Enhancing the Presentation of Archaeological Landscapes in Jordanian Primary School Teaching: Opportunities for Archaeological Museums
ARWA BADRAN PhD Candidate International Centre for Heritage and Cultural Studies Newcastle University UK arwa.badran@ncl.ac.uk
Paper Presented at the Forum UNESCO University and Heritage 10th International Seminar “Cultural Landscapes in the 21st Century” NewcastleuponTyne, 1116 April 2005 Revised: July 2006
Introduction The intention of this paper is to shed light on the shortfall in the teaching of the past in Jordan, which can be demonstrated by the way archaeological landscapes are presented in textbooks. The paper also discusses the lack of educational provision by archaeology museums to support the teaching of the past in the curriculum. The aim of this paper is to justify the need for greater integration of archaeology museums into formal education in Jordan in order to establish a better understanding of the past. Teaching about the Past in The Citizenship Curriculum The primary citizenship curriculum in Jordan incorporates social, personal and health education, as well as the subjects of history and geography. Citizenship education is highly regarded, centrally devised and its inclusion in the education system is uniformly applied 1 across Jordan (Curriculum Directorate, pers.comm., 2005) . The citizenship curriculum is given in two hours of teaching per week, and the textbooks supplied are the main resource 2 used in the classroom for teaching it (Primary teachers, pers.comm., 2005) . The content of the textbooks is produced by the Ministry of Education through its divisions and departments. The curriculum guidelines are determined by the Ministry’s Board of Education, who also ratify the curriculum before production and distribution (Curriculum Directorate, pers.comm., 2005). The curriculum guidelines are used in writing up the curriculum content by the Ministry’s selected committee of authors who work within the Humanities Division under the Curriculum Directorate (Curriculum Directorate, pers.comm., 2005). The interpretation of the archaeological landscape in the primary citizenship curriculum is most strongly linked to the history and geography of Jordan. It focuses on the Arab Islamic period and the establishment of Jordan during the 1900s. As an example, the citizenship
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curriculum at level five concludes with a chapter entitled ‘The Cultural Biography of Jordan’, which tells the culture of Jordan through the story of Prophet Mohammed and his companions, and a basic historical gloss about the capital, Amman (Citizenship Curriculum 3 Textbook, 2003) . Another example can be found in the citizenship curriculum at level four, where the final unit is entitled ‘The History of My Country’, and it focuses on the Great Arab Revolt in 1916 and the establishment of Jordan as an independent kingdom by the 4 Royal Hashemite family (Citizenship Curriculum Textbook, 2003) . The photographic archaeological landscapes that accompany this history education are of Arab Islamic sites, such as mosques and shrines, or of sites that have links to the Royal Family’s ancestral past, such as Umayyad Islamic palaces. It seems that Umayyad archaeological sites have been cared for and promoted by the Royal family due to the family’s ancestral link to the Umayyad dynasty (Maffi, 2002). The citizenship curriculum textbooks also include archaeological landscapes that date back to non ArabIslamic periods. Nonetheless, due to a history education that is constructed around an ArabIslamic past, the interpretation of the non ArabicIslamic sites lacks depth and breadth and disconnected from the chronology of events. That is, it presents naïve concise descriptions of sites where their social aesthetic, functional and historical aspects are almost absent. These non Arab Islamic archaeological sites are more linked to the geography of Jordan rather than the country’s history, whereby, for example, scattered photographs of these archaeological landscapes alongside a summary are presented on the modern map of Jordan. The summary includes one or two of the following: the name of the site, a period time, who built it, and a 4050 word description of the site and its surroundings. In some cases, these sites fall under the topic of tourism, and thereafter, the emphasis is on their importance for the tourism industry. The importance of the Arab Islamic sites is, therefore, emphasised as their images are used within whole units in textbooks dedicated to presenting the Arab Islamic history, whereas the non Arab Islamic sites appear to be less important due to the lack of historical interpretive context. It seems that the teaching of the past in the citizenship curriculum in Jordan selects certain histories and excludes others. Although the Arabic Islamic past is highly significant, and is considered to be the defining period in the history of Jordan and its people, the significant contributions of other societies to Jordan since prehistoric times also deserve to be recognised. Social thought and action today rests on the accumulation of ideas and experiences of past societies (Molyneaux, 1994). Today’s Jordanian societies use and experience those features that it has been inherited of the various past contributions, such as food, clothes, language, technology, economics, social systems, art, traditions and values. Sadly, the exclusion of pasts in formal education is not limited to Jordan. This dilemma exists across nations as well, such as in South Africa (see Witz and Hamilton, 1994, Mazel & Stewart, 1987), in Britain (see Stone and Mackenzie, 1994, Henson, 2004), Canada (see Jamieson, 1994), India (see Dahiya, 1994), and the United State (see Blancke and Slow Turtle, 1994). Consequently, history education in school formal education has been seen unsatisfactory by those working in the heritage sector (Stone and MacKenzie, 1994). The heritage community began realising the importance of a better education about the past and started demanding the integration of archaeology as a valuable teaching tool in school formal education (Johnson, 2000, McNutt, 1991). School children in particular are seen as the major audience of archaeological education, which is crucial to developing communities that understand and appreciate the past (Smith and Smardz, 2000, McNutt, 1991). The use of archaeology in school formal education provides better understanding of the past and how it is interpreted by archaeologists from material evidence instead of
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memorising what is presented as historical facts (Stone, 1994). Moreover, it helps to shape values and attitudes of school children in terms of placing them in an ethic of stewardship towards cultural heritage and an appreciation of the various cultures (Johnson, 2000). Archaeological education of school children could be carried out and promoted by museums significantly, if they were considered to be used in the education system. It was the international Code of Professional Ethics adopted by ICOM in 1986 that stated that ‘the development of the educational and community role of the museums must be seen as a fundamental ethical responsibility’ (Boylan 1990, p. 32). The integration of museums as educational institutions in the school education system to enhance the teaching of the past has been seen crucial internationally (see Anderson, 1997, 1999, Davis and Gardner, 1999, Falk and Dierking, 1992, Falk, 2000, Hooper Greenhill, 1999, Jensen, 1999, Krapfel, 1998, Pearce, 1990, Phillips, 1993, Takahisa, 1998, WalshPiper, 1989, Leinhardt and Gregg, 2002, Sebolt, 1993, Stone, 2004). Several UNESCO conferences since the 1970s have encouraged closer collaboration between schools and cultural bodies, linking the content of teaching the curricula to the cultural heritage, and extending the use of museum resources in education (Olofsson, 1979, see also examples in Stone and Molyneaux, 1994). Museums, archaeological and non archaeological, are perceived to have qualities as an educational instrument that differ from classroom teaching in a way that can enrich and compliment school curriculum teaching. Museums comprise sources of artefacts and evidence that are ‘vivid, immediate, and real’, and they have a great impact on ‘constituting a stimulating and generative focus for pupils’ thinking, imagining, and creating’ (Kirk, 1987). The setting of museums per se is unique, in which an interactive experience for school children is very likely to occur involving an interplay of social, personal, and physical contexts (Falk and Dierking 1992, 2000, Falk, 1999). Museums, most of all, can act as the vehicles to providing access to archaeological information and interpretation within formal education, through which school children can explore and learn about their past (Ardouin, 1997). Jordanian Archaeological Museums in The School Education System The first Jordanian official public archaeological museum was established in 1951 (Harding, 1967), and today the number has increased up to 15 archaeological museums, of which 11 are state archaeological museums (Department of Antiquities list, 2004). State archaeological museums are run by the Department of Antiquities, a governmental body that falls under the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The Department of Antiquities established the Museum Directorate to enhance communication between museums and the Department aiming to encourage their development and provide financial and human resources support, as well as improving skills of the museums’ staff (Badran, 2001, unpublished). These museums are headed by professional archaeologists or historians, who are dedicated, along with other members of staff, to the care and conservation of the tens of thousands of artefacts dating back to as far as the Palaeolithic period. In spite of their richness, organisation, and potential as educational instruments in the school curriculum, archaeology museums in Jordan are relatively inactive towards providing education within formal education. It could be argued that archaeology museums are currently functioning exclusively as acquirers, conservators and displayers of Jordan’s archaeological heritage using objectbased displays with a chronologicalcumscientific 5 approach to interpretation (archaeological museums curators, pers.comm., 2004) . The educational role of the museums is underdeveloped in the sense that museums lack education policies, education departments, education officers, education facilities and materials, and thus provision for the education of general visitors as well as for school
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children is poor. (Badran, 2004, Darwish, 1994). The shortfall in museum education for school children could be related to several factors. First, there is a lack of support for the educational role of archaeological museums by the responsible governmental bodies within the heritage sector in terms of human resources and financial resource. All archaeology museums, collectively, are allocated 40,000JD (approx. 57,000 US Dollars) 6 annually by the Department of Antiquities (Pers.comm., Naghawy 2004) . Thus, museums have limited financial resources that can barely cover their basic expenses. Moreover, although museum staff have attended several conferences and workshops, they rarely participate in any museumeducation related events (archaeological museum curators, pers.comm., 2004). This could be related to how the role of archaeological museums is perceived by the governing bodies. The role of archaeological museums in Jordan is steered by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities strategies, and therefore it is more driven towards heritage conservation and tourism rather than education. Archaeological heritage in Jordan is used significantly for the benefit of the tourism industry, which might be expected as archaeology in developing countries is given attention if it has an immediate economic value (KiyagaMulindwa and Segobye, 1994, MbunweSamba et al., 1994). Second, the education sector is failing to recognise the educational potential of archaeology museums in the school education system, whereby museums are not identified as resources in the curriculum by the Ministry of Education, which is evident by the fact that they are barely mentioned in the curriculum textbooks and teachers’ guidebooks. Furthermore, the attitude of the Ministry towards museums might be affecting school teachers and how they perceive using archaeology museums in their teaching. In a survey carried out by Darwish (1994) with regards to the use of archaeological museums by schools, the results showed that teachers seems to be ambiguous to the archaeology museum visit objectives, and therefore, methods of execution, supervision and evaluation are futile and subject to individual interpretation. Third, there is a lack of communication between the education and the heritage sectors in general, as in the case of the Department of Antiquities and other educational departments regarding organizing educational programs for school visits (Darwish, 1994). The education sector should take part of the responsibility of public awareness in archaeology, which is seen as a very problematic issue in Jordan (Reishaidat, 1994, Tell, 1994). There has been local effort to encourage archaeological education in schools and museums education in formal education. The Friends of the Archaeology Society, FOA, for example is a nongovernmental organisation that has put great efforts in offering free archaeological education for school children through its education committee (AlYousef 7 pers.comm., 2004) . The education committee has designed an educational programme to go over one academic year, whereby they carry their educational materials to schools and hold activities in the classroom. Their programme aims to give pupils an overview of the diverse history of Jordan and increase their appreciation of their archaeological heritage (AlYousef, per.comm., 2004). Moreover, two major museum projects, the National Museum of Jordan and the National Children’s Museum, are due open to the public in 2007. Both museums have considered school education services as an integral aspect within their mission (The National Museum Project Team and the National Children Project 8 Team, pers.comm., 2004, 2005) . There have also been international efforts within Jordan to encourage archaeological education in schools. This can be seen in the UNESCO initiatives in publishing and distributing internationally a World Heritage education kit in several languages, including Arabic, as part of the World Heritage in Young Hands project 9 (Richon, World Heritage Education Forum, 2004) . The kit is designed to be a resource for teachers with an active and multidisciplinary approach to use in classroom teaching (UNESCO, 2003). The kit aims to develop pupils’ knowledge and awareness of world
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heritage, and develop their attitudes and skills towards the preservation of a universally valued cultural heritage (ibid). Moreover, in April this year, the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University hosted the World Heritage Education Forum, whereby several British and oversees schools participated, including the Ahliah School from Jordan. The Forum aimed to promote awareness of young people of universal heritage and its preservation, as well as to develop educational approaches and resources that introduces World Heritage Education in school curricula in all parts of the world (Richon, WHEF 2004). All the above initiatives are very much valued and appreciated. However, they function in isolation under a system that fails to recognise the importance of archaeological education for schoolchildren and the educational role of archaeological museums. Thus, their impact has not been substantial, comprehensive and consistent. The lack of communication between the heritage and education sectors, for example, affects the work of the FOA Education Committee in schools. Due to the poor collaboration between FOA and the Ministry of Education, it is harder for the education committee at FOA to relate its activities to the curriculum and reach a wider community of schools (AlYousef, pers.comm., 2004). The need for more collaboration between the heritage sector and the education sector to enhance the teaching of the past in formal education has been realised across nations (Stone, 1994). The World Heritage in Young Hands Kit, is another example where it has not been widely distributed in Jordan because it is used by only the school members of UNESCO in Jordan. Moreover, one of the vital aims of the World Heritage in Young Hands kit is to teach pupils to appreciate cultural diversity and recognise the influences of others on their cultural identity (Richon, WHEF 2004). Nevertheless, what is the level of impact does this kit have within a Jordanian Curriculum that excludes histories? Seemingly, the dilemma lies in a missing local system and a strategy in Jordan, where all these efforts could be incorporated, supported and followed up. If a national system and a strategy is considered, an opportunity would be given develop efforts, foster collaboration and interaction between the different sides, and identify targets to better impact the integration of archaeology museums in the school education system. Conclusion This paper has argued for the need to enhance the teaching of the past in the Jordanian formal primary education through the use of archaeological museums as educational tools in the curriculum. The past has been poorly interpreted in the Jordanian formal primary education, as demonstrated by the way archaeological landscapes and the accompanying information are presented in textbooks. The message communicated through this juxtaposition of photographic archaeological landscape and text is important and informative. However, the content is brief and excludes parts of the past, it presents facts rather than interpretations, and it does not seem to link the past to today’s society. In consequence, pupils understanding and appreciation of their past and their archaeological heritage might be at risk. Archaeological education could be of value to help overcome the shortfall in the teaching of the past in formal education. Jordanian archaeology museums, as educational institutions, have great potential to help undertake that task, but are not currently fulfilling this role. The paper concluded with suggesting the idea of a national system for Jordan, under which the heritage sector and the education sector could work together to enable the integration of archaeological museums in formal education for a better understanding of the past.
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1
Interviews carried out with the Curriculum Directorate staff who are involved in the production of the Citizenship Curriculum textbooks in Jordan. 2 Interviews carried out with a number of school teachers who use the citizenship curriculum textbooks at the primary level in Jordan. 3 First edition 1995. Reprinted 19962003. 4 Second edition 1999. Reprinted 20012003. 5 Interviews carried out with curators of state archaeological museums in Jordan. 6 The Director of the Archaeological Museum of Jordan. 7 The Director of the Friends of Archaeology society. 8 Interviews carried out with members of the National Museum Project team and the National Children project team in Jordan. 9 A paper given by Marielle Richon, a programme Specialist at the Word Heritage Centre, at the World th Heritage Education Forum held in Newcastle University as part of the 10 seminar of the UNESCO Universities Heritage Forum, 1116 April 2005.
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