Implementation of “A timeline of women’s rights in Europe” (SOI-HR-384)
Author: Karolina Dasović, English and German teacher
School/Organization: High school “Srednja škola Donji Miholjac“, Donji Miholjac, Croatia
Why this LS
I have chosen the learning scenario called “A timeline of women’s rights in Europe” because it
addresses very important topics, such as feminism, suffragettes and women’s rights. I came across
this LS while I was researching Europeana blog, looking for some interesting LS that I could
incorporate into my teaching.
This is the story of implementation of LS called “A timeline of women’s right in Europe” created by
Angela Capezzuto, which deals with human rights, especially women’s rights, feminism and
suffragettes with the focus on Europe. It was implemented with a group of 17–18-year-old
students in my English class and I incorporated it into curriculum for English as a foreign language
and for Civic Education. I decided to use this LS in March, because in March the international
women’s day is celebrated and I wanted to do something differently this year with my students in
class. It was carried out during 4 lessons. Some parts of the LS were changed in order to fit my
student’s needs and some additional activities were added, for the same reason. I also had to
make some adaptations because I have a blind student in that class. Some of the students already
had some experience with Europeana and Historiana resources because they participated in some
other school projects, but there were also students with no prior experience with digital heritage.
How I implemented this LS
The entire implementation was divided into 3 parts.
PART 1-CLASSROOM (2×45 min)
In this part students were given context and they had to explore different terms such as feminism,
gender equality, suffragette by researching Europeana blog, by taking part in discussions and by
watching a video. For most of the time we followed the learning scenario, but I also made few
changes. To raise awareness and collect students’ reactions I added some additional questions to
really get my students involved and to get them start speaking English. I also used a different
video than in LS, because it was more suitable for comprehension check in English. Another
change I made was to create the QR code with all the links to Europeana blogs for easier access
and a follow up discussion was added, because I wanted my students to exchange the information
found on Europeana. Furthermore, for brainstorming the term “Feminism, I used a different
digital tool because my students were not familiar with coggle. I also added the discussion
because it was important to hear my student’s opinions and to give them the opportunity to
practice expressing their opinion in English. In the last part of the lesson, I used the video “Can a
man be feminist”, but I changed the activity. Instead of group work and presenting brainstormed
ideas, I encouraged my students (especially male) to engage into a real discussion and to practice
speaking English. (25 min)
PART 2- FLIPPED CLASSROOM
Students were given homework. In pairs, they had to pick one feminist and make a presentation,
paying attention to historical setting, societal taboos and legislation. They researched Europeana,
Historiana and Wikipedia.
PART 3- CLASSROOM (2×45 min)
This last part was also altered. Instead of making human timeline, students presented their feminists in front of the class, using the timeline made on interactive board Padlet. In the end we had an evaluation.
Students were given handouts with the following sentences:
1. Name 3 things that you have learned.
2. Name 2 things that you found surprising.
3. Name 1 thing that you would like to explore more.
They were also asked to write feedback at the end of the lesson on an interactive board Lino.it.
LINKS TO MATERIALS:
A TIMELINE OF WOMEN RIGHTS IN EUROPE.pptx
Students’ activities during lessons
Human timeline in the classroom
WHAT DID MY STUDENTS LEARN?
At the end of this learning scenario my students have brushed up their listening, reading and speaking skills, they have developed an increased awareness towards gender equality and a positive attitude towards women activists. They improved the so called 21st century skills such as collaborative work and critical thinking. All this could be seen in their reactions and participation during the lesson. They actively took part in the learning scenario, did all the activities and discussed about the given questions. They also presented their attitudes and opinions on the given topic and gave an oral presentation about one female activist. Also, based on the student’s evaluation, they all enjoyed learning this way and exploring cultural heritage.
I think that this learning scenario offers many different possibilities and gives you the opportunity to adapt some parts and make them more meaningful for your own students.
FROM MY POINT OF VIEW
I really enjoyed and liked working with Europeana resources because I have found a place of endless inspiration. I also think that cultural heritage is very important and should be part of learning process and Europeana, along with Historiana, offers so many different possibilities and resources that one can use in class. At first it might seem a bit overwhelming when you try to research the different topics, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite easy to find exactly what you need. I found it easier to make my own list by putting links together that refer to the same topic. I did the same with my students-I gave them a list of links they can research in order to complete their task.
As for this particular learning scenario, I found many other resources on Europeana that could also be used and implemented in this scenario, such as videos, galleries and newspaper articles. It all comes down to what you want your students to do with it. So, I would definitely recommend using Europeana resources whether if it’s for making your own or using the existing learning scenarios.
Did you find this story of implementation interesting? Why don’t you read about the related learning scenario? A Timeline of women’s rights in Europe (IT-LS-559) created by Angela Capezzuto
Did you find this story of implementation interesting? You might also like:
- Gender Beliefs and Stereotypes in Professional Activities (LS-DI-569), implemented by Ana Alves
- Implementation of ‘Gender Inequality in Workplaces’ (SOI-ES-113), implemented by Misa Belvila
- Changing role of women in early 20th century, implemented by Niina Vantanen
Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? Click here.
Public Domain Mark 1.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the National Academic Library and Information System Foundation.