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With the project School of Renewal for New Generations, we are bringing cultural heritage closer to teachers and, indirectly, to students themselves; cultural heritage in the area is rapidly disappearingadapting to new, foreign trends and in some places transforming itself beyond recognition, while traditional skills and old knowledge are being lost to oblivion, and with them a wide variety of traditional professions; and, last but not least, the very identity of our area is gradually being lost.
The main objective of the project is to create an inter-institutional environment and a new teaching practice for a more systematic education of the new generations in primary school about cultural heritage itself and the process of renovation of buildings as important competences and values for life and work in the 21st century. century.
Together with partners, we analysed curricula and activity days in Slovenia and Norway and together developed a new innovative method for teaching cultural heritage in primary schools with cross-curricular links.
We tested the new approach through a non-invasive study based on neurological testing Children’s emotional and cognitive responses to heritage education. The research was carried out as part of a cultural day at the Archaeological Park in Simon’s Bay in Izola, during classes at the Ivan Grohar Primary School in Škofja Loka and in Norway.
We have prepared four teacher’s guides by educational period with open learning preparations and “a heritage chest” with didactic aidswhich can be adapted to existing and upcoming curricula in compulsory and optional subjects, with a focus on cultural heritage.
To introduce new practices, we also run workshops for additional teacher training.
With funding from the Norwegian Mechanism, we:
- Renovating the former town hall in Škofja Loka’s old town centre and transforming it into a learning laboratory dedicated to educating teachers and young people.
- Created a didactic corner Gallery under Homan’s lime tree at the Ivan Grohar Primary School, bringing the cultural heritage of the local environment closer to the pupils.
In the project “A school of renewal for new generations and 21st century heritage” the Association of Historic Towns of Slovenia (ZZMS) as the lead partner, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (ZVKDS), the University of Primorska (UPFHŠ), Škofa Loka School Centre, the Secondary School of Woodworking (ŠCŠL SŠL), Ivan Grohar Primary School (OŠIG), Škofja Loka Municipality (OBŠL) and the Norwegian organisation MAGMA Geopark AS (MAGMA).