Ħal Millieri : creating on site activities and assessing their effectiveness in history learning

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the importance of learning about Hal Millieri through on-site activities. Whilst Malta has hundreds of historical and archaeological sites and museum pertaining to different eras, the Form II curriculum, covering the Middle Ages, only integrates a limited number of primary sources. Through carefully-designed tasks students were able to investigate and extrapolate historical information from on-site primary sources. This project was developed following a literature review about the importance of fieldwork education, with specific reference to history. After receiving experimental treatment, consisting mainly of on-site activities, a common task was assigned to all students, irrespective of whether they received the experimental treatment or not. A qualitative approach was used to determine the impact that experimental treatment had on students, and outline the difference with those who were not given this treatment. It was found that students not only learned about Hal Millieri, but also sharpened their historical skills and concepts, compared between primary sources, and engaged in discussions about their observations in the group. Students also honed the skill of empathy, understood the concept of change, and heightened awareness of community activities, thus receiving education relevant to their lives, as recommended by the National Minimum Curriculum. Furthermore, pupils were able to learn about other subjects, including Art, Human Geography, and Sciences. The researcher recommends the integration of compulsory fieldwork education. The researcher aims for on-site tasks created for Hal Millieri to be made available for school pupils in the future.