Kooj has a
considerable range of experience within the education sector having
worked within schools, adult education and also community development.
Key activities are as follows:
Development of published educational resources:
§
“Revealing Histories” educational web resource on
transatlantic slavery
with a Manchester focus (2008), managing editor (historical content) and
educational resources developer. This included working with education
departments of the 8 partner museums and also with schools and teachers.
§
“Collective Conversations” web video project for the
Manchester Museum
(2004-7): consultant and video production specialist developing and
directing collaborative videos discussing the human contexts to museum
objects. Includes the recent “phase 2” section filmed for Revealing
Histories.
§
Educational CD-ROM development, research, production and
publication
for Virtual Migrants (2001-3) entitled “We Are Here Because You Were
There” exploring immigration and asylum for secondary schools, including
classroom session plans for key stages 3 and 4.
§
“Exploring Our Roots” migrant oral history project and
educational resource pack
for the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Trust (2002-6), teaching and
training oral history recording in six schools, advisor for the research
and content, plus editing and authoring of the multimedia video-DVD.
§
“Resonance” CD-ROM commission
(Oldham Art Gallery 1998-9), to produce an interactive CD-ROM and
installation documenting the various migrant groups resident in Oldham, an
exposition including both their historical background and their
contemporary issues.
Curriculum development and teaching appointments:
§
Black and Cultural Studies Teacher
(1985-88, Manchester Adult Education), 3 years developing and teaching a
part-time curriculum for an access course in the Moss Side area for GMOCN
levels 2-4.
§
Development of a Citizenship module with Lostock High
School,
exploring immigration and asylum and producing re-useable resources
(2001-2).
§
Developed and taught occasional courses at Tameside College
(1989-92), one in Asian-Western Music and another a course entitled Asians
In Britain, involving additional guest tutors as appropriate.
§
Various teaching and lecturing appointments
- within higher education including LIPA and Chester College; currently
Associate Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University for the
Contemporary Film and Video degree course. Also within primary/secondary
schools, teaching creative modules/projects. I have always been
responsible for developing the curriculum for the courses and sessions I
have taught.
Arts in education development and support:
§
Creative Partnerships arts in schools programmes
(2003), developing three separate year-long arts programmes for two junior
schools and a secondary school.
§
Manager, Community Language and Arts Centre,
(1989-93, Tameside), developing multicultural resources and support for
Tameside Schools and the Tameside Education Development Centre.
§
Manager of the Black Issues In Community Arts Project
(1993-98, Tameside), developed a series of video production courses which
gained accreditation from Tameside College.
§
Digital media arts residency with all schools in Mossley
(2001), including all primary schools and the local comprehensive, on the
theme of Fire in collaboration with Mossley Community Arts.
Other educational work and general notes:
§
Youth and community-based workshops and projects
in the informal education sector have been delivered over a period of 25
years to a wide range of communities and age ranges, esp. young people.
§
A strong ability to understand what can engage young people,
and also considerable sensitivity to how race issues can be perceived and
misinterpreted.
§
Maintaining an active engagement with race issues
in the broader sense. Founding member of the Black Arts Alliance and Black
People’s Alliance. Chair of a committee which organised a major national
anti-racist campaign and demonstration in Manchester. Founded Asian
Community Arts and BICA projects in Tameside, and also Virtual Migrants –
a Manchester-based digital art group focusing on issues of race, migration
and globalisation.
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