The long-term cooperation between the Gallery of Matica Srpska and the Preschool Institution “Maštolend” resulted in the joint project The Adventures of Out-of-Classroom Learning within the “Erasmus +” program, which lasted from November 2019 to June 2022. The goal of the project was to provide support to kindergarden and school teachers, and educators in working with children from preschool and elementary school, with an emphasis on play and learning outside the walls of formal educational institutions. Through the project, exceptional cooperation was created with colleagues from partner institutions – Kindergarten “Maslačak” from Pula in Croatia, Elementary school “Dobje” from Dobje pri Planini in Slovenia, Preschool Institution “Maštolend” from Novi Sad and Preschool Institution “Včielka” from Bački Petrovac.
The educational programs for children of the Gallery of Matica Srpska were recognized by formal educational institutions as an example of good practice, while the museum educators of the Gallery gained valuable experience and knowledge of working with children through the project. The interweaving of these knowledge and experiences resulted in The Adventures of Out-of-Classroom Learning manual as well as an international conference held in Novi Sad from June 17 to 19, 2022.
The idea of this book is to help practitioners turn out-of-classroom activities into a common way of teaching children. We have particularly highlighted the empowering of adults to support children’s need for active learning through activities which make sense to them. Supporting the development of positive learning dispositions through children’s exploratory activities in various locations within the community, as opposed to passive teaching in classrooms, is one of the most significant values of this book. Professional competencies for the program Adventures of out-of-classroom learning have been presented with practical examples and reflections provided by preschool and school teachers, museum educators, expert associates and principals, who authored this book. We believe that the rich experience of the book’s authors will help to grasp the benefits the out-of-classroom activities have for children and that the participation of parents, organizations and individuals from the community in developing programs will become regular.
You can download the digital edition of the manual here.
Education is not something to keep in a box, even when the box is classroom-shaped. The habit of learning, an urge to find out more, is developed when we feel inspired. The world outside the school is richly inspiring, constantly re-energizing what takes place within the classroom. It is the source of all our learning – about our history, about our culture, about our place in the natural world and our relationships with each other. This two-way flow can be embedded in every child’s education, entirely at ease within any school’s ethos.
Out-of-Classroom Learning, Real World Learning Partnership (2003)
