Educational activities run by the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War consist primarily in providing education outside school. Its basis is the original program “Pedagogy of Remembrance” which connects historical didactics with social and civic education. The project was launched in cooperation with Opole University in the years 2003-2004 and was introduced by the Museum in 2004, continuously undergoing improvement since then. In 2004, it was possible to successfully bring it out in the form of a small publication, with the help of the Board of Education in Opole. Folders including a CD containing a presentation of the Museum and the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice were sent free of charge to junior high and senior high schools in Opole Province. At present, it makes the foundation of all the educational activities run by the Museum.

Assumptions of the project:

The aim of contemporary historical education is to actively acquaint with history in the way which makes it possible to understand causes and effects of historical events, and also – based on this knowledge – to responsibly create the future. An evaluation of the past is in this process a mature reflection formulated on the basis of profound multifaceted information. Due to its historical, social, ethical and religious values, education at sites of remembrance goes beyond didactics of history and the museum-related dimension of these places: it corresponds to regional education. These sites can offer a solid ground for developing a dialogue between generations and nations.

Goals of the project:

  • systematic learning about the historical specifics of the Site of National Remembrance in Łambinowice;
  • developing in students empathy, tolerance and respect for the experience held by people living in the past and today;
  • formation of skills of coping with one’s own prejudices and conflicts;
  • expressing oneself through different forms of creativity;
  • substantial cooperation with the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War and with other places of remembrance at home and abroad;
  • entering a dialogue of understanding and reconciliation in order to expose everything that unites;
  • strengthening the sense of identity with the region, mother country and the world.

Realization of the above-mentioned points provides students with a wide range of knowledge. It also allows conducting historical education in sites of remembrance nearly in all types of educational classes: in the course of teaching individual subjects, in activities run after lessons and outside school. The proposed thematic range enables to make local and regional issues the main program axis. It also favors making use of students’ experience of outside-school activities to absorb knowledge and work out an active attitude towards the surrounding reality in the participants. Historical knowledge is passed in the context of national, state and all-human values. This helps children and youth to find their own place in contemporary world.

Selection of the subject-matter should be based on:

  • making the historical process more flexible;
  • creating possibilities of identification;
  • facilitating a transfer of experienced feelings and acquired knowledge to the present.

Basic forms of education:

  • history workshops organized for both teachers and students;
  • visits to the Museum, whose program takes into account cognitive-emotional aspects;
  • independent documentation work: archiving, preparing documentation in the form of films, photographs, etc., for instance, in order to organize one’s own exhibitions;
  • design work;
  • independent creative expression – inspiring confrontation of the past with feelings expressed by means of artistic means;
  • working with the media (e.g., interactive computer programs, thematic chats);
  • survey documentation of participants of the program;
  • exchange of experience with other educational institutions dealing with the same themes at home and abroad.

In order to interest students in history and inspire them to make an active reflection over events from the past, the Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War applies various educational methods. We include here, among others, work with collections (archives, museum items, films and photographs), classes conducted by means of the drama method or with the use of manual methods, meetings with witnesses to events, “for and against” debates, brainstorming, interviews, surveys, worksheets, reportages, visits, rankings, field lessons (including physical work which serves the purpose of conservation of objects), contests, plain-air sessions, together evenings, exhibitions. Each time educational methods are adjusted to the participating students’ levels of intellectual and psychophysical development, as well as their capacities to receive and absorb concrete knowledge. Teachers and supervisors play the role of co-participants and guiding spirits.