Using heritage as an effective teaching tool
May 27, 2009
The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) and the Institute of Jamaica's Division of Museums of History and Ethnography will be hosting a special heritage workshop for secondary school teachers of history, social studies and culture agents in school. The workshop is designed to show teachers a variety of different ways of using heritage as an effective teaching tool in the classroom and will be held on Tuesday, June 2 at the Institute of Jamaica Auditorium, 10-16 East Street, Kingston from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Teachers will be able to participate in a variety of specialist presentations designed to assist them in their teaching of the national curriculum. The resources of the JNHT and the IOJ are listed as educational resources in the national curriculum and the monuments and collections of artefacts can be used as effective teaching tools in the teaching of History, English, Geography, as well as the development of critical thinking and literacy in students of all ages. Both organisations aim to increase the number of teachers and students who visit the heritage sites and use the collections.
Guest speaker will be archaeologist Dr. Robyn Woodward, Simon Fraser University, who will present on New Seville. Dr. Robyn Woodward has directed the excavations of Sevilla la Nueva, the first Spanish capital of Jamaica, for the past seven years. Technical Director of Archaeology at the JNHT Dorrick Gray will discuss ways in which Jamaica's tangible heritage can enable students to understand their history, with particular reference to Port Royal while Dr Rebecca Tortello of the Ministry of Education, will be discussing ways in which heritage can be incorporated into successful classroom teaching.
Teachers will then be able to tour the exhibition 'XAYMACA: Life in Spanish Jamaica' with the exhibition curators and Education Officers from the Museums Division of the Institute of Jamaica. They will also have the opportunity to circulate around the different divisions of the Institute, including the exhibition 'Port Royal' that explores the fascinating history of Jamaica's living heritage city.
For further information contact:
Jamaica National Heritage Trust
(876) 922-1287-8 / 922-3990
pubed@jnht.com
