Heritage

Contentseducating towards a better future97and societal backgrounds, but also according to our information sources. As the storyof the four blind men and the elephant tells us, 1 one person’s experience may be real,but is only part of reality, and can never encompass the entire truth.In fact, the whole truth is not known by anyone. Everyone knows but a little pieceof it. From different viewpoints, the world can look very different. Sometimes we aremanipulated, consciously or unconsciously. In any case, our news programmes offeronly a selection of the world’s events and stories, and for the most part, these are alsobiased by our Western way of thinking.Some people or organizations deceive us with half-truths or outright lies in order towin us over. One-sided and incomplete messages, propaganda, manipulation, gossipand prejudices can mislead us. In these situations we also discover the importance ofasking critical questions.tp Teaching practicef The children show interest in the past, present and future. The children learn thatthere are different reasons to be afraid, angry, happy or sad.Learning is a lifelong process that can take place anytime and anywhere. Philosophizingwith young people in a relaxed learning atmosphere is very stimulating. Thepupils do their own research, while their mentor listens and facilitates the research.Philosophizing with children is possible from an early age.The Antwerp city-funded preschool, ’t Vliegertje, for example, organized a philosophicalproject with their eldest toddlers. This project became an integrated way of learningabout underwater cultural heritage and peace education, as it was based on bothknowledge and empathy, adapted to today’s values. The project was also connected tothe national development objectives for kindergartens.Through group conversations about artefacts from underwater sites, the term ‘heritage’was defined more clearly. After a visit to the local MAS museum (Museum at theStream), links to other concepts were also established, mostly through the toddlers’1 In various versions of the tale, blind men touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each feels a differentpart, such as the head or the tusk. They then compare impressions and completely disagree. In some versionsof the tale they end up in violent conflict, in others, they stop talking, start listening and collaborateto ‘see’ the full elephant. When a sighted man walks by and sees the entire elephant all at once, they alsolearn they are blind. While one’s subjective experience is true, it may not be the totality of truth.