It worked for me: key stage 3 cameos
Contents | If it’s so important, why haven’t we done it before?
Designing a visitor’s centre for Chesters Fort
Over a hundred key stage 3 pupils from 12 different secondary schools
in Cheshire participated in one of a series of three residential visits
to sites along Hadrian's Wall as part of a history and citizenship project
organised by John O’Boyle, former advisory teacher of Chesire
LEA, and John Crossland from the University of Manchester Archaeology
Field Unit.
Chesters Roman Fort, Hadrian’s Wall
The aim of the project was for the pupils to create proposals for a
visitor's centre at the English Heritage site at Chesters Roman Fort.
Pupils needed to draw on a range of historical and archaeological evidence
to accurately interpret aspects of life in Roman Britain and make them
accessible to a wide audience. In addition they had to consider how
their plans for a visitor’s centre might impact on the immediate
environment and the local community.
Visiting the sites
Each site visit took two days and the follow-up work approximately
5–10 hours to complete. The pupils visited four sites starting
with the Museum of Antiquities in the University of Newcastle before
going on to see the reconstructions at Segedunum and the Roman forts
at Arbeia and Chesters.
At the Museum of Antiquities the pupils were given background information
about key features of Roman Britain including Hadrian's Wall. The pupils
examined a range of Roman artefacts and learnt about the archaeological
techniques used in restoring and interpreting them.
At the Segedunum and Arbeia sites the pupils reflected critically on
how archaeological evidence is presented to the public. The pupils considered
how archaeologists had analysed their finds to draw conclusions about
the past; they examined various interpretations of Roman life and what
Hadrian's Wall might actually have looked like. They discussed ethical
issues relating to building reconstructions on ancient monuments.
On arrival at Chesters historical site the pupils began to draw on
what they had learnt so far and started to form proposals for a visitor’s
centre. They were asked to:
Returning to school the pupils worked on their ideas for a visitor's
centre at Chesters for a presentation to an audience of parents and teachers.
The pupils developed their proposals with creativity and imagination.
One school presented their proposal as a drama exercise while another
used models produced during design and technology lessons to illustrate
their ideas. Yet another school devised a PowerPoint presentation to put
across their ideas.
Our proposal for
a Visitor's Centre at Chesters Fort
Middlewich High School
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What are our aims?
- We want people to understand what life was like at Chesters
Roman fort.
- We want people to understand what it is like to be an archaeologist
or historian.
- We want people to understand that we are not certain about the
past.
- We want people to experience the process that archaeologists
and historians go through.
|
How should we
use the evidence?
How should we represent the past?
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Should
we build reconstructions on the site of ancient monuments?
Barrack block and Commander’s house at Arbeia
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Should we build reconstructions?
- We should not build reconstructions on the sites of ancient
monuments because future generations may develop techniques that
enable them to find out more about the past.
- Many people learn from reconstructions. We would like to build
reconstruction near to ancient monuments.
|
How should we
use artefacts?
-
 We
should identify where artefacts have been found using plaques.
 We
should build replica artefacts and then bury them so they can
be used to recreate the role of the archaeologist. |
Should we use modern technology?
 Modern
technology can be very useful as it can show people what life
and buildings were like in Roman times. We
would like to use models and graphics to show what we think life
at Chesters fort would have been like.- We also want to use models and computer graphics to show that
there are alternative interpretations. We would like the visitors
to make up their own minds.
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How can we make
learning fun?
- We should put something in for everybody: young people, old
people, visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners.
- Activities should be ‘hands on’ so people can try
things out for themselves. It is only by doing that we get to
understand how things really work.
- We should use human beings as guides and re-enactors wherever
possible. People learn the most from talking and interacting with
other people.
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The pupils drew on their experience of a wide range of historical and
archaeological evidence in formulating their ideas. They questioned each
other on the best ways to present their information and several pupils
felt that they had gained a greater insight into the nature and reliability
of historical evidence because they had been asked to consider how it
would be represented to a wider audience. Many pupils continued to refine
their ideas for the visitor's centre; one school redrafted their presentation
five times before delivering it to the parents.
There were also long term benefits from this project. The pupils continued
to show authority and self-assurance in class discussions on their return
to school. This encouraged many pupils to become more inquisitive and
analytical in their learning during subsequent history lessons.
For further information on Past below ground, Archaeology and Education
Consultancy, University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, contact John
Crossland at johncrossland@ntlworld.com.
