The Western Australian Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder will host a group of local primary school teachers for an Association of Independent Schools WA professional development event on 23 July.

The teachers will take part in a Primary History Excursion Workshop exploring the living conditions, cultures and social lives of the people living in the Goldfields through the WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s collection of objects, photos, furniture and memorabilia.

WA Museum Regional Manager Zoe Scott said the workshop is a great opportunity to expose local teachers to the endless educational possibilities the Museum has to offer.

“The Museum is a rich and invaluable learning resource for students,” Ms Scott said.

“We have a wide educational offering, from science based options on dinosaurs and ecology in the Great Western Woodlands, to history based programs on the stories of water, gold, change and continuity in our community.”

Ms Scott said the Museum is able to tailor-make programs to enable students to continue their local history research in a fun and interactive way.

“Students particularly enjoy seeing our collection of real gold, riding in the Ivanhoe Headframe lift to catch a spectacular view of our town, playing traditional games, and writing with nib pens and on slates for an old-fashioned school experience,” Ms Scott said.

“We find students are able to relate to children and families of the past far better when they walk through the old Miner’s Cottage, experience the challenges of an early Twentieth Century classroom, and get up close to actual artefacts from bygone eras.”

Maree Whiteley from the Association of Independent Schools WA said the workshop is about guiding teachers through the process of historical inquiry.

“The workshop will explain how teachers can link the Museum’s artefacts to the Australian Curriculum: History content, enabling them to plan ahead and expand on the learning experience in the classroom before and after the excursion,” Ms Whiteley said.

The Primary History Excursion Workshop, facilitated by The Association of Independent Schools WA, is open to all Education Department, CEO and AISWA teachers and will be held at the WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder on Monday 23 July (a state-wide student free, school development day), from 1:30pm to 3pm.

Places are limited for the workshop; teachers can register via the AISWA website http://www.ais.wa.edu.au.

More information on the WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s education program, current and long-term exhibitions can be found at museum.wa.gov.au/museums/kalgoorlie-boulder

Media and Publicity Officer
Western Australian Museum
6552 7805
Niki.comparti@museum.wa.gov.au