As part of the InSite programme, participants are required to undertake a project, of their own choosing, which relates to the themes of InSite and is supported by the programme activities. These projects must be sustainable and provide a legacy for others to learn from beyond the year of participation in the programme. It is intended that the project work takes advantage of the InSite programme to inform work within individuals’ respective organisations, and that outcomes are disseminated as widely as possible.
Below are summaries of projects from InSite 2008.
Teachers:
Helen Snelson, Head of History at the Mount School, York, developed a Masterclass for the York Independent-State School Partnership (ISSP) looking at the impact of the Second World War and the Cold War on national identity and human rights within Europe. It is aimed especially at G&T sixth form students in York. She has also contributed to the website of another participant.
Anne Llewelyn, History teacher with responsibility for ICT across the curriculum at Sandhurst School, Bracknell, chose to create digital resources for students and teachers for the GCSE course component: Superpower Rivalry 1945-1990. She focussed on the experiences of GDR civilians compared to those in Hungary. Anne has also been involved in developing resources for the website of another participant.
Tom Haward, Assistant Head at Oriel School, West Sussex, is involved in the Philosophy for Children 'Community of Enquiry' approach to teaching and learning. He has developed resources, using this approach, to enable students to explore issues surrounding post-1945 international conflict. Resources have been based on collating a range of thinking stimuli (oral, visual, textural) to be used by students to develop their own questions and dialogue to explore key issues that matter to them and have mattered to people in the past. Their focus is on the dilemma that a range of people faced as a result of their circumstances.
Karin Doull is a Principal Lecturer in Primary History at Roehampton University. Her original plan was to develop a module for her students on Controversial History. Since embarking on the programme, Karin has modified these ideas and will now focus on Witness and Memorial, devising a module which looks at how people have chosen to record their experiences, and allows students to evaluate a number of memorials before researching a person or event and creating their own memorials.
Museum Professionals:
Jane Williams, Education Officer at National Museums Northern Ireland is currently part of the project team working on the redevelopment of the Ulster Museum. She is involved in work on galleries which will represent The Troubles. Her experience on InSite will feed into work on these galleries and also the redevelopment of the Maze and Crumlin Road prisons. She will produce a report on engaging people with contested histories in museums to inform the debate within the Ulster Museum. She will also present to the Troubles Gallery Advisory Group to stimulate further thinking on the development of the new gallery and how it can facilitate a range of visitors.
Alex Drago, Education Manager at the Tower of London, has focussed on comparing and contrasting how historic sites interpret and communicate sensitive and high impact stories. These are related to those at the Tower of London to discover how they balance the need to engage and inform their visitors on different levels. This will inform the redevelopment of education sessions at the Tower focussing on personal stories in order to reinforce the experience of world events and consequences on individual lives.
Kay Topping will develop school loan boxes/resource packs to support learning about the post-1945 period for Haslemere Educational Museum where she is the Education Officer. Her focus will be on the effects of the Second World War on communities and the use of monuments, how new monuments are being dedicated to groups overlooked in the immediate aftermath of war, and on how similar processes occurred under both pre- and post-1945 regimes.
Marion Stone, Development Officer at The Freud Museum in London, will build on the TPYF 2 project The Archaeology of Conflict which looks at the psychological aspects of warfare through interviews with veterans. She will develop this to look at the wider concepts of national memory, commemoration and identity, and how these are constructed and conveyed. The museum will offer a 6th Form Conference for A-Level History students comparing different historical events by their beliefs, ideas and key figures.
P.H.D Students and Freelancer:
Martin Bazley is a freelance e-learning consultant. He has developed a website (www.ironcurtainsites.org.uk) which contains resources about the themes of the InSite programmes for teachers. He has worked with several of the teachers also participating in the programme, to develop learning resources for the site.
Jill Strauss is currently completely a Ph.D at the University of Ulster looking at museum exhibitions as mechanisms for reconciliation. She plans to produce a toolkit with resources and materials providing ideas for how memorials and exhibitions can be used to develop critical thinking skills. This will also include criteria to evaluate piloted projects.
Nikki Spalding is a research student researching the experiences of school pupils learning about slavery and abolition in museums in England. She will develop a workshop for MA students within the Museum Studies department of the University of Newcastle and produce a workshop pack to ensure the sustainability of the workshop. The workshop will look at advocating learning outside the classroom and building confidence in interpreting, communicating and teaching sensitive subjects and difficult histories.
