Call for Papers The 19th International Symposium on School Museums and Collections of Educational History

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

On Behalf of the Museum of Education – Xeniseum of the University of Crete – CSRHETP (Centre for the Study and Research for the History of Education and Teaching Profession, University of Crete, Greece) we have the great pleasure to invite scholars, interested individuals and other interested parties working with museums of education, collections and educational history to participate in to the 19^th International Symposium on School Museums and Collections of Educational History. The Symposium will take place in Rethymnon, University of Crete, Greece, in May 2021.

Xeniseum is an international member of the BMN (Balkan Museums Network) and of ECSITE (the European network of science centers and museums), and is under the Auspice of the Prefecture of Crete, Greece. The Post-Graduated Program ‘Science of Education, Critical Pedagogy and Teacher Education’, along with ‘Friends of the Museum of the University of Crete’ (MUSAIOI) will also support and co-organize the Symposium.

Website: https://kemeiede.org/

Instagram account: @xeniseum

Theme of the Symposium

School Museums, Museum Education and Educational History: “Creating Learning Experiences and Building Bridges for Open and Sustainable Societies”

Learning experiences refers to any interaction, pathways, program, or other involvement in which learning takes place in museums and collections, whether it occurs in traditional educational settings or nontraditional environments (learning through games and interactive software applications). Because people learn in an extensive variety of surroundings and ways, the term is used as a more inclusive term to support the new goals of an educational interaction/ learning in modern museums and galleries. It reflects larger pedagogical and technological changes that have occurred today in the design and delivery of knowledge, and it represents an attempt to update conceptions for whom and of how, when, and where learning can come about. Besides, the importance of open access in creating sustainable societies for the future generations is a key challenge for the Symposium. The issues we face with energy and the environment are complex and include all aspects of sustainability as well as society. Expressly, cultural sustainability is increasingly seen as a fourth dimension of sustainable development. However, studies on cultural viability in museums are rare. Thus, the other pillar aim of our symposium is to fill this gap: heritage exposure, environmental behavior, openness to the public, and effectiveness and enactment in collecting, preserving, and researching the cultural heritage.

Purpose of the Symposium

The purpose of the Symposium is to explore and reflect on the contribution of school museums and educational collections to the development of the modern dialogue on “Creating Learning Experiences and Building Bridges for Open and Sustainable Societies” and particularly their association in the dialogue, which has a significant influence on the development of teacher education, with special emphasis to:

1. School Museums, Cultural Sustainability and Sustainable Societies
2. Museums as Places of Lifelong Learning
3. Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning: Museums and Life Narratives
4. Local History in School Museums
5. Heritage Education and New Technologies
6. Museum Pedagogy and Creativity: Learning Through the Arts
7. Educational Programs and Cultural Activities in Museums of 21^st Century
8. Museums and Vulnerable Groups (people with special needs, people with low qualifications, people at risk of social exclusion, immigrants, displaced people, etc.)
9. Developing Exhibitions Toolkit in Museums (Innovative and Creative practices)
10. Museums of Education, Critical Pedagogy and Educational Changes
11. Historical Education Today and the Promotion of Democratic Societies
12. Gendered History of Education in School Museums
13. Social / Ideological Uses of Historical Educational Knowledge
14. Teaching history of education in Higher Education Today: Epistemological and Methodological Issues

Dates, Location & Contact

Dates of the Symposium: Tuesday 25^th to Friday, 28^th of May 2021

Location: Student and Cultural Centre Xenia, City of Rethymno, Crete, Greece

Website of the Symposium: We will develop a platform for instructions, deadlines, registration, the program itself, for the keynote speakers, and other useful details of the Symposium, which shall be announced in the short-term future as soon as it reaches completion.

E-mail address of the Symposium: thesymposium19@gmail.com

For the Organizing Committee
Prof. Dr Anthony Hourdakis
Head of the University Museum of Education – Xeniseum &
Director of Lifelong Learning Centre of the University of Crete, Greece