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| Essex Havard : Director : ALACS |
He spoke at length about types of motivation. I'm sure we all know the difference between INTRINSIC motivation and EXTRINSIC motivation. For a refresher, click HERE and HERE.
Obvs. children are more likely to be extrinsically motivated (brought by school, learning for exams) and adults are more likely to be learning due to personal interest. There is, as he said "no curriculum for adults", wherein lies the opportunity and the challenge.
He spoke about the importance of speaking to other adult learning agencies in order to discover what provision is needed in the area. He also spoke very positively about the Our Museum project (Paul Hamelyn Foundation), which allowed adults the opportunity to plan programmes for themselves.
He directed us to the 1996 UNESCO report 'Learning -- The Treasure Within' and it's focus on the FOUR PILLARS OF LEARNING
He pointed out very pertinently that Learning to Live Together should be a particularly important agenda in these times, but the govt. has just cut the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) budget. Breaking down language barriers is surely worth investing in!
He laid down some definitions of INFORMAL learning, NON-FORMAL learning and FORMAL learning.
Informal = not structured
Non-Formal = structured but not accredited
Formal = accredited
He spoke about the LEM project - (from their website : LEM - The Learning Museum is a Europe wide network which aims to
establish a permanent space for museums and adult educators to act in a
learning society and in a knowledge based Europe).
The following workshop involved hearing about one of the European Partners about their project.
LEM is now completed, but they produced 8 reports over the course of the project and the partners continue to collaborate.
Lastly, he spoke about a really great looking programme in Ireland called Beltane Festival. It involves Dementia Friendly Museums and it is all about age and creativity.. Loads of Arts organisations put things on to encourage older people in engaging wit the arts.
Julie Carr: How Do ESOL Learners Benefit From Engagement With Museums?
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| Julie Carr : Interpretation Team : British Museum |
(ESOL = English for Speakers of Other Languages)
Julie's MA research is on how engagement with museums can enrich ESOL courses and how best to use museums to enhance ESOL learning.
4.2 million people self-identify as non-native English speakers, and 1 million don't feel fluent.
This isn't an issue just of language, but of wider issues of belonging and identity.
Speaking about the social justice agenda in 2005, David Milliband said "The test of a strong and fair society is whether the most vulnerable can thrive. Thriving in modern Britain means not just getting by - it means living a life with prospects, dignity and control".
This is where ESOL in museums can contribute. Getting to a museum and spending time there helps with language acquisition, but it also opens the opportunities of the city to foreigners. It helps people to integrate into society.
The ESOL visitors increased in self-esteem and were able to communicate better with their children. Improved English, Increased Self Esteem and Greater Local and Cultural Awareness led to Better Health and Welbeing and a sense of Belonging.
Tom O'Connor: Learning Together (The Why Don't We Community)
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| Tony O'Connell : Founder : Why Don't We |
Tony is the founder of the Why Don't We project, which lets adults with learning disabilities create work using photography and film. His work with groups is remarkable and I think they would be a great team to get in touch with if we are working on accessibility in the future.
Jude Woods: Partnership Working With LGBT*IQ Communities
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| Jude Woods : Assistant Community Curator : Leeds Museums & Galleries |
Jude strode straight in with a top tip for working with LGBT*IQ communities (which I think follows on to all community work) and this was to allow loads of time to get to know existing groups in the area and to get well known yourself.
She talked about the tricky subject of words. She said tha if you are trying to work out the right words to use then her advice is give up! There is no right and you can never please everybody, so the best thing is to think about it a lot and then to be able to explain your choice of words - and be prepared to learn more and then change the words you use.
Her approach for the project work she has done with Leeds Museums is based on a community development model and is rooted in activism. She pointed us to the Whose Cake? document produced by the Our Museum project (Paul Hamelyn Funded). It's a very well known paper, but rich with things to think about.
She also suggested watching the It's Elementary documentary about how to talk about sexuality in schools. I haven't watched it yet but it is available on YouTube.
She works with Schools OUT - who have produced loads of useful resources for tackling inequality in schools (and beyond).
She started to explain what QUEERING means. I hadn't heard the phrase before, so I don't have a great grasp on it, even after this training, but she gave us all a handout about how it can be done, which I will leave a copy of in the staffroom.
She was very bold in the way she spoke about this subject and this helped us all to see that the type of work she does is not an add-on but is a legal and moral obligation. Inclusion is required by law. Education and Curatorial staff have a responsibility to include LGBT*IQ perspectives in displays and programming. We also have to welcome visitors appropriately (weeks of good work can be undone in just one homophobic/transphobic encounter). We need to be proactive about diversity.
There is accreditation available to evidence that we are a welcoming and diverse workplace/public space. Building on the stuff we did last year for PRIDE, I think it would be a great thing to think about aiming for in the long term.
Susan Griffiths & Nicola Bird : Adult Learning and Community Outreach
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| Nicola Bird & Susan Griffiths : Community Outreach : Oxford University Museums |
They talked about making adult learning sustainable. They have an adult offer in a similar way to how we have a schools offer. A set menu of workshops that adult groups can sign up for. 90% of these are delivered outside of the museum. Efforts are made to keep contacts and to then support visits back to the museums themselves.
Outreach is a way to overcome barriers to visiting the museum. Working in a space that belongs to the learners and in which they feel comfortable makes it a level playing field. It stops being about experts and novices and has a broader appeal.
They have used these techniques in many different contexts, in prosons and probation services, homeless shelters and at massive events.
It brings out skills like turn taking and investigative skills.
They have given out free cup of tea vouchers as a way of monitoring how many of these outreach learners then made a visit to the museum.
Rachel Crossley : Attracting New Audiences Through New, Relevant and Innovative Offers
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| Rachel Crossley : Adult Learning : Histopric Royal Palaces |
Rachel spoke about an event she planned to bring new audiences into the museum (a bit like our museums at night forays).
Their leaerning team is broken into 0-11yrs learning team, 11-19yrs learning team and adult learning team.
They are working within a new initiative at HRP 'A New Approach', which is broken into 3 areas
-Scale and Impact
- Audience Focused
- High Quality, Distinctive and Transformative
SAhe talked about how they are aiming to provide "Fewer, Bigger, Better" Learning opportunities. To do less but to do it really well and to make sure it reaches a lot of people.
They evaluate using 4 indicators, REACH, QUALITY, LEARNING IMPACT and VOLUME
They used a contractor to create an after hours event for adults. It was a spy experience. It was tech-led, so as you arrived you are given a mobile phone, it rings and then you get clues that move you around the building.
They were using the following KPIs
-7 events with 10 tickets sold per night
- 70%ticket sales
- 50% first time audience
- 5+ press/media pieces
- 170,000+ impressions thru social media
good/v. good ratings
They gave local people a concession and unemployed people as well. They did better than they hoped in almost all KPIs and it did bring a new audience, but did those people go on to become regular visitors?
