discuss the personal correlation and experience for each trainee about artistic practices and how they position
themselves in the context for conducting art related activities as ECEC teachers.
Present the PPT Presentation to evoke the significance and benefit of visiting an art space to achieve a sense
of aesthetic aura.
Discuss the memories of the trainees of their previous art space visits in their personal life and the emotions
triggered by it.
End the presentation by identifying the impact of any visit made to an art institution.
İnvite the group of trainees to reveal their reflections on the discussions and the PPT Presentation.
Make list of the sensations awaked by spectating an art work and study them as follows:
• Write down the emotions and reflections proposed by the group according to the experience of being in an
art space or on an art work etc., stick them on the board side by side. (keywords like; happiness, sadness,
anger, empathy, excitement, curiosity, inspiration, etc.)
• Maker another list of art activities / works related to the previous conversations and evaluations based on
the PPT presentation and the past experiences of the trainees.
• Formulate the two lists as a correlated table in order to value them accordingly
• Inquire about the emotional intensity of the list for reflections for each artistic activity between 1 and 10.
• Place the values for each trainee (one at a time) underlining the comparison for the aesthetic sensations
according to the artistic activities.
Group discussion on the formed list of concepts and activities.

Underline the importance of the role of the teacher as mediator of aesthetic aspects to the children.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Synthesis of the reflections achieved by the self-analysis
Reflection on the art space presented in PPT.

• As one of the main aims of the activity is to encourage trainees to perform a visit to an art institution
followed by workshops in the class, the same activity can be preproduced if there is a possibility to visit an
art institution during the execution of the unit.
• If available, the unit can be executed in an art institution if the concerned institution has facilities available
for such an activity. If so, the PPT presentation within the unit can be replaced with an actual tour in
the art space, spectating the art works and fully immersing into the aesthetic sensation, to be analyzed
afterwards inclusive to the group evaluation.

Participation and Reflection
After the unit, invite the trainees to reflect on their experience:

• Synthesis of the reflections achieved by the self-analysis
• Reflection on the art space presented in PPT.

UNIT 5.2
STILL LIFE FOR NEW PERSPECTIVES
Objectives Present ways of getting the children acquainted with various art practices.
Use art and science for composing the experiences that they will need in their future life for better evaluation
and expression.
Create a base for curiosity and interest for art works through artistic activities using painting/drawing material.
Make use of artistic activities like drawing to experience basic elements of art and basic concepts of preschool
education (size, positioning, direction, quantity etc.)
Materials
Computer, video projector, A4 paper, sticky papers (detailed in Activity Sheet 5.2.1)
Time 90 minutes
Handouts/Activities PPT presentation of the selected artworks

Activity Sheet 5.2.1
Painting is the primary artistic activity for children in pre-school education. Children do make drawings or paintings even at their personal
spaces and at their homes, just to reflect their imagination and progressive characteristics. This application can also be used as a familiar
practice to connect children with different aesthetic composition standards in art works and to get them acquainted with various learning
outcomes. Still life is a good example as a primary composition standard in whole art history with many examples from many art movements,
it is easy to associate and it is also rich in information like form and color. Children have close dietary relations with vegetables and fruits,
they also have certain acquaintance with some flowers. In this case, those items they have familiarity will become means of a subject-
matter of an artistic activity though which they will learn about the basic forms and color as well as the concepts related to them (time,
season, quantity, position, taste etc.).
This Unit provides trainees with a basic understanding for still-life paintings and practice to be able to conduct a related art workshop with
children. The trainees are to be identified as competent enough to construct the interest and motivation for still life paintings through the
class and also to be able to have the theoretic and conceptual background to organize an aesthetic composition of various items as a still
life composition to be painted by children in the art workshop. The unit illustrates the main specifications to evaluate the presented art
works and the composition features to gain the most value for educational outcomes like quantity, form, size, color and other comparative
variables. Throughout the unit, the teachers are expected to collect the experience to guide what children will learn as different qualities of
the items they paint by still life compositions.
The Unit contains:

Presentation of still-life paintings: Presentation of examples of still-life paintings from different periods of art history providing the
trainees with a background portfolio for evaluating similar art works. The trainees will be reminded about the necessity to visit an art space
before the workshops they will conduct in their classes, and the benefits gained from this visit in order to enhance the painting activities
based on the art works from the visited art space. The presentation will also include information about the painters, the technique and the
content. This way, trainees will achieve theoretical and aesthetic background to analyze, interpret and compose various still life paintings
personally, to be able to organize their own workshops.
Group work: Having divided into groups of 3-4, each group will be asked to construct a theoretical list of various items for the one or
more assigned concepts for a possible still-life composition followed as: color, shape, size, quantity, direction, position, quantity, textures,
oppositions, time (hours or seasons), geography, taste, organicity, stiffness, etc. The list of items for the compositions will be evaluated and
argued by the whole group of the trainees, for educational and aesthetic specifications.

ACTIVITY 5.2.1
STILL LIFE FOR NEW PERSPECTIVES
Aims Present ways of getting the children acquainted with various art practices.
Use art and science for composing the experiences that they will need in their future life for better evaluation
and expression.
Create a base for curiosity and interest for art works through artistic activities using painting/drawing material.
Make use of artistic activities like drawing to experience basic elements of art and basic concepts of preschool
education (size, positioning, direction, quantity etc.)
Type of the activity PPT Presentation, working in small groups of 3-4, interrelating the items and concepts based in the composition
with concepts used in ECEC education, evaluation of the concepts and experiences discussed as a group
Materials Computer, video projector, A4 paper, sticky papers.
Instructions Following the PPT presentation of selected artworks,

Arrange groups of trainees.
Assign the concepts to each group for a possible still-life composition followed as: color, shape, size, quantity,
direction, position, quantity, textures, oppositions, time (hours or seasons), geography, taste, organicity,
stiffness, etc.
Each group construct a list of various items (fruits, vegetables, flowers, daily objects, etc.) for at least three
different still-life composition according to the assigned concept(s).
Place list of the items in each composition be related with the assigned concepts and explain them in short
notes as follows:
• Write down the concepts (such as quantity, colors, senses, shape etc.)
• Write down the names of the items used in the still-life composition and place them under the related
concept by each group (one in a time) explaining the interrelation between the concept and the group of
items.
• Group discussion on the formed list of concepts and items.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Synthesis of what was learned and comparison with actual paintings seen in the presentations.
Reflection on the selected art works presented in PPT.

• Correlation of organic items with inorganic items can be added as another phase of the group work to
enhance the identification of objects and their features.
• Change of elements in the composition can be added as another phase of the group work to achieve shift
between various concepts (e.g. from size to shape) in order to underline the characteristics features of
each object and the educational aspect gained from it.
• The groups of trainees can be asked to imitate a still life painting by requiring the exact components on
the painting to reconstruct the composition.


• Synthesis of what was learned and comparison with actual paintings seen in the presentations.
• Reflection on the selected art works presented in PPT.

UNIT 5.3
ROLEPLAYING FOR WIDER UNDERSTANDING
Objectives Present ways of getting the children acquainted with various art practices.
Demonstrate how to raise awareness and understanding among the children towards animals and other living
creatures.
Recognize the use of theatrical technics in order to make the children experience creative expression for role-
playing dynamics.
Link various artistic works through common themes used as figures and concept (e.g. animals in the paintings
or sculptures and animals in the role-playing games)
Materials
Computer, video projector, curtain (or a large sheet of fabric), projector (or a strong source of light), A4 paper,
sticky papers (detailed in Activity Sheet 5.3.1)
Time 90 minutes
Handouts/Activities PPT presentation of the selected artworks, Activity Sheet 5.3.1, Handout 5.3.1
All living beings sharing the same habitat have a lot of common features. This similarity in various living beings is a key factor for children
to understand the network of organisms in a close relationship to each other. These living beings can be domesticated animals, which we
can call “friends”, or other much unfamiliar beings living in the wilderness. The obscurity of the wild world can sometimes be uncomfortable
for children, but it can also be identified for its potential to evoke creativity. Children encounter familiar animals in their daily life like pets or
birds; but they also experience encounters with strong impact on their imagination and perception of the world on the occasions of a visit in
animal farms, shelters or zoos/aquariums*8.
This unit aims to entrust the trainees with examples how to form bonds between the child and the animals by using artistic practices like
theatrical representations, drama and role-playing. Drama and role playing are strong artistic activities to create multisensory experiences,
such as kinesthetic movements and visual experiences; they also to facilitate children’s imagination and comprehension.
The Unit contains:

Presentation of paintings containing animals in: Presentation of examples of paintings that have animals in from different periods of art
history providing the trainees with a background portfolio for evaluating similar art works. The trainees will be reminded about the necessity
to visit an art space before the workshops they will conduct in their classes, and the benefits gained from this visit in order to enhance the
role-playing activities based on the art works from the visited art space. The presentation will also include information about the painters,
the technique and the content. The presentation will end with images of animals at domestic space, on the streets, in animal farms, zoos/
aquariums and in their natural environment, to recall the shared habitat with humans. This perspective of shared living space will be asked
to illustrate and reflect to the children as well.
Practical workshop: Having arranged the light source and the screen, each trainee will be asked to perform an animal shadow according to
the templates (provided by the Handout 5.3.) where the others are expected to guess it. The trainer will also show methods (body and limb
postures, etc.) to reflect the animal shapes on the screen. Again, the wholeness of all living beings is underlined in order to achieve a wider
understanding of respect and harmony for animals.
Group Work: After the shadow theater activity, the distinctive characteristics of each animal is listed in order to contrast the similarities with
humans or other animals in order to emphasize this sense of wholeness
8 It is important to underline on the occasion of a visit to a zoo/aquarium that this is not their natural environment and it is not fair that
they become a subject of a show.

ACTIVITY 5.3.1
ROLEPLAYING FOR WIDER UNDERSTANDING
Aims Present ways of getting the children acquainted with various art practices.
Demonstrate how to raise awareness and understanding among the children towards animals and other living
creatures.
Recognize the use of theatrical technics in order to make the children experience creative expression for role-
playing dynamics.
Link various artistic works through common themes used as figures and concept (e.g. animals in the paintings
and animals in the role-playing games)
Type of the activity Group talk, PPT Presentation, artistic expression and role-playing, Evaluation of the concepts and experiences
discussed as a group
Materials
Computer, video projector, curtain (or a large sheet of fabric), projector (or a strong source of light), A4 paper,
sticky papers
Instructions
Following the PPT presentation of selected artworks,
Invite the trainees to play a shadow theatre game.
Each trainee selects an animal to mimic and performs it on the “stage”.
The rest of the group is expected to guess the mimicked animal.
Ask the trainees to make list of the concepts of the animals they differentiate of each other to be related to in
teaching process for shadow theater.
Ask the trainees to make list of the features that those animals have in common with the humans to be
emphasised during the performances.
•
Where and how does the animals live (in groups, under water, etc.)
•
Write down the animals and place them under the related feature explaining the common characteristics,
underlining the similarities with humans (social dynamics, life span, etc.).
Underline the characteristics and similarities of the animals to guide the trainees between the concept of the
wholeness of the living beings.
Group discussion on the performed animals, their features and environments.
Debriefing and
evaluation of the activity Synthesis of what was learned (imitating the animals, bodily activities, role-playing).
Reflection on the selected art works presented in PPT.
Variations
The activity may be enriched with the following procedures:
•
The trainees can be invited to make a list of songs related with animals, in order to use music to convert
the children’s imitations and role-playing activities into an artistic routine, in which they can all sing again
if they like, with the animal sounds they made during the shadow theatre, which will result linking stronger
bonds with the representation of the living beings.
•
The trainees can be invited to associate the animals to be presented in the shadow theatre with the stories
of Aesop of La Fontaine. This way, the background information and role playing for each animal can be
enriched with already written literature and also can be mimicked much more motivated by the children
within the cultural circle.
•
Visiting an animal farm, shelter or zoo/aquarium in order to let the trainees develop stronger bonds with
the animals as friends and similar living beings. Trainees will combine the experiences gained from the
activities and the visit to reconstruct a wider sense of unity.


• Synthesis of what was learned (imitating the animals, bodily activities, role-playing).

HANDOUT 5.3

UNIT 5.4
PORTRAITS FOR DEEPER EMPATHY
Objectives Demonstrate how an artistic activity may lead to a process of better knowing self and the others.
Present ways of getting the children acquainted with various art practices.
Gain the experience to implement manual artistic practices to manipulate printed images and visuals
Recognize the importance of the concept of self and the others
Materials Computer, video projector, BW prints of the portraits, a smartphone or tablet (for photo shooting), A4 paper,
sticky papers, scissors and glue (detailed in Activity Sheet 5.4)
Time 90 minutes
Handouts/Activities PPT presentation of the selected artworks, Activity Sheet 5.4, Handout 5.4
Face is the most important integral part of human identity. We can identify people by their faces, which is also a medium of physical
expressions to reflect the mood or the emotions. Face is also a major subject-matter for art works as portraits or busts through art history.
Therefore, with its numerous examples and structures rich in expressions, it is suitable in order to create an interest in painting for the
children as an artistic practice.
The Unit focuses on constructing an awareness for the trainees on the potentials and importance of portrait drawing for children to create
connections and bonds with their classmates and friends and also within themselves. The link to create such bonds is achieved by fostering
observation and analysis of artistic features of the face. The trainees are invited to discuss the use of portrait painting to discover anatomic
features of the human face and geometric abstract shapes by examining their own faces or the faces. The symmetrical structure of the
human face is excellent material for the children to copy and complete, which allows them to enhance their artistic practices and also their
personal expressions. The Unit also encourages the trainees for applying these types of activities, for creating strong bonds between the
children as they compare the differences in their portraits they draw, accept each other as they are, and subject each other as aesthetic
reflections in their artistic production.
The Unit contains:

Presentation of portrait paintings: Presentation of examples of portraits from different periods of art history providing the trainees with
a background portfolio for evaluating similar art works. The trainees will be reminded about the necessity to visit an art space before the
workshops they will conduct in their classes, and the benefits gained from this visit in order to enhance the drawing activities based on the
art works from the visited art space. The presentation will also include information about the painters, the technique and the content. This
way, trainees will achieve theoretical and aesthetic background to analyze, interpret and compose various portrait paintings personally, to
be able to organize their own workshops.
Group work: Trainees will be invited to discuss on the features of the portraits to evaluate on, related to the presentation made earlier. Those
interpretations should lead the trainees to construct a base for identifying the portrait owner’s physical features and also likes/dislikes, ideas
etc. Special attention should be paid to the questions that lead to reveal the self-identity rather than the origin, gender etc.
Practical workshop: The trainees will be to take their own portrait photos by a smartphone (or a tablet) in order to be printed on an A4 sheet
of paper as grayscale. Following, the trainees will be asked to make collages on the printed portraits of their own to make new and authentic
compositions with the pieces of the portraits shown in the presentation provided by the Handout 5.4.

ACTIVITY 5.4.1
PORTRAITS FOR DEEPER EMPATHY
Aims Demonstrate how an artistic activity may lead to a process of better knowing self and the others.
Present ways of getting the children acquainted with various art practices.
Gain the experience to implement digital technologies to artistic practices.
Recognize the importance of the concept of self and the others to the children.
Type of the activity PPT Presentation, use of digital tools and software, evaluation of the concepts and experiences discussed as
a group.
Materials Computer, video projector, A4 paper, Sticky papers, printer, scissors and glue, black and White prints of the
portraits, smart phone or tablet (for photo shooting)
Instructions Following the PPT presentation of selected artworks,

Invite the trainees to discuss the characteristics and anatomic features of a human face according to the
examples they shown at the presentation.
Make list of the features on the human face and explain them in short notes as follows:
• Where are the common components of the face located in relation to each other (the mouth is lower than
the nose, etc.)?
• What are the special features (eye colour, mouth size, freckles, etc)?
• What concepts can be reflected through various features of these components of the face (happiness,
anger, excitement, curiosity, profession, gender, age, life style, etc.)
• Write down the features of the anatomic components to make a face characteristic proposed by the
groups stick them on the board side by side.
• Write down the educational features to be reflected by the anatomic components to be thought to children
by simply analyzing a face and place them under the related component.
• Match the previous concepts with educational specifications revealing interrelation between the reflected
concept and the physical feature (big eyes – curious).
Shoot portrait photos of the trainees

Print them in black and white A4
Work on the printouts to enhance, change or manipulate the expressions by cutting and gluing the portraits
from the Handout 5.4. on to it as collages.
Group discussion on the printed and re-composed portraits, the process and the aesthetic value of the final
results.
Debriefing and evaluation of the activity

• Synthesis of what was learned through studying the face anatomy and applying collage techniques

The trainees can be invited to print half of their faces and complete the other half by hand with simple drawing
tools like crayons and color pencils. Another added value can be achieved by proposing each trainee to select
a portrait from a specific art movement (cubism, impressionism, etc.) and imitate the aesthetic features of this
movement by drawing/painting/collage and completing the missing half of their face, creating a contrast to
reveal the change between the manipulated and original image.


• Synthesis of what was learned through studying the face anatomy and applying collage techniques
• Synthesis of what was learned by physical features of the face

HANDOUT 5.4

CONCLUSION
This module fosters the teachers to observe and become aware of artistic expressions in different environment in different shapes and
scales, and to stimulate their students’ creativity via different playful techniques. Creativity is one of the vital features and characteristics of
humankind. It is also cannot be thought directly but it can be stimulated, amplified and exposed through structured and detailed activities
and assessments. The arts play an important role in human development, enhancing the growth of cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor
pathways in the brain. Also, learning the arts provides a higher quality of human experience throughout a person’s lifetime. Therefore,
application of art practices in pre-school education is highly important to provide children with a platform where they can freely apply their
creativity while receiving basic knowledge that will form not only the foundation of their further education but also their personality. What
counts today is to design an educational system focusing in the feature while taking the dynamics of today, which forces a global society
united in diversity.
Bibliography
1. Anning, A. (1999). Learning to Draw and Drawing to Learn. Journal of Art & Design Education, 18: 163-172. doi:10.1111/1468-
5949.00170
2. Thompson, D. K. (2010). Early childhood literacy education, wakefulness, and the arts, In L. Bresler, L. & C. Thompson, The arts in
children’s lives: context, culture, and curriculum (pp. 185-195). Dordrecht Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
3. Wright, S. (2010). Understanding creativity in early childhood: meaning-making and children’s drawings. Los Angeles, London: SAGE.
4. Page, J. (2000). Reframing the early childhood curriculum: educational imperatives for the future. London New York: Routledge.
5. Krogh, S. & Slentz, K. (2001). The early childhood curriculum. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum.
6. Masini, E.B. (1982). ‘Reconceptualizing Futures: A Need and a Hope’, World Future Society Bulletin, Nov.–Dec.: 1–8
7. Eisner E. W. (1997). Educating Artistic Vision. States of America: The Macmillan Company.
8. NAEA. (1994). The National Visual Arts Standarts. 1916 Association Drive, Reston Va 20191-1590.
9. Fox, J. E. & Schirrmacher, R. (2014). Art and Creative Development for Young Children. Cengage Learning.
10. Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context. New York: Oxford University Press.
11. Brittain, L. W. (1979). Creativity, art, and the young child. New York: Macmillan.
12. Kerekgyarto, C. I., & Kunne, D. A. (2007). Drama jatszasibol. (Playing drama.) Jaszbereny: Varosi Ovodai Intezmeny.
13. Sousa, David A. (2013). “From STEM to STEAM.” Using Brain-Compatible Strategies to Integrate the Arts. London: Corwin.
Useful website links (in English)

1. https://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/early-childhood-education-a-guide-for-parents/early-childhood-terminology/
2. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/learning/ecliteracy/interactingwithothers/Pages/
conceptsdevelopmentandvocabulary.aspx
3. http://www.nsead.org/Downloads/Blooms_Art_questioning.pdf

EDuca
tion a
nd DIg
ital Cu
ltural
LABo
ratory
EDucation and DIgital Cultural LABoratory

Co-fu
nd
Erasmu ed by the
of the s+ Prog
Euro ra
pean mme
Union
Guide
lines
Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programme
of the European Union
Toolkit
www.educlab.eu
Co-funded by the
Project Number: 2018-1-IT02-KA201-048316
Erasmus+ Programme This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This
of the European Union publication and all its contents reflect the views only of the author, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

EDUCLAB Training Handbook EN

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EDUCLAB Training Handbook EN

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

EDUCLAB Training Handbook EN

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EDucation and DIgital Cultural LABoratory

Module 1. Narratives and Oral Histories ..................................................................... 4

Module 2. Archaeology ................................................................................................. 17

Module 3. Tradition and Crafts .................................................................................... 33

Module 4. La natura ........................................................................................................48

Module 5. Art and Science ........................................................................................... 60

Early Childhood and STEAM Education

2 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

3 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Duration: 6 hours: 3 lessons of 2 hours each

Aim of the Module

Specific Objectives of the Module

4 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Reading workshops can also take place outside the kindergarten:

Use of high accessibility books: gamebooks

Interdisciplinarity (with reference to the STEAM approach

5 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Time 120 minutes

The Unit foresees:

Assessment Brainstorming activity and clustering ideas with post-its.

6 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Aims To create an inclusive and welcoming environment

Type of the activity Creative workshop in pairs

7 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Assessment Tool/Method Brainstorming with post-its:

• to reflect on the criteria for choosing a book

8 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Time 120 minutes

The Unit foresees:

Assessment Circle time activity

9 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Aims To get closer to different techniques of animated reading

Type of the activity Workshop to promote different styles of expression

Group size 3 groups of 6/8 persons

10 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

The circle time indeed:

11 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Time 120 minutes

Handouts/Activities Activity Sheet 1 “Experimenting in small groups”, Assessment sheet “Windows””

The Unit foresees:

Assessment Debriefing with the “Windows” activity.

12 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Type of the activity Work in small groups

Group size 6/7 persons

13 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

The activity has the following objectives:

14 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

FURTHER READING (RESOURCES)

Bibliography “Narratives and Oral Histories”

Bibliography on media education

15 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

16 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Duration: 6 hours (3 units of 2 hours each)

Aim of the Module

Specific Objectives of the Module

Interdisciplinarity (with reference to the STEAM approach)

18 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

19 IO2 EDUCLAB - Training Handbook

Time 120 minutes