The teaching materials developed within the project make scientific research on famines directly accessible to primary schools. The project is a close collaboration between Chris Cusack, Marguérite Corporaal and Lotte Jensen (RICH) with Jan van Baren-Nawrocka and Lisanne Leenheer from the RU Science Hub (WKRU).
From research project to classroom
The large-scale NWO/NWA project Heritages of Hunger explores how European societies remember and pass on memories of past famines. In doing so, the project highlights how memories of hunger continue to play a role in current societal debates on solidarity, migration and national identity.
Within this project, the desire arose to make the theme accessible for young pupils as well, a target group for whom there was hardly any suitable teaching material available. Thanks to the collaboration with WKRU, Radboud University's Science Hub, this step could be taken. WKRU contributed didactic expertise and knowledge of primary education, and translated academic insights into materials that are well suited to groups 7 and 8 in Dutch primary education.
Pupils as researchers
In the classes, pupils take on the role of archive researchers themselves. They work with maps full of historical sources on topics including the Irish Potato Famine and the Dutch Hunger Winter. Texts, images, objects and excerpts from children's literature help them construct their own narrative about the meaning of famine, then and now. This investigative approach proves effective; pupils do not only learn about history, but also about memory, empathy and the role of stories in how we understand the past. According to Chris Cusack, pupils thus develop "crucial insights into a phenomenon that has had a profound influence on the Netherlands and Europe of today, and which continues to have an enormous impact worldwide."
Significant interest from the education sector
The teaching materials have been made available via open access through Wetenschap de Klas. In addition, 140 printed sets were distributed free of charge to primary schools, and these were all gone within a short space of time. The trial classes at two schools in the region also elicited enthusiastic responses from teachers.
Recognition for collaboration and impact
In awarding the project, the jury of the OSL Valorisation Award recognises that Heritages of Hunger exemplifies how research in literature and the humanities can be transformed into societal value. The award endorses the key role of WKRU as a connecting link between the university and educational practice. "It is precisely organisations within the university, such as the now sadly defunct WKRU, that help researchers translate their findings into engaging teaching materials for younger generations," emphasises project leader Marguérite Corporaal. By presenting the award, OSL also underlines the importance of humanities research with demonstrable societal impact. Heritages of Hunger had previously received a RICH High Impact Research Award.
