Introduction

In this set of resource materials, we don’t just refer to teaching about living heritage, but also teaching with living heritage. What is the difference?

When teaching about living heritage, the focus is on introducing intangible cultural heritage as the subject of instruction. The content of the lesson could thus be intangible cultural heritage more generally or a specific ICH element. Here, the teacher can present a specific practice, skill or knowledge. For example, children can learn about the origins and meaning of a local tradition or about how traditional clothing is made.

Living heritage offers many examples to be shared in class. Learning about living heritage may occur during a class dedicated to living heritage or as part of other classes, such as arts or sports, or even history or languages.

When teaching with living heritage, the focus is on using elements of living cultural heritage as learning opportunities integrated within subjects in the school curriculum. This can make the learning content more relevant and meaningful for learners because it ties in with their worldviews, knowledge systems and imagination. Intangible cultural heritage offers a wide range of learning content and methods for teachers to draw on. Exploring the volume ratio of hemispheres in mathematics through homemade truffles prepared with carob syrup in Cyprus or the physical properties of soundwaves in physics using the bells of the Glöckler in Austria are just two examples.

Learning with intangible cultural heritage can be integrated into a wide range of subjects, such as languages, chemistry, physical education, social studies, and more. In doing so, the content becomes more interesting and relevant because it is closely linked to learners’ lives, which may also make it easier to understand. Many elements of living heritage and their transmission to the next generation provide practical examples of holistic learning because they do not rely solely on cognitive intelligence, but also on relational intelligence and the power of imagination. Since learning with living heritage draws on knowledge that is held within the community, it is most effective when the elements of living heritage integrated in the lessons are meaningful to the students and their families.

Typically, learning with living heritage also involves a certain amount of learning about living heritage. To better understand what teaching with living heritage can look like, please watch the three videos that are part of this resource kit or browse through the case studies.

Background 

This kit was designed with input from, and for the benefit of, primary and secondary school teachers in the European Union, regardless of the subject they teach or whether or not they are familiar with the concept of living heritage. It may also be of interest to teachers and educators from other parts of the world who would like to know about teaching with living heritage

‘By teachers for teachers’ is the driving idea behind this resource kit. Inspired by the experience UNESCO has accumulated from similar projects around the world, this set of resource materials is based on the ten innovative pilot projects jointly designed and implemented by ASPnet teachers and students under the UNESCO–EU project. The hope is that it will encourage similar novel initiatives across the European Union and beyond.

The joint UNESCO–EU project European Year of Cultural Heritage: Engaging Youth for an Inclusive and Sustainable Europe was developed for the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage to strengthen the connections between young people, their heritage and education.