Excursion report – History
Following the Australian Curriculum History learning area, students attended an excursion to the Queensland Museum to learn more about how histories can be communicated through items, artefacts and photos. The Queensland Museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, offered students an insightful experience to explore, investigate and inquire about many things, including historical cultures. Originally the excursion was designed to introduce students to what an artefact is and how they can tell stories about peoples’ history. Linking to the Australian Curriculums (ACARA) history content ‘ACHASSK013 How the stories of families and the past can be communicated, for example, through photographs, artefacts, books, oral histories,
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During the excursion, it became clear, that the excursion had opened a whole new world to the students. Not only did the museum offer hands-on workshops for school groups, the students visited other areas to the museum including an investigation area. The investigation area held lots of remarkable artefacts from animal species to Australian cultural heritage. Children could open explore and view historical artefacts from the past (appendix 3). The students were very excited to see items that their family’s older generations might have, or toys like one they might have. The EYLF describes the importance of learning environments being spaces where children can reflect and enrich their lives while responding to their interests and needs (DEEWR, 2010). This sparked interest in students to bring items from home to share with the class, providing the opportunity to create a museum in the classroom. Affording an opportunity for educators to be responsive to the children and to strengthen the responsive learning relationship by permitting children and educators to learn together and share in the decision process of how they were going to create their own museum. (DEEWR, …show more content…
(appendix 4). This provided a unique spontaneous opportunity for the teacher to future scaffold children’s learning about Australia’s cultural history, as well as providing an opportunity for children to share their cultural history. Broadbent (2015) describes how Identity starts with our own cultural background, acknowledge and have awareness of your own culture and the various identities that make each of us who we are (p.31). By exploring cultures, children will begin to identify common concepts across the different cultures (Broadbent, 2015). Visiting the museum extending students learning further into the history learning area of the curriculum. Williams Resor (2010) concludes that placed-based learning or excursions are worthwhile as they offer students the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, learn to identify influences and to make judgement of the value of the experience (p.188). Looking at the Australian cultural artefacts provided opportunities for the class to link the history content ACHASSK011 Who the people in their family are, where they were born and raised and how they are related to each other (ACARA,
stage for the development of Australian cultural identity and the values, attitudes and beliefs of
But familiar landmarks and also the unfamiliar ones aren't the whole make-up of Australia's heritage. It's the people that make a difference. Australia is made up of people from all walks of life who have migrated here for different reasons. Among these, the most common migrants are from Greece, Italy, Russia and Asia. Australia is made up of material culture: the places and objects, but also Living culture: In forms such as Music, Crafts, Literature etc. It is an interplay between international cultures and beliefs, the claims of nationalism and ethnic and religious traditions, as well as the local and community priorities that’s make up the unique Australian heritage.
...kins , T. (2012). History Alive 10 for the Australian Curriculum. Milton, Qld, Australia. Retrieved March 28, 2014
The Children’s Museum of Tacoma celebrates the power of play in the life-long journey of learning. We share the mission, vision and philosophy of Children’s Museums across the nation, museum’s that are changing standards and leading the implementation of informal learning in the development of the young child. The Children’s Museum of Tacoma positively influences the social, emotional and cognitive abilities of our Pierce County children, families and communities.
A guided tour of the centre allows for experience of discovery of Aboriginal history for children and adults to explore and be able to visualise history through life size diorama displays. Each one of the displays depicts different aspects of Aboriginal people participating in trade, Family gatherings’, hunting as well as many other communal activities to discover. With the assistance of a guided tour, by a member from the Bangerang community, the children and adults, will be taken on a journey throughout the building yarning about each of dioramas and their
The museum seems it was designed as for more formal, intensive learning.3 It was a lot of textual information to take in one visit. The jeep exhibition was a nice change of pace from the long wall of text beside it. This gave the opportunity for guests who don’t read the texts to experience a visual aspect, perfect of the imaginative learner.3 The exhibit does appeal to the analytical learner some through a small amount of text, more interpretation and visual learning is involved within the aspect. As McCarty explains, an exhibit should provide something for all four types of learners from different angles.4 I believe it was a wonderful display and my favorite portion of the museum.
...troversy as all countries have lost, to a great or lesser extent, treasures of national renown and significance over time. Wars, theft, treasure seeking, changing boundaries and migration have all in some way contributed to this diaspora of art. There is clear evidence that the historic placing of objects in locations remote from their origin has on occasion afforded protection and preservation, The Elgin Marbles in The British Museum being a case in point. However, given the overarching principle of self determination it is difficult to argue that serendipitous historic placement is sufficient reason for items of true national heritage to be kept indefinitely. A world-wide system of touring exhibitions and cultural exchange, with context being provided by the originating society may provide the natural progression to the accessible widening of people’s experiences.
A modern museum displaying pieces from a variety of time periods must carefully consider where each object is placed in relation to the space it is in and the other objects around it. As Branham mentions in her article, placing two objects from different time periods with vastly different meanings near each other can cause the viewer to unconsciously relate the two in their minds. This takes away the power over the viewer that some religious and cult objects had in their original settings. One way to solve this is to give each object some context on its display plaque. However, reading a description of an objects original meaning can only go so far to a viewer.
Finding out about antiques, relics, and customs through narrating has formed who I am. These three things have inhabited of all societies to realize who they are. Family customs demonstrate how individuals experience their lives and cooperate with others. They additionally indicate how individuals respond when a relative weds into a group of an alternate ethnic foundation. Relics are great cases of material things that can instruct about one 's family history. Antiquities show who individuals are. This is valid for every single ethnic foundation.
The indigenous people of Australia, called the Aborigines, are the oldest culture found on Earth. Studies show that the Aboriginal genome can be traced back seventy-five thousand years to when this community first migrated from Africa to Australia. As the oldest known continuous culture, their traditions and rituals have thrived even though the world around them has changed so drastically. In this paper I’d like to talk about the history of Aboriginal cultures in Australia, their cultural rituals and how their culture has been so heavily influenced and changed over the last few decades.
When building a classroom, the indoor learning environment will be influenced by the building and play area that surrounds the building. A classroom needs to have adequate space for children to play, explore and learn. Children need to have continuous access to water, bathrooms and a sink for handwashing. Although each room or center will be different they need to maintain areas that are easily and safely supervised from all areas of the classroom. The space needs to be organized into learning centers with well-defined areas. Areas such as science, art, sensory, bathrooms and eating areas need to be near a water source. Other areas such as block areas, library and housekeeping should be kept in areas with large area rugs or carpet.
CEW Bean, Anzac to Amiens: A Shorter History, Halstead Press, Sydney, 1946 2. M Mckernan, Here is Their Spirit: A History Of The Australian War Memorial, University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, 1991 3. KS Inglis & J Brazier, Sacred Places: War Memorials In The Australian Landscape, The Miegunyah Press, 1998 4. P Dennis, J Grey, E Morris, R Prior & J Connor, The Oxford Companion To Australian Military History, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1995 5.
The class I visited is comprised of 24 five and six year old children, a lead teacher and a ‘Para-Pro” who assists the teacher and provides support and guidance for the children. Within the classroom itself, there are 6 tables organized in the center of the room in a grid formation. Children have their own workspace at a shared table. Around the perimeter of the room are ‘centers’ where each day, the children work on tasks such as listening, story development, gross and fine motor skills, math, reading and other important skills that are needed to develop socially and academically. In several places on the walls, there are displays or ‘brag boards’ where children can post their work that they feel best represents their efforts. The walls are brightly decorated and are filled with pictures, letters, numbers and other basic elementary school information. It is energizing and interesting without being chaotic or overstimulating.
...ormal education to step up and play a more significant role. Informal education activities should no longer be looked upon as "a day away from school" but rather an opportunity to further learning and have fun doing it. Informal education settings are unique from the usual classroom location so it is refreshing to learn in a different place, just like so many students enjoy when they learn as a class outside in the warm breeze after a long cold winter. Informal education provides students with a new outlook on learning and makes them more attentive. But more importantly, informal education assists formal education; it does not replace it by any means. While it is hard to find a "perfect exhibit" to fit everyone’s needs, informal educators are doing the best they can. In the words of Frank Oppenheimer, founder of the San Francisco Exploratorium, "no one flunks museum."
Steve prefers to work with middle aged children, for younger children make him uncomfortable and older children are too political. Prior to the case study he had low expectations for the children, for he believed the parents are not educating their children enough. As a result, during the first school trip he ignored the new format and preceded giving the group a traditional tour of the museum. During the second school trip Steve was an “roaming expert (Allen and Crowley 94)”, so he would walk through the exhibits, as a source of guidance, but also as an observer. Therefore, during the second visit Steve had the opportunity to realize how educated and excited the children were about the museum and its exhibit, for the children had learned about this topic prior to entering the museum. At my internship at the Historical Society, I got to observe a second grade walking tour and I remember being mesmerized about how educated the children were about Frederick’s history, but also how the students were applying the information they obtained in class into the tour. Both Steve and I learned that in-classroom preparation prior to visiting a museum can truly make an education program more rewarding for the students and the museum