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Workshop on Teaching Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management (Part 2 of 3)

AIPS Sponsored Workshop Series:
Teaching Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management
June 8-12, 2015

Led by Dr. Katie Lindstrom, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Workshop Series by Professor J. Mark Kenoyer, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Honored Guest Speaker Professor Qasid Mallah, Shah Abdul Latif University

The second in a three-part workshop series on “Teaching Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management," was led by Dr. Katie Lindstrom from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The workshop was held for five days from June 8-12, 2015 with the assistance of Mr. Nadeem Akbar, AIPS Pakistan Director, and his staff. Fifteen junior faculty participated in the workshop, include six women and nine men from nine separate institutions located in Balochistan, Gilgit/Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.

Professor Qasid Mallah was invited as a guest speaker. He delivered two presentations on the key principles of an archaeology curriculum in Pakistan and attended for the duration of the workshop. Prof. Mallah received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000 and then returned to Pakistan, where he has been teaching and training archaeologists at Shah Abdul Latif University. His insight and experience as a teacher of archaeology in Pakistan was an immense contribution to the workshop.

The primary goal of the second workshop in this series was to strengthen teaching practices among university educators in Pakistan through direct discussion of new and innovative teaching practices in higher education. Published studies in the US show that active learning approaches have a significant impact on student learning and course performance over traditional lecturing. A variety of active learning approaches and best teaching practices were presented and discussed at this workshop. These practices are at the forefront of improvements in teaching and learning in the US and are new to most instructors of archaeology in Pakistan. Dr. Lindstrom’s goal in leading this workshop was to discuss how these innovative teaching methods can be applied in Pakistan to strengthen students’ understanding and appreciation of archaeology and cultural heritage. The workshop participants were asked to create their own active learning activities and assignments, which they presented to the group and received feedback.

The greater outcomes of this workshop include the following: 1) participant recognition of the benefit of establishing course “essential learning outcomes” and the creation of a list of ELOs for an archaeology curriculum in Pakistan; 2) developing a course syllabus and identifying ways to infuse the HEC-defined curriculum with their own teaching interests and specializations; 3) enhancing teacher understanding of diversity in student learning styles and the need for classroom approaches that reach verbal, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learners; 4) developing additional tips and tools for facilitating group discussions; 5) promoting new teaching and learning assessment tools; and building greater facility with using 6) documentaries as teaching tools and 7) Powerpoint in the classroom.

The participants engaged in deep discussions of archaeology instruction and training in Pakistan, which enriched their understanding of the teaching and research being done in different provinces. In participant evaluations, conducted on the final day of the workshop, the attendees noted that as a result of this workshop series they have enhanced their teaching practices and are building professional relationships with new colleagues in Pakistan.

See workshop conducted by J. Mark Kenoyer for a summary of the first workshop in this series.

Date: 
Monday, July 6, 2015