From local heritage to World Heritage (LS-ES-724)
The context for the implementation
The nearby territory offers significant heritage elements that allow using of simulation as a teaching and learning practice. In this learning scenario, students will be able to learn about the places considered World Heritage Sites in Spain to make a reasoned proposal for the inclusion in this list of a site that is close to them and with which they feel emotionally identified.
The reflection process will be carried out on the Universidad Laboral (Gijón, Spain), the largest building constructed in Spain in the 20th century.
At the end of the project, students will produce a report showing whether the heritage site under analysis meets the requirements established by UNESCO for inclusion in the list of World Heritage Sites. To do so, they will learn about the process followed in other places where the nomination was positively evaluated.
During the process they will use different tools that will allow them to critically interpret heritage as a source of information in its historical context, taking into account the external factors (political, ideological) behind each proposal for selection, evaluation and conservation.
Implementing the Learning Scenario
The implementation of this scenario took place in April 2022. After the pandemic, which forced the adoption of a hybrid learning system, there was a return to a face-to-face model in which students increased cooperative strategies and soft skills within the classroom.
The students showed a high degree of involvement in the development of the project, completing all the phases. The sequence established made it possible to generate a link with a local heritage site, relate it to spaces already considered World Heritage Sites and develop a critical stance that was presented to a local authority.
Students had continuous feedback (the continuous diagnostic assessment involved a process of feedback during each of the tasks) on their work so that they knew what was expected from them.
The use of a rubric for self-evaluation by each group and co-evaluation between groups made it possible to revisit, rethink and introduce new perspectives. It also made it possible to focus attention on the aspects that needed to be further developed.
Afterthoughts:
The incorporation of Universal Design for Learning allowed the focus to shift towards the transmission of competencies, forming active and autonomous learners, who enhanced the ability to self-regulate.
The application of Bloom’s Taxonomy allowed students to develop skills that use the knowledge acquired as a tool for solving problems, interpreting new situations, comparing, establishing cause-effect relationships and generating their ideas.
The application of the Cornell method of note-taking favoured active listening during the work in the cooperative groups. This made it possible to organise the information visually to prepare the final reports.
The implementation of the scenario was developed in parallel with the explanation of Contemporary History so that students were able to understand the development of totalitarian ideologies and the use of art and propaganda as a way of consolidating power.
Finally, the integration of self-assessment and metacognition made it possible for students to progress at their own pace, being aware of what they were learning at each moment. In addition, they worked on critical and reflective thinking, making deep understanding possible. In short, the aim was to make students the protagonists of their learning.
Padlet with the implementation of the project:
On Europeana Resources:
Students worked with Europeana resources after learning about the different types of licenses. They discovered the possibilities offered by Europeana to learn about European cultural heritage and understood the advantages of using digital resources for work.
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CC BY-SA 4.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the PMR Maeyaert .