KAS/CAT/KCC Archaeological Education Service
The Education Service managed by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust is jointly funded by the Kent Archaeological Society, the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, and Kent County Council Education Department. The Service derives policy guidance from the Education Committee of the KAS, chaired by Dr. Alec Detsicas with Marion Green, CAT's Education Officer, as Secretary. The implementation of the work of the Service is managed on a part-time paid basis by Marion Green, drawing on the expertise of members of the Committee, members of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, and external educationalists as necessary.
The underlying aims of the Education Service are firstly, to promote Archaeology through the county's educational establishments reaching as many young people as possible in the most economic way; and secondly, to do this placing particular emphasis on local aspects.
Certain priorities need to be established for the work we undertake, as resources for educational ventures are limited. Over the past few years, our contribution has been varied and both reactive and proactive in nature. Hence a rather broad base has developed, with input being made at all levels of formal education, from the primary sector to the tertiary. However, the focus has always been and will continue to be on Kent schools. The introduction of the National Curriculum for maintained schools in the late 1980s and early 1990s identified a particular need and thus helping teachers to implement the History programs is our first priority.
Experience has shown more recently that, within this, some prioritization of the various possible education projects is the sensible route to take if we are to fulfill our fundamental aims. In order to reach large numbers of school children, the most economic way is to empower teachers with knowledge and the capability to convey this knowledge to pupils. In attempting to achieve this, production of teaching materials supplemented by INSET (In-Service Training) for working teachers and tuition for student teachers is likely to be the most effective.
Teaching Materials
Both Roman Canterbury and a more recent publication, Discovering Archaeology in National Curriculum History, have been produced by the Service specifically for use in primary and lower secondary schools. The former brings together much primary evidence for the Roman town in an easily digestible form and is a valuable case study for schools beyond East Kent in addition to those nearer to Canterbury itself. Discovering Archaeology in National Curriculum History is a teaching handbook of archaeological processes, classroom activities, local and national contacts, and Kent sites to visit and is to be used across the county. Ian Coulson (a member of the Education Committee) does sterling work promoting both these books and the Education Service in schools throughout the county, in his professional capacity of Lead Consultant for History for the Kent Curriculum Services Agency.
The author of Roman Canterbury has been working on another written resource, this time for 11 to 12-year-olds. Medieval Canterbury should be useful to many secondary schools as a case study when looking at the study unit, 'Medieval Realms'.
For the future, some form of educational resource for schools which embraces aspects of the archaeology of Kent, across the county, would be a worthwhile project. This will be discussed in due course within the Education Committee.
In-Service Training (INSET) and Student Teacher Training
These are useful vehicles for reaching working teachers and those training in the profession. One INSET day has been hosted by the Service to date for primary school teachers which was very well received. We are planning another day for the spring of 1998 and have begun discussions within the Education Committee for a further day based in the Rochester area on aspects of mid and north Kent archaeology for secondary school teachers. Ideally, INSET could become a regular feature of the Education Service, reaching both local teachers and teachers in other areas of the county. In addition, in January 1997 we accepted a primary school teacher on placement at Canterbury Archaeological Trust for 3 days. She was the History Coordinator at Bethersden CP School (near Tenterden, in the middle of the county) and had a particular interest in artifacts and how archaeologists use them as evidence. The Teacher Placement Scheme is organized by the Kent Education Business Partnership for the CBI Education Foundation.
The Education department of Canterbury Christ Church College has been liaising with Canterbury Archaeological Trust regarding a series of tuition sessions for student teacher undergraduates. Two sessions have taken place so far. The focus is two-fold: the archaeological evidence for Roman Canterbury to develop personal knowledge and the use of artifacts as a teaching resource. A number of these people will eventually be looking for teaching posts in Kent. I hope that this contact can be developed in the future.
Other areas of educational input
We envisage the continuation of other aspects of our Education Service, which are largely reactive in nature, as long as they do not detract from the completion of priority projects and are financially viable.
While visits out to schools (in Canterbury, Herne Bay, Ashford, Preston, Wickhambreaux, and Margate in the past year) are without doubt beneficial and enjoyable, there is no plan at present to expand this area of input. Any development would be difficult to justify in terms of time expended and the inevitably limited numbers of young people who would benefit. This said, the small number of visits usually made will be maintained, to schools which are easily accessible.
Work Experience placements of one week's duration are given on a first come, first served basis and there is a quota in operation. Now the really keen schools approach us well in advance of placement time. This often means that the student is considering a career in Archaeology or a related area and therefore the experience of working in a unit will be particularly valuable. The nature of archaeological work can mean considerable staff supervision, by CAT members other than the Education Officer. Work Experience has therefore been a relatively expensive provision in the past, considering we can usually provide for only one or two students at a time. Many secondary schools are very appreciative of our role here as opportunities for budding archaeologists to get hands-on experience are rare. It is therefore planned to maintain the quota but revise the content of the program to reduce expenditure. Over the past year, we have been able to accommodate students from secondary schools throughout Kent: Maidstone, Tonbridge, Folkestone, Sittingbourne, Canterbury, Ashford, Sandwich, Orpington, and Rochester.
Excavation visits can be arranged when conditions allow and all Kent schools are invited to come and see archaeology in action. On the last such occasion (summer 1996), a member of the Trust field staff, Andy Linklater, very ably assisted with visits to a dig at Christ Church College. We had groups (mostly primary schools) from Maidstone, Folkestone, Canterbury, Great Chart (near Ashford), Headcorn, Woodchurch, Benenden (all in the Tenterden area), Hoath (near Herne Bay), Wingham, Bridge (both in the Canterbury area), and Broadstairs. It is envisaged that specially designed visits will again be in operation in connection with Canterbury Archaeological Trust's program of excavations in 1998. As usual, all Kent schools would be notified of these.
And finally... There are always a number of varied requests for information and data relating to individual student projects, from primary school to undergraduate level, both from within the county and beyond it. These are usually History related. One interesting exception came from a mature student on a nursing course. She was embarking on a 'Community Profile' of the Northgate area of Canterbury and was looking for evidence of social strata, welfare, and health conditions in the past. Although History was not a key element in her nursing studies, she had on this occasion taken the initiative to approach the Trust for assistance. She left with information about St John's Hospital (built under Archbishop Lanfranc) and the Medieval cemetery at St Gregory's Priory, feeling that she had broken new ground.
I extend many thanks to those people and organizations who have continued to support our work. Firstly, to the Kent Archaeological Society and the Education Committee which give guidance and financial support to our work; to Kent County Council for their financial support; and to the Friends of Canterbury Archaeological Trust for theirs. A special vote of thanks goes to Ian Coulson for his guidance and advice in curriculum matters.
Marion Green/Education Officer
January 1998.