29 February 2008
Scotland’s Rural Past Project
Launches Teachers’ Resource Pack
An exciting heritage
project that was established in October 2006 to investigate and document
abandoned rural settlements throughout Scotland
is about to launch a Teachers’ Resource Pack for use by teachers and
pupils throughout Scotland
in the Curriculum for Excellence.
Scotland’s
Rural Past is a project that supports local communities to investigate the
remains of long abandoned settlements in their area that often date back
hundreds of years. The project encourages members of the public to discover
more about historic rural settlements, by learning valuable new techniques and
skills in archaeological identification, surveying and recording, to rediscover
a sense of place and gain a greater understanding of the changing historic
landscape around them.
The Teachers’
Resource Pack has been developed after a series of close consultations and
training courses with volunteer groups, Young Archaeologists Clubs and schools
around the country. The pack comprises case studies designed to present
teachers with the types of evidence – aerial photographs, old maps,
archaeological plans and records, and historical documents – that will
enable schools to become actively involved in the exploration of Scotland’s
rural past within the Curriculum for Excellence framework.
The Teachers’
Resource Pack is suitable for P6-P7 and S1-S2 year classes. It has been written
with the new Curriculum for Excellence in mind and offers a range of activities
suitable for social studies topics. By using these resources with their
associated activities, pupils will have opportunities to extend their
experience of becoming successful learners, confident individuals, responsible
citizens and effective contributors. In October 2007, the SRP
team carried out a two-day training course with Islay High School Archaeology
Club and Islay Archaeology Society. It was an opportunity to look at the
relevance and effectiveness of the Teachers’ Resource Pack in relation to
the Curriculum for Excellence. Sandy Smith, Design and Technology Department, Islay High
School said:
‘In terms of
the value of the training to the students, I think it is tremendous. It was
only when watching the initial trainees pass on their skills to their new group
mates that I realised just how much they had taken from the two days. Not only
were the new trainers demonstrating their plane table and sketching skills, but
they were also pulling upon their knowledge of: map reading, GPS, geographical
land, interpreting ruined buildings, rural life in Scotland and interaction with
adults. It's this breadth of skills that makes the activities so valuable and
makes it tie so brilliantly with our up and coming Curriculum for
Excellence.’
Scotland’s
Rural Past works closely with experienced staff from the Royal Commission on
the Ancient and Historical Monuments Scotland (RCAHMS) to provide training for
volunteers in archaeological field techniques and documentary research. It also
offers support to develop educational projects to raise awareness of and
improve access to Scotland’s
rural history.
Professor Tom Devine,
OBE, FRSE, FBA, Sir William Fraser Chair of Scottish History and Palaeography, University of Edinburgh
says of Scotland’s
Rural Past:
‘I
am delighted to support this highly imaginative initiative which I regard as
one of the most significant heritage projects in Scotland of recent times. Not only
does it encourage community involvement and interest but the work will also
help to provide a new and deeper understanding of the nation’s rural
past than can be achieved by written records alone.’’
The project has received
tremendous support from enthusiastic members of the public and over two hundred
volunteers are currently registered. Over the past year, highly successful
field trips and workshops have been held in Killin, Bute, Lanarkshire, Braemar,
Glen Clova, Mull, Islay, Edinburgh, Inverness,
Wigtownshire, Moidart and East Lothian. Over 100
volunteers have now received professional training and 19 local projects are so
far underway around Scotland
with volunteers researching and recording their local rural heritage. The
project has also recently launched an interactive website to enable volunteers
to share their ideas and research.
Dr Tertia Barnett, project manager for Scotland’s
Rural Past said:
‘We are
delighted that this important project has been such a success over the past
year – communities have worked together to learn new skills and to engage
with their environments. We’re now very proud to be launching a resource
that has already been lauded by the education sector. A significant
contribution has also already been made to Scotland’s recorded heritage
and we now feel that this resource will make a significant contribution to its
greatest natural resource – its people.
The Scotland’s
Rural Past Teachers’ Resource Pack will be launched on 13 March 2008 www.scotlandsruralpast.org.uk
For further information please contact:
Helen Loughlin at Colman Getty Scotland Consultancy
0131 558 8851 / [email protected]
1. Scotland’s
Rural Past is a nationwide project launched and supported by the Royal
Commission on the Ancient and Historical
Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), the
Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Trust for Scotland,
Historic Scotland, and Highlands and Islands
Enterprise.
2. The
project was developed through the work of the Historic Rural Settlement Trust
which recognised the need to improve our understanding of rural sites and
encourage their conservation by involving local people.
3. Scotland’s
Rural Past will run for five years, finishing in September 2011.
4. Brian
Wilkinson, SRP Interpretation Officer who developed the Teachers’
Resource Pack, is available for interview along with Dr Tertia Barnett, the SRP
project manager.
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