Between 15 and 19 January 2024, 66 children between the ages of 5-8, attending Vittoriosa and Senglea primary schools covered the curriculum outcomes in and through the Ħaġar Qim Neolithic complex rather than sitting at their desks in classrooms. The site offered the opportunity for children to raise questions, investigate and imagine through their interaction with nature and the archaeological site itself. The Neolithic complex and the surrounding natural environment allowed children to develop observation, computational, and analytical skills.
The situated nature of learning let children voice and build on their own prior knowledge, thus providing them with a stronger basis for acquiring new vocabulary and new knowledge. Apart from the physical site, narratives were central to the project itself. Stories were the perfect vehicle for children’s exploration, awareness and acquisition of funds of knowledge available in the community. Stories and narrative reasoning helped children to tap into intergenerational wisdom in a concrete way. The week-long learning experience was part of the Class Without Walls project which adopts a symbol literacy approach, a pedagogy that was developed by Prof. Adrian-Mario Gellel, a member of the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education. This approach is currently being researched for the many potential benefits that it offers in comparison to more structured learning.
The Class without Walls @ Ħaġar Qim experience was also part of the learning journey of B.A. (Hons) Early Childhood Education 2nd year students. Through this project, university students strengthened their research and planning skills while applying their knowledge and teaching skills. Students learnt how to highlight and connect with the ecological and symbolic affordances found in the community, and how these affordances may be used as the primary resource for cross-curricular learning. The whole Class without Walls activity was planned and led by students under the supervision of Prof. Gellel and Dr Jane Spiteri, and in continuous dialogue with educators working at St Margaret’s College.
The project was made possible through the active collaboration with Heritage Malta, St Margaret’s College Principal, the Senglea and Vittoriosa Primary Schools, the National Literacy Agency, the Assessment for Learning Unit and the Directorate for Digital Literacy & Transversal Skills.