‘Cyprus, a Classroom without Walls:’ An outdoor education manual
Along with implementing a series of projects on History and Peace Education, one of the key accomplishments of the AHDR is the production of supplementary educational materials for educators and young people. In 2022, the AHDR published a two-volume manual for educators titled: ‘Cyprus, A Classroom without Walls: A Teachers’ Guide to Engaging with Significant Sites,’ which contains a theoretical component and different lesson plans on study visits.
The publication targets educators in lower and upper secondary education (students between the ages 11-18. Its contents include a pedagogic chapter on the value of educational visits, an architectural chapter on understanding Cypriot architecture and lesson plans on 16 locations of cultural, historic and/or environmental significance across the existing divide in Cyprus. Educators may acquire physical and digital copies of the manual free of charge (available in Greek, Turkish and English). Supportive material in the three languages is also provided on the AHDR website.
Let’s Walk… Cyprus! – Teacher Training and Study Visits
To ensure the sustainability of the ‘Classroom without Walls’ project, the AHDR will be organizing and leading a series of study visits to the 16 locations included in the publication for educators from all communities in Cyprus. Study visits will draw on the educational methods and resources laid out in the publication and will combine a classroom component (delivery of learning goals, a scenario, teamwork activities) and an educational walk of each location with local experts or guides.
The Let’s Walk… Cyprus! programme seeks to offer participants a better understanding of how study visits can complement and enhance teaching in a range of subjects including History, Geography, History of Art and the Social Sciences, and to provide them with the skills to introduce outdoor education methods in their teaching practices. At the same time, the study visits offer participants an opportunity to explore and engage with areas of Cyprus they may not have previously visited and to use the human-made and natural landscape in each location to enhance their understanding of the history and geography of the island.
Let’s Walk… Cyprus! seeks to promote the broader aims of the AHDR to provide opportunities for capacity building for teachers and students of all educational levels; advancing the exploration of heritage and memory through city walks and study visits; and collaborating with educational and other stakeholders for the introduction of innovative pedagogical approaches in formal and non-formal education.
For more information:
Loizos Kapsalis: loizos.kapsalis@ahdr.info, +357 22 445 740 (ext. 105)
Doğa Avseven: doga.avseven@ahdr.info, +90 533 853 7470