Teaching by Anthropologists - Fieldwork in secondary education
Project Number: DK1
Country: Denmark
Institutions/Departments: Moesgaard Museum
Publication/Material: Fieldwork : Anthropological method for gymnasium (Feltarbejde : antropologisk metode i gymnasiet), K. P. Helligsøe, L. Beck, M. B. Lehrmann, 2017, LR Uddannelse: https://www.lru.dk/feltarbejde-0
Project leader and contact person: Kasper Pape Helligsøe: kh@moesgaardmuseum.dk
Line Beck: lb@moesgaardmuseum.dk
Duration: Ongoing
Short Description:
This project gives gymnasium students tools for understanding local phenomena in larger perspectives: grasping integration and European politics from the stories of children in an asylum centre, colonialism and resource extraction through a photo series from Greenland, or Danish nationalism by attending Sankt Hans bonfires. Allowing students to explore how people understand and relate to the world helps them understand how knowledge is forged through experience, observation, conversation, and by collecting objects and pictures. In collaboration with gymnasiums in Mid-Jutland, the project has developed a wide range of teaching materials and concrete exercises specifically designed for use in gymnasiums. Hands-on method exercises train students to be curious about the world, while field projects allow them to experience that they too can create knowledge.
Implementation: The project offers three courses: a basic introduction to fieldwork, project design for field trips and theme courses tailored to specific academic subjects. Taught by two teachers to ensure dialogue, the course is held either at the gymnasium or in the museum. For students: Basic course: 1) Fieldwork and 2) Fieldtrip: Pre-trip introduction to fieldwork and the theories behind it; a methods workshop; guidance in designing a field project. Post-trip introduction to analysis of student produced material with a view to presentation in the form of text, exhibition or visual product. Emphasis is on analytical reflection on the material gathered and methodological reflection during fieldwork. For teachers: Basic courses in teaching fieldwork, and field trip - preparation and analysis.
Approach/Method: Coursework, method exercises, fieldwork
Type: Training in methods, fieldwork design and analysis
Funding: Secondary schools (gymnasiums), Moesgaard Museum
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.