Enhancing the educational value of palaeontological heritage: the Didactic Collection of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) and its strategic framework

Abstract

The biased perception society has towards palaeontology, shown through practical activity experience, has led a multidisciplinary team of educators and scientists to meticulously design a didactic programme to increase, in a regulated and coordinated way, the outreach of this science at the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB). The specific objective of the programme, which can be summarized as to strengthen and diversify the educational offer of the MCNB concerning palaeontological topics, serves as a cohesive and comprehensive channel to achieve the strategic aim of communicating effectively the importance of palaeontology as a science and increasing social sensibility towards conservation of the palaeontological heritage. In this context, establishing a strategic framework as precise guidelines for the didactic programme in palaeontology seems necessary to improve and guarantee its sustainability over time. The didactic collection is a key resource for the complex inner workings of the programme, not only to communicate main palaeontological principles aimed to be addressed, but also as a tool to disseminate the significance of the work carried out at the museum. Overall, the programme is conceived as a model in palaeontological didactics, and additionally, as an interdepartmental collaboration to subsequentially develop activities and projects to promote and strengthen the understanding of palaeontological science and its role within society.