Educator Workshops
Continual Professional Development (CPD) for Teachers
HWTMA is experienced in delivering training for teachers and educators on methods and techniques for using maritime archaeology to enrich formal education and curriculum work and/or extra-curricular activites such as clubs and societies. Such sessions can be delivered on-site (e.g. at your school) or off-site (at a mutually convenient venue). Please contact us for an informal discussion.
Case Study: In 2010 HWTMA ran a residential workshop for teachers, looking at how maritime archaeology can support and enhance the national curriculum at primary and secondary level. It explored a range of resources and activity ideas and demonstrated how maritime archaeology can provide a stimulating and engaging focus for cross-curricular topics and themes.The format of the workshop promoted participation and interaction between participants and facilitators. It provided a unique platform for exploring and exchanging ideas and approaches. The workshop took place at Fairthorne Manor, Southampton.
Sessions included:
An introduction to maritime archaeology in England - Nature and extent of resource and how it relates to the curriculum
Hands-on learning - A participatory session working with a range of handling collections that can be used in schools, containing artefacts and replicas plus an electronic educational resource.
Maritime archaeology in schools - Case studies of successful hands-on, activity-based sessions in the classroom and beyond
In the field - hulks (historic/industrial wrecks on the foreshore) and survey to engage and enthuse
What's in your area? Maritime archaeology on your doorstep
Risk assessments, Health & Safety - Don't let it put you off
HWTMA plan to run similar events in the future, to register your interest or for further information, please contact us.
Feedback from the teachers
History teacher, High School, Dorset: "I have used far more archeological techniques in history skills lessons and PLTS focused lessons. Students enjoy it in particular as we are much more active. IÂ did the shipwreck style lesson. I enjoy it as much if not more than they do!
We are developing our schemes for KST3 and I am trying to include more maritime history of Poole and shipwrecks. I am developing this around Brownsea island/pirates and the merchants of Poole."
History/Geography Co-ordinator, Primary School, Hampshire: "We have just completed a topic called 'Hidden Treasures' where we were able to draw on some on some of the ideas from the course.
We started with a 'hook' day where we had different activities for the ch to try (a bit like as you guys demo'd on the course!) with dressing up in diving gear, looking at the CD-Roms/books/resources from the course, looking at some ship wreak artefacts, maps and photos of ships, match up activities, etc.
We then moved into looking at marine archaeology through the idea of 'time capsules'. Each teacher planned and prepared resources for a different sailor throughout history and the ch used the clues from the 'time capsules' to find out who it was."
History teacher, Secondary School, Sussex: "I thought it was basically excellent from start to finish. If you are thinking of running the workshop again, I think it would be a good idea to focus on the science and geography departments - they are generally looking for interesting ways of presenting ideas that the children find unusual and exciting. I know that at my school, I have colleagues in both departments who would be very excited about attending the workshop. If you are running it again this year, let me know and I'll pass that on to them.
Overall - I think that the workshop was an excellent idea and it has certainly made an impact at CNCS - unfortunately, the nature of secondary teaching is that we are so restricted by the national curriculum, exam teaching requirements etc, it is very difficult for us to teach the children anything interesting. Our fault, not yours."
Background
The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) comes from a tax imposed by the government on companies that extract marine aggregate from the seabed around the UK's coast. The Fund aims to reduce the environmental impacts of the extraction of aggregates, both on land and from the sea and to deliver benefits to areas subject to these impacts.
Part of the fund is distributed by English Heritage and has been used to produce educational resources for use in schools and beyond. For the past three years, English Heritage, through the ALSF, have funded the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology to run workshops for educators, promoting the existence of these resources and more generally, maritime heritage as an educational resource. In the past these workshops have been aimed at educators from outside of the school environment. The April 2010 workshop is aimed specifically at teachers currently working within schools.
Previous Workshops for EducatorsHWTMA have gained a great deal of experience over the past 18 years, through devising, developing and delivering education and outreach resources and activities around marine heritage and maritime archaeology for all ages and sectors of the community.
Thanks to funding from Defra through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, administered by English Heritage, the Trust has been able to cascade the learning and experience gained to date, through 'Maritime Archaeology Access and Learning Workshops'.
Between 2007 and 2009, this ALSF funded project enabled HWTMA to deliver workshops for organisations and individuals who have the potential to organise activities and events that could include the themes of marine archaeology and aggregates. By informing and educating the facilitators of such events, capacity to deliver events and activities with a marine and heritage theme is increased nationally. This, in turn, enables a wider audiences to be reached all over the country.
Four workshops have brought together over eighty heritage and education professionals from a range of backgrounds including heritage, education, the dive industry and marine biology. The successful workshop format comprises a two day residential programme with a mixture of presentations on a variety of subjects such as PR, Health and Safety and funding. Group discussions led by HWTMA and foreshore fieldtrips show how maritime archeaology can be used as a valuable teaching resource.
The geographic spread of delegates attending the courses has been varied with people travelling from as far afield as Carlisle, Sunderland and even Luxembourg. While we had enquiries from America and Australia, the funding source meant that it was most appropriate to offer places to people from within the UK. It was clear that delegates were prepared to travel long distances to take part in the workshops.
Feedback from all delegates has been extremely positive and indicates that such provision was much in need. It provided an opportunity to share ideas and benefit from shared best practice within the sector. The risk assessment session was particularly popular with delegates and it certainly allayed fears of taking out groups to the foreshore which has been viewed as potentially hazardous in the past. Another very popular element was time allocated for people to have round-table discussions, network and share ideas. The residential aspect of the course meant that the evening could be spent developing ideas and discussion which often continued late into the night.