Abstract:

The mission of schooling is to develop intellectual and research skills in learners holistically and in balance to prepare them for lifelong learning. The aim is to take full advantage of the dynamics between required training and respective training offers so as to integrate the learner in the community and in the labour market. It was felt that one way of achieving some of these goals would be by participating in interdisciplinary activities between the art history and English language classes in the Tourism, Culture and Heritage Management as well as Tourism Information courses.

A pedagogical experiment was set up in order to change this system in line with the directives proposed by the Bologna process; that is, to bring about a form of teaching that is based less on transmitting knowledge and is more directed at developing skills. Thus, an active method is proposed where the student is the true actor and the object of study is our surroundings – the city of Lamego. Projects are, therefore, carried out together (in art history and English language). The aim is to motivate students’ learning and awareness with regards to their surroundings for promotion later in their own language and in English.
Convinced of the ineffectiveness of a passive classroom methodology which considers students into mere receivers of knowledge, we aimed at a teaching methodology more based on developing skills. As a result of these observations, and with the aim of promoting a dialogue and congregating efforts with local authorities, the idea of creating interdisciplinary activities between art history and English language classes emerged.

In this context, the historical centre of Lamego has shown itself to be a place worth studying and promoting due to its historical wealth and the diversity of its heritage. These interdisciplinary activities offer students unique opportunities to broaden their knowledge of the local heritage and to improve their professional skills, while the student practices English, thereby gaining professional experience as well as experience for life.

In this way we intend to make higher education more attractive and bring it closer to the interests of society, allowing young people to make a choice that will bring them greater personal satisfaction, prepare them better for the competitive world and provide greater skills in critical thinking. A further aim is to raise their awareness that education is a lifelong process and not limited to a certain period of life and as such, it is a process of constant renewal. In areas of learning connected to tourism, it is particularly important since tourism deals with local realities that are in a state of constant change. On the other hand, students have a clear advantage for their professional lives: through the interdisciplinary activities they can show their future employers that they are capable of interacting with culturally different people from different age groups as well as showing that they are independent and flexible.

Keywords:

project-based learning, interdisciplinarity, tourism.