In recent years, UNESCO has been developing an innovative initiative aimed at integrating Intangible Cultural Heritage into education. The pilot project “Teaching and learning with living heritage” does not only treat heritage as an object of teaching, but mainly as a learning tool, capable of connecting students with local traditions, enhancing their creativity and cultivating respect for diversity.
The Ralleion Girls’ High School of Piraeus participated in the European project on behalf of Greece with the interdisciplinary educational program “Rebetiko: Integrating Living Tradition into the daily teaching practice of subjects of the Curriculum”. Rebetiko was creatively utilized in various subjects, such as, in English Language, the English translation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Element Sheet Rebetiko.pdf was studied, in Physical Education, students learned about the dances that accompany it, in Literature, they did creative writing exercises based on rebetiko songs, while in Computer Applications, they developed a mobile application entitled “Rebetiko” for the documentation and dissemination of the program.
The central point of the initiative is also the Guide “Teaching and Learning with Living Heritage”, a practical manual designed specifically for teachers. The Guide offers:
- methodological approaches for the use of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the classroom,
- examples of lessons that incorporate living cultural elements (e.g. music, dance, traditional techniques),
- ideas for interdisciplinary teaching that connects different subjects,
- ways to enhance student participation through creative activities.
With the Guide, UNESCO gives educators a valuable tool that not only helps in the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage, but also in improving the quality of learning. At the same time, intangible cultural heritage ceases to be a distant and theoretical concept and becomes an everyday experience in the educational process, strengthening the memory, identity and dialogue of young people with the past and the future.
See more about the initiative here.
See the Guide here.
Source: ayla.culture.gr