Abstract:

The emergence of opportunities for contemporary education, based on knowledge of cultural heritage, meets the current trends in the educational process related to the development of the individual in the context of globalization and the information society. The cultural organizations which include the museums, according to the current Bulgarian legislation, have the task of researching, preserving and presenting cultural and historical values with a cognitive, educational and aesthetic purpose. The museum environment ensures the realization of the pedagogical process by facilitating the acquisition of new knowledge, the development of creative thought and communication skills.

The history museums in Bulgaria have a long tradition in the implementation of a variety of educational programs addressed to different target groups of audiences. This paper presents the results of a research conducted under the research project entitled “Research of Contemporary Educational Programs of Cultural Institutions in Bulgaria“, won in 2019 Competition for Financial Support for Projects of Junior Basic Researchers and Postdocs, organized by the Bulgarian National Science Fund, part of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria, Contract № KP-06-M35/3 from 18.12.2019, led by Assist. Sonya Spasova, PhD.

Museums in the country are the object of the current research. After the selection is made, this paper provides up-to-date information on initiatives taken by the National and some Regional History Museums in 2019 in several areas: sustainable educational programs (related to calendar holidays and traditional customs, national holidays, celebrated dates, events and personalities); long-term educational programs (courses, jointly with schools, universities, kindergartens, cultural organizations, etc.); thematic educational programs (discourse, museum lesson, workshops, etc.). The main criterion for the choice of the institutions presented is the presence of various and numerous educational activities during the studied period, outlining good practices in this regard.

The implementation of the current educational initiatives in a museum environment is one of the aspects for successful implementation of the communicative museum policy. Educational methods serve not only to acquire new knowledge, but also to form a public museum consciousness and a moral responsibility to cultural and historical values.

Keywords:

Museum, educational program, cultural heritage, good practices.