Abstract:

Can conventional applications of web 2.0 tools make a difference when teaching and learning history? Which are the best tools and how can teachers adapt strategies and activities so that students become engage in their own learning? How can Romanesque Art become alive? How can it be brought into the classroom in a meaningful way?.

These challenging questions led the second year students of the Bachelor Degree of Science in Education at the University of Andorra, from the subjects of Education in Cultural Heritage of Andorra and Technologies, Learning and Knowledge (TAC), to open a debate about what kind of methodologies or strategies are the most appropriate for a meaningful learning of history and heritage in schools.

The interdisciplinary project was born from the need to connect the formal curriculum of social sciences in schools, normally focused on traditional learning and assessment activities, with the different possibilities that cultural heritage offers within the environment as a real history laboratory.

The main goal was to design an innovative educational experience to engage preschool and primary students in cultural heritage learning, and more specifically in the Romanesque Art. Students were to design teaching materials to be used by primary school teachers in Andorra.

Two specific goals are underlined. The first one deals with the aim of using the Romanesque ruins, spread throughout the Andorran territory, as a primary source to provide students a window into the past, bringing the youngest students into close contact with heritage. The second goal is to develop a single, powerful web 2.0 tool to embrace, implement and support an inclusive and multi-disciplinary approach in order to influence how kids approach cultural heritage and history in general.

Finally, the didactic proposal was concreted in the design of a web site on the Romanesque with orientations for teachers and activities for schoolchildren. The structure of the learning proposal site, along with the consensus of goals, activities, and knowledge and digital competences, allow to visualize an approach that seeks to ensure a significant learning process. This multi-disciplinary site walks participants through a comprehensive and didactic exploration of the Romanesque in Andorra and provides information as well as activities to make learning more meaningful.

This project was submitted to the Andorran Ministry of Education and it is offered to schools through the University of Andorra website. It has been a real challenge for both teachers and students to design a new learning environment which encourages an active involvement of students, with a focus wherein the child is the true protagonist and activities are designed to playfully and attractively enhance all their skills.

Keywords:

Collaborative work, engaging learning, primary school, university.