Hello!
My name is Vsevolod Pejemsky. I am a teacher of Kid's archaeological center and a leader of our expedition. Seven years ago I founded this center in one recreation center in St. Petersburg. I am 27 years old.
In 1998 I got master's degree in Russian medieval history.
And now I finished postgraduate courses in Hertsen State Pedagogical University and wroute an essay devoted to Kid's Archaeology. Now i am Ph.D.

12 years ago I went to my first archaeological expedition. I took part in varied excavations (mezolithic, neolithic, medieval), including undersea.

My scientific interests: medieval history of Russia, regional history, archaeology of North-West Russia, pedagogics, children's psychology.

My hobby: photography, web-design, hiking, 3-d action computer games.

Here is a part of my essay (That was a project for the Soros Foundation)

Vsevolod Pegemsky
Education and Developing Potential of Kid's Archaeology
Kid's archaeology [detskaya arheologia] - established combination of words defining a specific pedagogical phenomenon. It means "participation of children and adolescents in archaeological excavations and other types of archaeological activity". As a rule, it develops within the frameworks of the additional education system (recreation centres, adolescent clubs as educational organisations). There children and adolescents study archaeology as an educational discipline, and assimilate archaeological skills. As a rule, adolescents and children from these clubs and sections of recreation centres take part in archaeological expeditions as unskilled labour. Archaeologists, teaching in these sections, have to solve a problem of financing expeditions, they have an unpaid workforce. Sometimes they view this teaching process as a pre-professional education. Nobody studies this question as a pedagogical problem. Nobody tried to understand, what archaeological activity could benefit a child, or an adolescent. Our approach is to examine childish archaeology as a pedagogical appearance and answer the following questions:n What educational potential is hidden in kid's archaeology?n How can archaeological activity help children and adolescents in their growth ( in acquiring necessary adult life skills)? n How can archaeological activity help children to form "the sense of liability" as one of the basic elements of civic society?n How can archaeological activity help a child to develop cognitive activity? We intend to search kid's archaeology as a pedagogical appearance:
- what is the position of archaeological clubs in the educational system?
- what peculiar properties does club use?
We are going to find methods to achieve educational, developing and cognitive purposes within the framework of kid's archaeology. We are going to clear up the capability of "archaeological experiment" in educational conditions. Archaeological experiment is a reconstruction of elements of material and spiritual culture of ancient people - houses, manufacturing process, ceremonies, instruments... Archaeological experiment is a method of experimental archaeology - a part of archaeology. We try to understand, how it is possible to apply experiment with the purpose of education, development and formation of its participants. What skills, knowledge can receive the teenager, if he participates, for example, in manufacturing ceramics by ancient methods. It is necessary to develop scientific and methodical bases for wider inclusion of children archaeology in educational process.
We consider checking up experimentally the received results.The basic problem of the research: There is insufficient scientific knowledge about a kid's archaeology as a pedagogical phenomenon.
The basic hypothesis of our research: kid's archaeology (participation of the children and adolescents in archaeological expeditions and other kinds of archaeological activity) has significant potential for development, education and formation of the teenagers.
We suppose, that: The participation in expeditions can promote development of search activity, formation of skills necessary in independent life, and formation of labour skills. It will form a need to self-education and self-development. I.e. archaeological activity is a complex method of formation, education and development adding average formations. We suppose, that archaeological experiment, which is carried out by the children, with the pedagogical purposes, brings up the teenagers respect for other cultures. It makes reception of knowledge independent from a level of intelligence, educational level. It corresponds to need of children and adolescents for self-realisation.
The basic research phases.
1st stage - study of existing archaeological sections and clubs, their history, results and features of work.
2nd stage - study of the scientific literature devoted problem of effective work of additional education (other directions - ecological, regional history, scouting), foreign literature.
3rd stage - scientific substantiation of new methods of work in archaeological sections and clubs.
4th stage - Experimental check of new development and methods.5th stage - preparation of a complex of the text-book and manuals for the teachers, who conducting work in similar sections and clubs. The basic contents of the manuals - implementation archaeological experiment in activity sections and clubs, changing the approach in work of clubs and sections. Expected results of the project.
1. Elaboration of the scientific bases for changing the approach in teaching in archaeological clubs and sections to more democratic, humanistic, guided on interests of a child, on his need, supposing unity of the rights and duties of a child.
2. Implementation innovative methods of pedagogical activity in additional education system.
3. Elaboration of the scientific bases for inclusion elements of archaeological activity and archaeological experiment in the contents of general average historical school (mechanisms, connection, kinds and ways of activity).
4. Elaboration a complex of the methodical manuals (manuals, slide - films, complete set of maps and visual training aids for teenagers and teachers)
There is a urgent practical need for the given research: the actualising activity in clubs and sections does not realise all opportunities incorporated in a childish archaeology. This activity does not correspond to needs and interests of children, level of modern scientific knowledge, to change the conditions and development of a society. First of all it does not correspond to the modern purposes of education. Also there is a contradiction between enough advanced pedagogical practice and absence of theoretical base.
The novelty of the approach to the problem is expressed in study of the kid's archaeology as pedagogical phenomenon, in elaboration of the theoretical, based on humanistic approach in work kid's archaeological clubs, and also in application archaeological experiment (historical reconstruction) in the pedagogical purposes.
According to the objectives we consider to apply the following methods of research:
The survey of existing archaeological clubs and sections on Northwest of Russia (in Pskov, Novgorod, St.-Petersburg) by method of discrete observation, and method of interview (with the teachers of clubs, and with the teenagers) will be carried out.
The theoretical analysis of the scientific and methodical literature on a problem will be carried out.
The analysis and specification of conceptual and terminological device will be carried out.
The analysis of work experience of the teachers (on materials of the publications and by results of the survey) will be carried out.
The pedagogical experiment will be carried out (kid's archaeological expedition will be carried out, where will be get up archaeological experiments (will be reconstructed houses, manufacturing process, instruments). Adolescents will carry out the archaeological experiments.
The analysis will be carried out and the results of research are interpreted.
Importance of the research.
Scientific importance of the research:
- This research will experimentally check up and will theoretically prove application of methods and kinds of activity of one science (archaeology, experimental archaeology) with the purposes of another (pedagogics). Such approach changes a sight to character of connections in interdisciplinary researches. Instead of simple connections the methodology of an allied science is used. The practical importance of research:- the new possible contents of club system of additional education is defined.
- the opportunities incorporated in a kid's archaeology are come to light.
The research can be of interest for educationalists, teachers of additional education, teachers of a history in schools, archaeologists.
The scientific results will be generalised and will be published in a series of articles in pedagogical, historical and archaeological scientific magazines, and also in special pedagogical symposiums.
The methodical materials will be published in popular pedagogical magazines and as separate publications.
The results of research can find wide application in the teaching process. The programs of teaching in additional education system can be based on them. The results of research can be applied during school education. The for example received results will give the teachers of high school an opportunity to include intelligently and purposefully in the contents of teaching separate archaeological experiments.