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Archaeology as pedagogy at Sydney's 'The Big Dig'
Citation
Zarmati, L, Archaeology as pedagogy at Sydney's 'The Big Dig', The Historic Environment, 6, (2) pp. 177-191. ISSN 1756-7505 (2015) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2015
DOI: doi:10.1179/1756750515Z.00000000082
Abstract
When an archaeological excavation took place in 1994 at The Rocks, Sydney’s
historic precinct, thousands of people came to watch, many volunteered
to dig, and for months ‘The Big Dig’ became a popular tourist attraction.
For 15 years afterwards the site remained closed to the public while Sydney
Harbour Foreshore Authority, the statutory body which manages The Rocks,
determined how it could conserve, innovatively interpret, and encourage
public access to the site. In 2006 Youth Hostels Australia (YHA) won the
tender to develop the site, and in December 2009 Sydney Harbour YHA,
the largest archaeological urban development ever completed in Australia,
opened its doors to visitors. YHA’s corporate mission — to provide educational
and personal development opportunities for young people — was a
perfect fit with the government’s plan to revitalise The Rocks by attracting
more children and young adults to the historic precinct. Since the education
programmes began at The Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre in 2010,
34,000 school students have participated in learning activities that focus on
the history of Australia’s first European settlement. This case study demonstrates
how archaeology is used as pedagogy at The Big Dig to facilitate
learning in an historic environment.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
---|---|
Keywords: | archaeology, pedagogy, Sydney, The Big Dig, The Rocks, primary, secondary |
Research Division: | Education |
Research Group: | Curriculum and pedagogy |
Research Field: | Humanities and social sciences curriculum and pedagogy (excl. economics, business and management) |
Objective Division: | Education and Training |
Objective Group: | Teaching and curriculum |
Objective Field: | Pedagogy |
UTAS Author: | Zarmati, L (Dr Louise Zarmati) |
ID Code: | 104894 |
Year Published: | 2015 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 2 |
Deposited By: | Education |
Deposited On: | 2015-11-24 |
Last Modified: | 2017-09-18 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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