Why does archaeology matter? archaeology across different countries and teaching approaches

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze how archaeology contributes to the history teaching and learning process. Research has shown the benefits of learning from and with archaeology: it is an effective resource for historical inquiry, helps improve the connections students make between past and present, and supports civic purposes and engagement. Despite archaeology’s benefits, its implementation in educational settings is still scarce. This article provides reflections shared by an international working group (Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United States) and outlines the problems of introducing archaeology and its methods into schools and the different trends and approaches that characterize its implementation. The joint discussion ends with the definition of both current challenges that need to be addressed and suggestions for the future if we aim for archaeology to be part of educational processes. The discussion also allows us to answer the main question posed in this article: why does archaeology matter?