Learning in Bucharest

The course explores how museums can serve as dynamic educational environments to promote engagement, critical thinking, and cross-cultural understanding.

Participants will learn to use museum resources to create interactive, meaningful learning experiences that connect historical, cultural, and contemporary themes with learners’ needs. The course includes museum visits, workshops, and discussions, focusing on various museums in Bucharest, such as art museums, the National Village Museum, and the Ferestroika Apartment, highlighting life during the communist era. It combines theory with practical applications, offering educators innovative tools and methodologies to integrate museum-based learning into their teaching.

By the end, participants will be able to design engaging, impactful learning experiences for students, using museums to enhance teaching strategies and foster active, interdisciplinary learning.

Explore the Role of Museums in Education: Understand how museums contribute to learning and can be integrated into both formal and non-formal settings for diverse audiences.

Enhance Museum-Based Learning Methods: Develop skills to design activities that encourage critical thinking and experiential learning.

Understand the Educational Potential of Diverse Museums: Learn how to tailor educational programs for various museums in Bucharest, reflecting their unique offerings.

Foster Cross-Cultural Understanding and Historical Awareness: Use museums to deepen understanding of Romanian history and contemporary European issues, particularly the impact of communism.

Promote Active Learning and Reflection: Equip participants with strategies to guide learners in reflecting on exhibitions and connecting experiences with personal and societal contexts.

Develop and implement museum-based educational activities for diverse audiences.

Integrate cultural and historical content into their teaching.

Use creative methods to foster discussion on historical and cultural issues.

Design educational tools to enhance museum learning.

Assess and evaluate the impact of museum-based learning.

Foster inclusivity and accessibility in learning environments.

Adapt project-based learning and interdisciplinary methods to suit their teaching contexts.

Museum Visits and Guided Tours: Visits to major museums like the National Museum of Romanian Art and the National Village Museum, with expert guidance on their pedagogical value.

Interactive Workshops: Practical workshops on developing museum-based activities and using digital tools.

Group Discussions and Peer Learning: Collaborative design of activities and sharing of best practices.

Reflection and Evaluation: End-of-course sessions to assess learning and its application in professional practice.

• Teachers in primary, secondary, and vocational education.
• Adult education professionals.
• Youth workers involved in non-formal education.
• Museum educators and cultural heritage professionals.

• Complete a pre-course questionnaire on their experience and teaching background.
• Familiarize themselves with a museum in their hometown and present it to the group.
• Review provided reading materials on museum education and the history of Romanian museums.
• Reflect on personal learning goals and prepare a brief presentation on their work related to education or museums.

• Continuous Assessment: Participants will engage in group activities, discussions, and assignments to assess their understanding and participation.
• Final Project: At the end, participants will design an educational activity based on a museum exhibit, presented and critiqued by peers and instructors.
• Feedback and Reflection: Participants will complete a course evaluation and reflect on how to apply the learning in their work.
• Certification: Those who complete the course and demonstrate a solid understanding will receive a certificate of completion, along with a Europass Mobility Certificate.

• Day 1: Introductory dinner and group activities, course introduction, and ice-breaking activities.
• Day 2: Theoretical session on museum typology, educational digital tools, and local museum presentations.
• Day 3: Museum visit and group discussions to refine learning scenarios.
• Day 4: Outdoor museum visit with a gamified activity, design of outdoor learning activities, and ICT tools for enhancing activities.
• Day 5: City tour, exploration of Bucharest’s history and communist era, and discussions on democratic values.
• Day 6: Group work and presentations, course recap, validation of learning outcomes, course evaluation, and certification ceremony.