The dates and topics have been released for ACA’s Discovery Days for the forthcoming academic year. Discovery Days are extension learning courses for school groups in years 7-10 which introduce new knowledge, ideas and approaches to learning from the multi-disciplinary subject of archaeology. The courses are taught by experts from the University of Cambridge and involve practical hands-on activities that contribute to studies and project work in a variety of curriculum subjects.
We are running three new science-related Discovery Days, which involve the chance to devise and carry out their own investigation of an archaeological site using plant remains (Archaeology in Science 1b – Seed Investigation), witness how experimental archaeology is used to derive the way people smelted copper ore in the past and see a bronze knife being cast (Archaeology in Science 2 – Magical Minerals), as well as investigate different methods of measuring time using everyday objects (Archaeology in Science 3 – How to Slow Down Time).
In last year’s feedback, 95% of participants said that they would recommend the courses to others, with comments including “It was really fun and enjoyable and I have learnt a lot!” and “You learn a lot in a way that you could not experience at school and with people who are very knowledgeable.” When asked about the statement “I learned a lot from the day”, 93% of participants strongly agreed or agreed, and 95% strongly agreed or agreed with the statement “this course has improved my understanding of this subject”. Staff thought that the days were “informative, thought provoking, intellecutally stimulating” and were “a change from the everyday curriculum and showed how observational skills and discussion contribute to knowledge and learning”.
For more information about the courses and how to book your students onto a Discovery Day, please see the details on our website here.