Certified Interpretive Writer (CIW)

Curso certificado de Escrita Interpretativa
(em língua inglesa)

Methodology

IE’s training methodology reflects Europe’s shared values (as mentioned in Article 2 of the European Treaty) and the ideas of value-based heritage interpretation (according to UNESCO).

Some key terms of contemporary learning in democratic societies are: Respect, Empowerment, Facilitation and Participation.

In all IE courses, training methods are:

1. The subject of the training itself (e.g. how to involve people through interpretive services);
2. Represented by the course design (e.g. training methods encouraging participation).

The latter is especially relevant in terms of learning for sustainability. As part of the UN Decade Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), UNESCO highlighted the following teaching and learning strategies:

• Experiential learning;
• Storytelling;
• Values education;
• Enquiry learning;
• Appropriate assessment;
• Future problem solving;
• Learning outside the classroom;
• Community problem solving.

Although they were originally meant to be used in formal learning, all of these aspects should also be considered within the training course, showing how they can be connected to non-formal learning as applied to heritage interpretation.

Didactic principles of the CIW course are:

• Design learning holistically (with head, heart and hand) and in various forms;
• Respect the needs of the individual learner;
• Include experiences from the learner’s own work and life;
• Initiate and promote new learning experiences and inspire the desire for learning;
• Strengthen personal responsibility and willingness to give and to receive critiques;
• Support the cooperation of learners with each other and with other stakeholders;
• Use pin boards, flip charts, moderation cards, markers and other media in a professional way;
• Allow cooperative development of content in realistic situations;
• Provide space to share new experiences and to challenge conventional ways of thinking;
• Visualise results and relate to them during the next training sessions.

Creativity and evaluation (both self and peer) are key components when dealing with text and are covered through specific activities, as well as through the way the course is set up.

During the training course, participants experience and develop subjects mainly on their own in small groups and in exercises on-site. This empowers to take ownership of our own learning, share the outcomes and provide feedback to compare the results against common standards and criteria.

Activities during the course days include six methodological formats:

• Exercises;
• Group work;
• Individual work;
• Presentations;
• Discussions;
• Feedback activities.