AHDR – a leader in teacher training initiatives in Cyprus
Since 2004, the AHDR has been creating opportunities for educators to be exposed and equipped with the latest techniques in history teaching through the organisation of various conferences, symposia, seminars, and workshops.
The AHDR, through these training events, aims to provide educators with the opportunity to examine the fundamental elements of multiperspectivity in history education, prioritizing the epistemology and methodology of history teaching and learning. The initatives assist in teaching and learning to cope confidently with the familiar and the less familiar, to question accounts, to come to grips with multiperspectivity, to evaluate historical significance, to construct interpretations through disciplined argument and debate, and to acknowledge and celebrate a multiplicity of potential identities.
Through its conferences, symposia, seminars, and workshops the AHDR has trained over 400 teachers on multi-perspective approaches to teaching and more than 500 participants have been introduced to the methodology and epistemology of teaching and learning.
Since 2012, the AHDR has also been providing specialist training on the use of the AHDR’s supplementary educational materials, focusing on the following key areas:
- Learning to investigate the History of Cyprus through artefacts
- The Ottoman Period in Cyprus
- Introducing Oral History - When people’s stories become History
- Thinking Historically about Missing Persons
- Nicosia is Calling
- A Look at Our Past
- Gender as a missing lens - How to introduce gender into history teaching
- The City as a Living Museum
The city as a living museum
The training course entitled “The city as a living museum: Leading educational city quests”, was organised by the AHDR n the framework of the Norway Grants (2009-2014) funding for the ‘Home for Cooperation’ project and was held at the Home for Cooperation and within the old city of Nicosia on from 24th - 31st May 2013. The organisation of this course came as a response to the unprecedented interest demonstrated from various Cypriot and International groups to learn about Nicosia’s history and culture. It is based on the assumption that one of the best ways to get a comprehensive understanding of Nicosia’s past and present is by “being in the city” itself and by experiencing it as an “open, living museum” where answers to set questions can be sought and where new questions could arise, to trigger further research.
For a structured approach, which would facilitate such an endevour, individuals, who have the motivation, the knowledge and the competences to lead groups in this educational experience, are necessary. The course can be considered as a personal development exercise and also as a stepping stone for those who wish to pursue further specialization, in order to cooperate with AHDR/H4C in the organization of future educational activities. The course aimed to up skill and empower the participants to lead educational quests in Nicosia in ways that will illustrate the multicultural character of the city and spark the interest for further research. More specifically, during the course participants had the chance to: Upgrade their knowledge about Nicosia’s history. Familiarize themselves with research methods, which allowed them to pose questions and seek answers regarding historical, social and cultural aspects of the city. Develop their public speaking skills. Design and implement their own personal version of an Educational City Quest and receive feedback on it.
Methodology:
- The course included input from experts, on-site visits, mutual learning exercises, group work and individual study. For photographs of the training please click here.
- To access the presentation on River Bridge Buffer Zone by Dr Papadakis please click here. To access the presentation on Nicosia's Hans by Dr Bakshi please click here.
- To access the presentation on Cultural Heritage by Constantinou, Demetriou and Hatay please click here
- To access the presentation on Football Clubs by Ahmet Djavit please click here.
- To access the presentation on Divided Cities in the Middle East by H. Silver please click here
- To access the presentation by Yiannis Papadakis 'Ways to explore Nicosia', please click here.
- To access a selection of Nicosia maps please click here. (Please find the Word document at the current website)
These workshops offer a unique pedagogical opportunity for all Primary and Secondary Education Teachers, and especially those teaching history as well as Language and Social Sciences Teachers, who would like to become familiar with the AHDR’s Educational Materials and their theoretical background, and also enhance their capacity in using the materials to enrich their teaching.
Such trainings have taken place across Cyprus, both in an inter-communal and mono-communal setting.
If you would like to organise a training workshop for your educational institution or organization, please contact the AHDR for further information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Trainings can be tailored to your needs and are offered in the English, Greek and Turkish language by experienced trainers.
As with all of the AHDR’s work, Teacher Training initiatives have been organized in collaboration with key partners, such as civil society organizations and teacher trade unions across the divide in Cyprus and organizations abroad, including the Council of Europe, European Commission, EUROCLIO, The Elders, ICTJ, Kenyon College, Ohio, USA, and the Oxford University Center for Inter-group Conflict, UK.
