NON-TRADITIONAL LESSON

Nowadays it is becoming more popular to organize lessons somewhere out of school so that students could experience more. The lessons which take place in different museums, factories, authority buildings can give way more to the students than just simple listening to the teacher giving a lecture at school. Our school students appreciate such occasions and are always willing to learn in a non-traditional environment.

On the 6th of June a group of students together with their class teachers went to the Open-Air Museum of Lithuania located on the picturesque shores of Kaunas  Lagoon in Rumšiškės.  The students got acquainted  with the mode of life, work and traditions of peasants and townspeople of all etnographic regions of Lithuania by visiting both interior and exterior expositions.  In addition, the students had the opportunity to take part in two educational activities: Primary School in 1930 and The Exile and Resistance  movement.  During the first activity our student found out interesting facts about the education system that existed at the mentioned period of time and they even had an opportunity to try their hand writing  using dip pens.  It created a fun leaning environment that kept students motivated. Later,  they were assessed according to the grading system that was used in the 1930s education. 

Another educational activity that attracted students‘ attention and interest  was visiting the Exile and Resistance Movement Exhibition which is a tribute to the tragic period in the Lithuanian history. The exhibition consisted of a pit-house (yurt), a train wagon used to transport deportees, a hideout (bunker) and memorial monuments. What made this activity innovative was that the students listened to the memoirs of an old Lady who was deported from Lithuania to Siberia during the mass deportations of 1941 and spent almost all her life in Yakut Republic.

After those two activities the students led a discussion about the facts they had learned. They thought of questions based on the activities and analysed the given facts about the past. Most importantly the teachers were only observers of the discussion. The students, without even noticing, organised a perfect lesson in which they learned a lot.

Undoubtedly, the trip to Rumšiškės was a step forward in trying to implement innovative approaches to learning and teaching. Our advice for those who still feel unsure if such lessons work would be not to be afraid and try organizing as many non-traditional lessons as possible as it is a huge asset to today’s education.