impact of museums on learning

8/3/2019 Impact of Museums on Learning

1/27

DraftReport

IMPACTOFSCHOOL

VISITSTOMUSEUMSON

LEARNINGAND

ATTAINMENT

WestMidlandsHub

March2011

FinalReport

IMPACTOFSCHOOLVISITSTO

MUSEUMSON

LEARNING

AND

ATTAINMENTWestMidlandsHubEducationGroup

March2011


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Impactofschoolvisitsonattitudestolearningandattainmentfinalreport

TABLEOFCONTENTS

1. ExecutiveSummary.................................................................................12. Acknowledgements.................................................................................23. Introductionandmethodology................................................................34. Knowledgeandunderstanding................................................................55. Skills........................................................................................................76. Attitudesandvalues................................................................................97. Enjoyment,inspiration,creativity..........................................................128. Activity,behaviourandprogression......................................................159. Conclusionsandlearningpoints............................................................18AppendixI:TopicGuideforFocusGroups


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Impactofschoolvisitsonattitudestolearningandattainment final report

1. ExecutiveSummaryThe

West

Midlands

Hub

Education

Group

commissioned

Consulting

Inplace

to

carry

outresearchintotheimpactofmuseumandgalleryvisitsonchildrenslearning.

Fourfocusgroupswereconductedwithchildrenwhoattendedvisitstoamuseum

orgalleryover12monthsago. Thisresearchhasbeenframedaroundthe

Museums,LibrariesandArchives(MLA)fiveGenericLearningOutcomes(GLOs).

Thefigurebelowsummarisesthemainfindingsfromtheresearch,alignedwiththe

GLOs.

KnowledgeandunderstandingVisitscontributetoadeeper

understandingofsubject

areas

Visitshelpedtobringschool

projectstolife

Visitssupportknowledge

retention

SkillsNewskillsarespecifictothe

exhibitvisited

Physicalactivities

help

to

embed

skillsandretainknowledge

Evidenceofimproved

communicationandsocialskills

Examplesofcrosscurricular

learningandskills

AttitudesandvaluesVisitscontributetoimproved

confidence

Visits

encourage

children

to

interact

withotherchildrenoutsideoftheir

friendshipgroupandwithadults

Visitschangeattitudesand

perceptionstowardsmuseumsand

galleries

Visitschangeattitudestowards

learning

Enjoyment,InspirationCreativityEngagingstaffcontribute

significantlytoenjoyment

Mixedviewsontheextenttowhich

museums/galleriesareinspiring

Museums/galleriesareexciting,

interestingplaces

Museums/galleriesare

enjoyable

andstimulatetheimagination

Activity,BehaviourandProgressionMostchildrenintendtovisitagain

Theclassroomactivitiesafterthe

visithaveasignificantroletoplayin

embeddinglearning

Mostchildrentalktotheirfamilies

abouttheirvisits

Visitsincluding

physical

activity

are

mostpopularandmemorable

Visitsprovideresourcesthatschools

cantGenericLearningOutcomes:TheWestMidlandsExperience

KnowledgeandunderstandingVisitscontributetoadeeper

understandingofsubject

areas

Visitshelpedtobringschool

projectstolife

Visitssupportknowledge

retention

SkillsNewskillsarespecifictothe

exhibitvisited

Physicalactivities

help

to

embed

skillsandretainknowledge

Evidenceofimproved

communicationandsocialskills

Examplesofcrosscurricular

learningandskills

AttitudesandvaluesVisitscontributetoimproved

confidence

Visits

encourage

children

to

interact

withotherchildrenoutsideoftheir

friendshipgroupandwithadults

Visitschangeattitudesand

perceptionstowardsmuseumsand

galleries

Visitschangeattitudestowards

learning

Enjoyment,InspirationCreativityEngagingstaffcontribute

significantlytoenjoyment

Mixedviewsontheextenttowhich

museums/galleriesareinspiring

Museums/galleriesareexciting,

interestingplaces

Museums/galleriesare

enjoyable

andstimulatetheimagination

Activity,BehaviourandProgressionMostchildrenintendtovisitagain

Theclassroomactivitiesafterthe

visithaveasignificantroletoplayin

embeddinglearning

Mostchildrentalktotheirfamilies

abouttheirvisits

Visitsincluding

physical

activity

are

mostpopularandmemorable

Visitsprovideresourcesthatschools

cantGenericLearningOutcomes:TheWestMidlandsExperience

Theresearchfoundthatmuseumsandgalleriesreinforcelearningbestwhencertain

thingsareinplaceincluding:

whenchildrenareencouragedtobeactiveduringtheirvisits whentherearehighquality,charismaticguides whenchildrenareencouragedtohandleartefactsandobjects whentherearefollowupactivitiesintheclassroom.


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2. AcknowledgementsConsultingInplaceandtheWestMidlandsHubwouldliketothankthefourschools

whoparticipatedintheresearch:

ShortHeathPrimarySchool,Erdington,Birmingham BirchesGreenJuniorSchool,Erdington,Birmingham WestParkPrimarySchool,Wolverhampton HolyRosaryCatholicPrimarySchool,Wolverhampton

WewouldliketothanktheHeadTeachers,TeachersandParentsforgivingtheir

consentfortheresearchandmostimportantly,thechildrenforspeakingsohonestly

andvibrantlyabouttheirexperiences.


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3. IntroductionandmethodologyThis

qualitative

research

project

examined

the

impact

of

museum

visits

on

childrenandyoungpeopleslearning. Thissectionexplainstherationalefor

theresearchandthemethodologyusedtoconductthestudy.

3.1 SettingthecontextTheWestMidlandsHubEducationGroup,whichrepresentsfivemuseumsinthe

WestMidlandsplustheBlackCountryLivingMuseum,1commissionedConsulting

Inplacein

October

2010

to

carry

out

research

into

the

impact

of

museum

and

gallery

visitsonchildrenslearning.

Existinganecdotalevidencesuggeststhatvisitstomuseumsandgalleriescontribute

positivelytochildrenslearning. Previousresearch2hasfocusedonteachersviews

ofimpactusingselfcompletionevaluationformslinkedtoorganisedvisitsto

museums. Thisdemonstratedthevaluethatteachersplacedonmuseumeducation,

notonlyinrelationtoattainment,butalsosocialandemotionalaspectsoflearning

whichreinforcetheacquisitionofknowledgeandskills(p.11). Theresearchfound

thatteachers

recognised

the

contribution

museums

can

make

to

the

delivery

of

EveryChildMatters3outcomesandtherolemuseumscanplayindeveloping

positiveattitudestolearning. Thefindingsalsosuggestthatteachersbelievethat

museumeducationhelpschildrentointeractpositivelywitheachotherandadults

andtheirabilitytobecreativeandflexible.

Whilepreviousresearchprovidedusefulinsightsintotheroleofmuseumsand

galleriesineducation,itwasbasedonlyontheviewsofteachers.Theresearch

conductedfor

this

report

aimed

to

add

depth

and

richness

of

evidence

through

qualitativeresearchwithchildrenandyoungpeoplethemselves.

ThisresearchhasbeenframedaroundtheMuseums,LibrariesandArchives(MLA)

fiveGenericLearningOutcomes(GLOs).Theseareunderpinnedbyabroad

definitionoflearningwhichidentifiesbenefitsthatpeoplegainfrominteractingwith

museums,librariesandarchives. ThefiveGLOsare:

Knowledgeandunderstanding Skills Attitudesandvalues Enjoyment,inspiration,creativity Activity,behaviourandprogression


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3.2 MethodologySchoolswithintheareasofinterest(centralBirminghamandWolverhampton)who

hadvisited

amuseum

or

gallery

within

the

necessary

timescale

(i.e.

12

18

months

prior)wereinvitedtotakepartintheresearch.Giventhetimescalesforcompleting

theresearch,thosewhorespondedfirstwereselectedtoparticipate. Teachersat

theselectedschoolswereinvitedtoselect6studentsfortheresearchfocusgroups

3girlsand3boyswithamixtureofacademicabilities.

Fourfocusgroupswereconductedwithchildrenwhoattendedvisitstoamuseum

orgalleryover12monthsago(Figure1).

Figure1:Participants

Locality Schoolyearvisit

tookplace

Schoolyearfocus

grouptookplace

Museum/gallery

visited

Erdington Year5 Year6 Birmingham

Museum

Erdington Year3 Year3 Birmingham

Museum

Wolverhampton

Year

4

Year

5

Black

Country

Living

Museum

Wolverhampton Year5 Year6 WolverhamptonArt

Gallery

ATopicGuidewasdesignedtoincludepromptsforthefocusgroupdiscussionsand

wasstructuredaroundthefiveMLAGenericLearningOutcomes. TheTopicGuide

wasusedtopromptthediscussionandisaflexibletool,ratherthanascript. Acopy

ofthiscanbefoundinAppendix1.

Intotal,24childrenwereinvolvedinthefocusgroupdiscussions. Thefocusgroups

wereanalysedcollectivelyandthefindingsinthisreportrepresentthedominant

findings,usingillustrativeexampleswhereappropriate.

Itshouldbenotedthatthisresearch,whileyieldingrichqualitativedata,isbasedon

arelativelysmallsampleofchildren. Thisresearchdoesnotaimtobestatistically

significantnorprovideevidenceforallmuseum/galleryvisits. Rather,theresearch

hasbeen

designed

to

both

add

to

the

evidence

base

and

provide

astarting

point

for

furtherqualitativeresearchintotheimpactofWestMidlandsmuseums.

Theremainderofthereportisorganisedaroundthe5GLOs,usingillustrative

examplesfromthefocusgroupsessionstoevidenceourfindings.


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4. KnowledgeandunderstandingTheKnowledgeandUnderstandingGenericLearningOutcomerefersto

participantsknowledge,learningfactsorinformation,makingsenseof

something,deepeningunderstanding,howmuseums,librariesandarchives

operate,makinglinksandrelationshipsbetweenthings.Thissection

outlinesthecontributionstothisoutcome.

4.1 VisitscontributetoadeeperunderstandingofsubjectareasMostchildrenreportedthatmuseumandgalleryvisitsimprovedknowledgeand

understandingofspecificsubjectsareas. Insomecases,thiswasimproved

indirectly,learningabouthistory,throughavisittoanartgallery,forexample. It

wasevidentthatmuseumandgalleryvisitshavetheabilitytoexciteandenthuse

childrenaboutparticularsubjects.

SeveralYear6childrenindicatedadeeperunderstandingofthedefinitionofartyoucan

make

anything

if

its

art

and

youcan

make

anything

out

of

anything

art

is

not

justaboutdrawingbutitcanbeaboutpaintingorsculpture

OneYear6girlreportedthatthevisithelpedwithherdrawingalotbutalsohelpedwithhistory,literatureandreligiouseducationforexamplenotknowingthatJesushadafeast,butthenyoudseethepictureandseethathedid.

4.2 VisitshelpedtobringschoolprojectstolifeChildrenwereaskedtocommentontheextenttowhichthevisitshelpedthem

directlywiththeirschoolwork. Thereisclearevidencethattheirexperiencein

galleriesandmuseumshasbeentransferredintoschoolprojects,particularlythose

focusedonhistory,thesubjectaroundwhichvisitsareoftenorganised.

OnegroupmentionedthethingstheyhadlearntaboutschoolsintheVictoriantimes,aboutwhatVictoriansusedtoeat,andwhatwasstockedinshops.This

knowledgewasusedintheVictorianprojecttheywerecarryingoutinschoolthat

term.

Onepupilstatedtheywerenowbetteratreadinginformationbookssincethemuseumsvisitthissame

boysaidthattherewasabookon

AncientGreeceinhisclassroomand


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4.3 VisitssupportknowledgeretentionThe

participants

were

able

to

vividly

describe

their

visits

to

museums

and

galleries.

Thespecificityandvibrancyoftheknowledgeretainedisparticularlynotable. Inall

fourfocusgroupstheparticipantswereeachabletorememberatleastonespecific

fact.

ThosewhovisitedBirminghamMuseumwereabletorecallspecificstoriesfromAncientGreece,suchashowslingshotswereusedtohithorseslegssothatpeople

felloff,andhownastymessageswereputinslingshots,andtheyeven

rememberedone

of

the

messages

haveadeadbirthday,andhowAthenswenttowarwithSpartaandthatSpartawon.

Overall,thevisitscontributedtoagreaterunderstandingofwhatitwasliketoliveasGreeksdid,withmanyanecdotes(suchasasoldierbeingkilledbyhisown

catapultbullet)commonlyrememberedbythegroup. Backatschool,thechildren

participatedinaGreekdaywheretheyexploredsomeoftheseaspects,including

Greeksports,andthishelpedthemmakelinksbetweentheirownlivesandancient

Greeks.Manyofthechildrenknewaboutspecifichistoriceventsinsomedetail,

suchas

what

events

were

in

the

original

Olympics.

RelayracesstartedoutasmessengerstakingmessagesaroundGreeceIneverknewthatbefore.

Asignificantlevelofdetailwasretained.WhenaskedwhathadbeenrememberedonegroupwhovisitedBlackCountryLivingMuseumrepliedthatponieswereusedinminesinsteadofhorsesbecausehorsesweretootall theheightlevelwas1metrefortheponies


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5. SkillsTheSkillsGLOreferstoknowinghowtodosomething;beingabletodo

newthings;intellectualskills;informationmanagementskills;socialskills;

communicationskills;physicalskills

5.1 NewskillsarespecifictotheexhibitvisitedChildrenreportedimprovedskillsinrelationtotheexhibittheyvisitedandthe

activitiesthey

took

part

in.

The

recognition

of

improved

skills

were

very

much

linked

toactivitiesandexercises. Forexample,forthosewhovisitedArtGalleriesandtook

partinactivities,theyreportedimproveddrawingskills. Somechildrenmentioned

improvedmathsandliteracyasaresultofspecificexercisestheytookpartinduring

theirvisits

ThegroupwhovisitedWolverhamptonArtGallerylearnthowtouseartstrawstomakedifferentshapes.AlsothevisittaughtmehowtotakedrawingastepfurtherIknowhowtodrawafaceandwheretheeyesshouldgo.

Whenaskediftheyhadbecomebetteratcertainsubjects,suchasmaths,thechildrenrecalledspecificexercises,suchasusingatimelinetocountbackwardsin

ordertoworkoutdatesBC.Ofthosewhotookpartinthisexercise,mostthought

thatthishadhelpedthemtoimprovemathsskills.

ThegroupwhovisitedtheAncientGreeceexhibitionmentionedtheirimprovedsportsskillssuchasjumpingusingaweight.

SomechildrenstatedthattheyhadlearnednewwordsfromtheirvisittotheAncient

Greece

exhibit.

5.2 PhysicalactivitieshelptoembedskillsandretainknowledgeAsstatedabove,childrenwereableto

rememberskillsspecifictotheexhibit

visited. Ourresearchfoundthatwhen

theactivitieswerephysical,therewasa

vividdescriptionoftheactivityindicating

improvedretention. Thefreedomof

beingallowedtowalkaroundthe

museumwaswelcomed.

TwogroupstookpartinPEbased


10/27


Somechildrenstatedtheimportanceofmovement. Atschoolwejustsitthereand[atthemuseum]wecanrunaround. Anotherchildrecalledopportunitiestorunaroundandplaytigitsbetterthansittingstill. Thisindicatedthatthechildrenenjoyed

themselves

and

as

aresult

remember

what

has

been

learned.

ThepreviouslymentionedactivityattheBlackCountryMuseumwherechildrenvisitedthecoalmineinvolvedthemmovingaroundratherthenbeingsatdownand

toldaboutit.Theyallrememberedthingstheyhadlearntaboutthemineandthis

wasallofthechildrensfavouriteandmostmemorablepartsofthevisit.

5.3 ImprovedcommunicationandsocialskillsManyofthechildrenstronglyagreedthattheyhadbecomebetterattalkingto

friendsabouttheirideasthiscamefromthemworkingtogetherduringthevisits

andactivities.Somestronglyagreedthattheyhadbecomebetterattalkingtoadults

abouttheirideasanditwasstatedthatenteringthemuseummademefeellikeagrownup

Onegirlstatedthatherenthusiasmfromthevisitsmeantthatshewenthomeandtalkedtoherfamilyaboutwhatshehadseenandherideasaboutit.

5.4 ExamplesofcrosscurricularlearningandskillsInadditiontothelinkswithPEmentionedabove,thevisitsalsoimprovedchildrens

understandingoftheworldaroundthem. Forexample,improvingunderstandingof

thewaysinwhichartcancommentateonhistory. Severalchildrenusedthe

internetwhentheyreturnedtotheclassroomorwhentheyreturnedhometodo

furtherresearchandreportedimprovedICTskills.


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6. AttitudesandvaluesTheAttitudesandValuesGLOreferstofeelings,perceptions,selfesteem,

opinionsandattitudestowardsotherpeople,increasedcapacityfor

tolerance,empathy,increasedmotivation,attitudestowardsan

organisationandpositiveandnegativeattitudesinrelationtoan

experience.

6.1 VisitscontributetoimprovedconfidenceMostofthechildrenstronglyagreedthattheyfeltmoreconfidentaboutwhatthey

couldachieveasaresultoftheirvisittothemuseumorgallery.Theyoungestofthe

childrenconsultedweretheonlyonestobeunsureoverwhetherthevisithadmade

themmoreconfident.

InthecaseofthechildrenvisitingWolverhamptonArtGallerythisincreasedconfidencewaslinkedtoskillstheyhadlearntanddevelopedduringtheirvisit.One

pupilrecalledhowpeoplehadsaidhisdrawingsweregoodpriortothegalleryvisit

buthedidntbelievethem,butafterthevisithefeltmoreconfidentinhisown

abilitiesandacceptedtheirpraise,allowingthemtoboosthisconfidencefurther.

Otherpupilsreportedbeingmoreconfidentintheirabilitytodraw,withonepupilstatingthathewasntgoodatdrawingbefore,nowhewasalmostasgoodasthegirl

consideredtobethebestartistintheschool.

OnepupilthathadvisitedtheArtGallerysaidithadhelpedtohaveconfidenceandfaithinyourself.Theotherchildreninthegroupagreedandsaidtheyshouldhaveconfidence

in

their

drawing

skills,

however

one

boy

said

that

this

lesson

was

true

no

matterwhatthesubjectortopic,andthathehadlearnttohavemoreconfidence

andfaithinhimselfgenerally.

ThemostenjoyableandmemorablepartofthevisittotheBlackCountryLivingMuseumwasthevisitdownthecoalmine.Mostofthechildrensaidthatitwas

scary(oneboysaidhewasreallyscaredbecausehewasclaustrophobic)butallof

themmanagedtoachieveitandasaresultincreasedtheirconfidenceinthemselves

throughdoingsomethingdifferentthatwasachallengeforthem.

6.2 Visitsencouragechildrentointeractwithotherchildrenoutsideoftheirfriendshipgroupandwithadults

Someoftheparticipantsreportedthattheyinteractedwithotherchildrenfrom

outside their friendship groups while on school visits. In all cases they were put into


12/27


spoketonewpeoplewhentheyvisitedthegallery,withoneboyreportingthathe

madeanewfriend.

Most

children

who

took

part

in

the

Ancient

Greece

teaching

session

at

Birmingham

Museumsaidthattheyspoketothemuseumeducatortakingthevisit,particularly

theyoungerchildren.

6.3 VisitschangeattitudesandperceptionstowardsmuseumsandgalleriesMostofthechildrenstronglyagreedthatthemuseumorgalleryhadsurprised

them.Alargenumberofthemhadbeentomuseumsandgalleriesbefore,whether

with

family

or

school,

therefore

most

already

had

perceptions

about

what

this

visit

wasgoingtobelike.Anumberofchildrenalsoagreedthatthemuseumwasmore

interestingthantheythoughtitwouldbe. Thevisittojustonemuseumorgallery

canchangeperceptionsaboutmuseumsandgalleriesasawhole,withseveralpupils

sayingthattheyfoundthisvisitinterestingandthattheywouldactuallygiveothermuseumsachance

AllchildrenvisitingtheBlackCountryLivingMuseumweresurprisedbythevisit.Someweresurprisedbycertainpartsofthevisit,withonepupilsayingthe[coal]minewasdarkerthanIthought,andsmallerwhereasotherswerejustsurprisedingeneralbyhowmanythingswereatthemuseum,andhowbigitwas.Allagreed

thatthemuseumwasmoreinterestingthantheythought,asbeforetheyhad

expectedittobeboring,butactuallyitwasinteresting ChildrenwhoattendedtheAncientGreeceteachingsessionwereparticularly

surprised,asalthoughanumberofthemhadbeentothismuseumorothersbefore,

theyweresurprisedattheactivitiestheygottodoonthisvisit.OnepupilsaidIhadbeenbeforeanditwasboring,asyoujustlookedatthem(theobjects)but[thistime]youcouldholdthem.

Anotherpupilfromadifferentschoolagreed,sayingusuallymuseumsgetboringwhenyoulookatthesamethingsoverandover,itwasgoodthatwegottoholdthings.Beingabletotouchtheartefactswasapleasant

surprisefor

all

pupils.

As

aresult

mostchildrenalsosaidthatthe

museumwasmoreinteresting

thantheyhadexpected.

Thesevisitsalsoshowthatbarriers to visiting museums can be broken down such as the perception of who


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6.4 VisitschangeattitudestowardslearningThevisitsencouragedchildrentoseelearningassomethingthatdoesntjusttake

placein

school,

and

that

learning

can

be

fun.

In

some

cases

the

visits

also

changed

perceptionsaboutcertainsubjects.Therewasalsoevidenceofanincreaseddesire

forlearning,inparticulartothesubjectsrelatedtotheirvisit.

Therewasalevelofsurpriseamongsomeofthechildrenthattheycouldactuallylearnwhilsthavingfun,asusuallylearningissomethingtheymostlikelyassociate

withsittinginaclassroomdoinglessontaskssuchasreadingandwriting.Onepupil

commentedonhowsherealisedasaresultofthevisitthatyoucouldlearnindifferent

ways.

SomeofthechildrenthatattendedtheAncientGreeceteachingsessionsaidthatbeforethevisitstheyhadntreallylikedhistorybutfollowingthemuseumvisitthey

realisedtheylikedhistoryandwantedtofindoutmore.Othersdidntdislikehistorybefore,buttheyhadntthoughtofitasafunsubject;thevisitchangedtheirattitude

towardsthesubject,includingonepupilthatsaidIchangedmymindaboutmuseums[andfoundout]historywasinteresting.

Onegirlinparticularshowedanincreaseddesireforlearning,statingbeforeIwentIwasabitinterestedinhistory,butIammoreinterestednow


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7. Enjoyment,inspiration,creativityThe

Enjoyment,

Inspiration,

Creativity

GLO

refers

to

having

fun,

being

surprised,innovativethoughts,creativity,beinginspiredandexploration,

experimentationandmaking.

7.1 EngagingstaffcontributesignificantlytoenjoymentOneaspectofthevisitsthathadclearlyhadanimpactofthechildrenwasthe

museumeducatortakingthevisits.Inmostcasesthechildrencouldrememberthe

nameof

the

museum

educator,

even

though

the

visits

may

have

taken

place

over

ayearago.Thewayinwhichtheguidesengagedwiththechildrensignificantly

contributedtothefunthatchildrenhadduringthevisit,aswellasalotofthe

learningthattookplace.

WhenagroupofchildrenwhohadvisitedBirminghamMuseumwereaskedwhatthemostfunthingatthemuseumwasanumberofthemrecalledstoriesthatthe

museumeducatorPete,orMrRay)hadtoldthem.Theyclearlyfoundhisstories

veryfunnyandenjoyedhearingthem;thiswasreflectedinthelevelofdetailthey

wereable

to

recount

about

his

stories.

Once

they

began

talking

about

the

stories

he

hadtoldthemtheywereabletorecountmoreandmorethingstheyhadlearntfrom

him(suchasthestoryofmessagesbeingputintoslingshotsandthefactthatSparta

andAthenswenttowarwitheachotherandSpartawon).Thissuggestsevidenceof

thepowerofassociationinlearning,thefactthatthemuseumeducatorwas

memorabletothemmadethestorieshetoldthemandknowledgeheprovided

themwithmemorable.PeteRay,whohasjustretired,wasaqualifiedteacher,with

particularexpertisebuiltupover24yearsintheservice.Thisindicatesthatqualified,

experiencedmuseum

educators

contribute

significantly

to

the

experience

of

museumsandgalleries.

AllchildrenthatattendedBirminghamMuseumwereabletonamethemuseumeducatorandallsaidthattheyfoundhisstoriesveryfunny.Itcameacrossthatthe

museumeducatorwasskilledattellingstoriesinawaythatheknewwouldcapture

theimaginationofthechildrenandmakethevisitmemorableforthem.

Themuseumeducatoralsoprovidedarolemodelfigureforthechildreninthecasewheretheycouldseeworkthathehadachieved.Thechildrenthatvisited

WolverhamptonArt

Gallery

were

able

to

name

the

museum

educator

(Adrian)

and

allhadlookedhimupontheinternetastheyknewhewasanartistandtheyhad

seenhiswebsite.Whilsttalkingaboutinspirationandwhenaskedwhatinspiredthe

children,onegirl,whoshowedanincreasedinterestinartfollowingthevisit,said

Adrianwasaninspiration.Hispaintingsusedshading,lotsofdifferentcolours,thedirectionhewassatin,thewaythelightwasonhisface,hewasverygood.


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Childrenreportedbeinginspiredtofindoutmorefollowingtheirvisit.OnegirlwhohadattendedtheAncientGreeceteachingsessionsaidIwantedtoknowmorebecauseIaminterestedinhistoryIthoughtIwouldlearneverythingatthemuseumbut[followingthevisit]Iwantedtoknowmore.

Somereportedthattheywereinspiredtodootheractivitiesrelatingtohistory,suchaswatchingHorribleHistories.OneboythenfollowedupbysayingbutifHorribleHistorieswasntonIcouldgetthebookandreadaboutit.

Someofthechildrenwereinspiredbytheirvisittotheartgallerytododifferentthingswithart,experiencedifferentthings.WhenaskedhowtheyhadbeeninspiredbytheirvisittotheartgalleryonegirlstatedIusedtowanttobedifferentthings,nowIliketheideaofbeinganartist.Thevisitalsoinspiredthemtowanttofindoutmoreaboutart,suchashowtodrawdifferentpictures,differenttypesofpicturesandevenhowtodrawthemeltingclocks.

7.3 Museums/galleriesareexciting,interestingplaces

The

level

of

detail

in

which

the

childrencoulddescribethe

actualbuildingofthemuseum

orgallerygivesanindicationof

whatexcitingandinteresting

placestheseareforchildren.

Thechildrenveryrarely

reportedbeingbored.

ThechildrenthatvisitedtheWolverhamptonArtGallerywereallabletodescribethebuildingandtheythingstheysawasthewalkedthroughit wewentinandsawthisstatue,thenturnedleftintoaroomthathadthispainting,thenwentintonextroomwherewesawthis.Noneofthemwereboredduringthevisit,withonepupilsaying[itwas]notboringatall,everysinglemomentwasfunorinvolvedsomething.

Mostofthechildrenstronglyagreedthattheywereinterestedandexcitedbywhattheysawanddidatthemuseum.Thiswasevidencedbythefactthatthechildren

wouldstart

to

talk

over

one

another

and

louder

than

each

other

about

their

favouriteparts,andthattheywouldoftenchangetheirmindswhenaskedwhat

theirfavouritethingaboutthemuseumorgalleryvisitwas.

Theonlytimeschildrenreportedbeingboredwaswhentheyhadtowaitaround.Thiswasusuallyonthejourneythereoronthewayback,butoneboysaiditwasa

bit boring when they had to look at certain pictures for a set time whilst another boy


16/27


Thingsthatthechildrenfoundthemostfuntodowere

holdingthe

artefacts,

dressing

up,pretendingtothrowa

slingshotandgenerally

gettingtodoactivities.

Whenaskedhowthevisitmadeherfeelonegirlwho

hadvisitedtheArtGallery

usedthewordadventuristic.

Anothergirl

said

that

seeing

someofthepaintingsmade

herfeelhappy,whilstone

boydescribedthevisitasitwasfun,Ilikeditsomuch.

Thevisithadclearlystimulatedtheimaginationofmanyofthechildren,particularlytheboys,withoneboysayinghefeltlikeanAncientGreekandwasdaydreamingaboutwearingarmourandstuff.


17/27


8. Activity,behaviourandprogressionThe

Activity,

Behaviour

and

Progression

GLO

refers

to

what

people

do;

whatpeopleintendtodo;whatpeoplehavedone;reportedorobserved

actions;andachangeinthewaypeoplemanagetheirlives.

8.1 MostchildrenintendtovisitagainRegardlessofwhichmuseumorgallerytheywentto,mostchildrensaidthatthey

intendedtogoagain.Somehadbeensincetheirvisitwithschool,mostofthem

going

with

family

members.

The

enthusiasm

to

go

again

also

extended

to

other

museums,withmanychildrensayingtheywouldliketovisitothermuseums,with

somebeingabletonamewhichonestheywantedtogoto.

Mostsaidthattheywouldliketovisitthemuseumorgallerythattheywenttoagain,withonepupilthatvisitedtheWolverhamptonArtGallerysayingyoucanfindmoreandmorequestionstoaskeachtimewego,aswegetmoreinterestedinArtandanothersayingitsstillinterestingtogoagainandagaintheychangethepaintings.

SomechildrenwereinterestedinthetopicsastheywantedtogotomorehistoryonesRomansandWWIIthesewererelatedtosubjectsthattheyweredoinginhistoryatthetimeoftheresearch.

Manyofthechildrenagreedthattheywouldliketogotoothermuseumsorgalleries,fromlocalmuseumssuchastheBlackCountryLivingMuseumtothe

NaturalHistoryMuseuminLondon.

8.2 Theclassroomactivitiesafterthevisithaveasignificantroletoplayinembeddinglearning

Mostofthechildrentookpartinclassroomactivitiesrelatingtotheirvisittothe

museumorgallery.Carryingouttheseactivitiescementedtheknowledgethatthe

childrenhadgainedbylinkingthevisittoschoolwork,sothatthevisitwasnotjust

seenasadayofffromschool.

Some

of

the

children

that

visited

the

Black

Country

Living

Museum

said

that

the

visit

gavethemlotsofideasforthingstheycoulddointheVictorianprojectthatthey

wereundertakingthatterm.

AllofthechildrenthatattendedanAncientGreeceteachingsessiontookpartinsomeclassroomactivities.Forsomethisinvolvedwritingaboutwhattheyhadseen

ordoneordrawingtheobjectsthattheyhandled,otherswerefilmedbytheir


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GreeceorinthecaseofthosevisitingtheArtGallerysearchingformoreexamplesof

PopArtandfindingtheworkdonebytheirmuseumeducatoronhiswebsite.

Followupworkdidnotjusttakeplaceinschoolthough.Onegirlreportedthatshekeptamuseumdiaryinwhichshewrotedownwhatshehadlearntorfoundinterestingeverytimeshevisitedamuseum,regardlessofwhethershewentwith

schoolorfamily.Thisalsohelpedtoembedtheknowledgethatshehadgained.

8.3 MostchildrentalktotheirfamiliesabouttheirvisitsMostchildrenhadspokentotheirfamiliesabouttheirvisit.Ingeneraltheyhadall

spokentotheirfamiliesbecausetheywantedtosharetheirexperiencesandnew

foundknowledgewiththem,notjustbecausetheirfamiliesaskedthem.

ThingsthatchildrenwhohadvisitedtheBlackCountryLivingMuseumtoldtheirfamilieswereeverythingIhadlearnt,everythingIfoundinterestingandonepupilwhohadItoldthemeverythingIhadlearntbecausetheywereinterested.

Aswellastellingtheirfamiliesaboutwhattheyhadlearnt,childrenalsotoldtheirfamiliesaboutmemorablepartsandexperiencesoftheday,inparticularchildren

thathadtakenpartintheAncientGreeceteachingsessionstoldtheirfamiliesabout

thefunnymanreferringtothemuseumeducator,andseveralothersagreedthattheytoldtheirfamiliessomeofhisfunnystories.

Childrennotonlytoldtheirfamiliesabouttheirvisits,insomecasestheyshowedthemworktheyhaddoneduringthevisit.SomeofthechildrenwhovisitedtheArt

Galleryshowedtheirparentsthedrawingstheyhaddoneduringtheday.

Onegirlchosetowriteabouthervisitandgavethewrittenworktohermum.8.4 Visitsincludingphysicalactivityaremostpopularandmemorable

Whenaskedfortheirmostmemorablemomentofthevisits,thechildrengenerally

saidactivitiesthatinvolvedthemdoingsomethingactive,suchasmovingaroundor

holdingandfeelingobjects.

AllofthechildrenthatvisitedtheBlackCountryLivingMuseumsaid

thattheir

most

memorable

and

funpartofthevisitwaswhen

theywentdownintothe

coalmine.Thefactthatthe

situationwasbroughttolife

madeitfunforthem,withone

b f


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bestthingsaboutmuseumswasthedressingupyoufeellikeyouarethere).Thechildrensaidthatthemuseumwasexcitingbecausetheyhadnevergottotouchthingsbeforeatamuseum,andthiswassomethingtheylikeddoing.

Evendoingthingsthatdidntinvolvemuchphysicalactivity,suchasdrawing,werealsoseenasbeingmoreenjoyablethanjustobservinglookingatpaintingscould

befunbecauseyoucancopythedrawings.8.5 Visitsprovideresourcesthatschoolscant(oratleastwouldstruggleto)

Visitstomuseumsorgalleriescanoffersomethingthatmostschoolscantinterms

ofresourcessuchashistoricalobjectsandartefacts.Althoughformostchildrenany

tripoutofschoolwouldbeseenasfunbecausetheydonthavetobeinschool,thechildrenallgainedsomethingoutoftheirvisitanddidntjustseeitasadistraction

fromthenormalschoolday.

WhenaskedhowtheBlackCountryLivingMuseumwasdifferenttoschooloneboycommenteditwasinteresting,therewerelotsofartefacts.Oneofthebestthingsaboutmuseumswasseentobethattheygiveyoumoreinterestingthingsthanschoolsdo.Itwasalsosaidhowbeingatthemuseumbroughtthingstolife,withone

boy

saying

itwaslikewehadgonethroughatimewarp,itwasreallyrealistic.

Asthisboyalsosaid,itwasaonceinalifetimeexperienceforthem. Museumandgalleryvisitsprovide

anopportunityforchildrentoseein

moredetailthingstheylearnabout

inschool(atschoolyouhavetoimagineit,but[inamuseum]youcanseestuffhowitreallywas)thevisits

enhance

the

learning

that

takesplaceinschool.The

importanceofnotonlybeingableto

seetheobjectsastheywouldin

school,inabookorontelevision,

butalsohandlethemwas

highlightedatschoolitsboringcoztheyjustputpicturesup.[Museum]isbetterthanwatchingitonTV.

ThereweremixedviewsoverwhetherthechildrenlearntmoreattheArtGalleryorinschool.Somefeltthatthegallerywasbetterbecauseofmorefreedom youcanspendaslongasyouwantononepicture,howeverothersfeltthatschoolofferedmorevariety.

However, going to the Art Gallery with school was seen as better than going with


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9. ConclusionsandlearningpointsThe

report

has

outlined

the

impacts

on

children

who

have

visited

museums

andgalleriesbasedontheMLAsfiveGenericLearningOutcomes. This

sectionsummarisesthemainimpacts.

9.1 Whataretheimpactsofschoolvisits?Thissectionbringstogetherthestrongestmessagesemergingfromtheresearch.

Thesemessageswereconsistentandrecurringamongstallgroups.

Schoolvisitscontributetochangesinattitudesandperceptionstowardsmuseumsandgalleriesallgroupsweresurprisedbythemuseumorgallery

andfounditmoreinterestingthentheythoughtitwasgoingtobe. Manywere

surprisedtohaveenjoyedtheirvisitandmanyreflectedthatlearningcanactuallybequitefun!

Museumsandgalleriescontributetolearningandskills,bringinglearningtolifethereissignificantevidencetosuggestthatmuseumandgalleries

contributesignificantlytothelearningexperienceandembedlearningandskills.

Thisisduetotheactivitiesinvolvedinthevisitsandtheabilityofmuseumsandgalleriestobringhistorytolife. Childrenareoftenencouragedtohandleartefactsandobjectsandtheyreportthatthiscontributestotheiroverall

experienceofmuseumsandgalleries.WhiletheGLO,EnjoymentInspiration,

Creativity,isseeminglywheremuchoftheimpactlies,increasedlevelsof

enjoymentcanleadtoincreasedlearningoutcomes(itwasfuncozitwasallaroundus)

Visitstomuseumsandgalleriesleavebigimpressiononchildrenthisresearch

has

revealed

that

museums

and

galleries

have

asignificant

impact

on

visitors. Thedetailsretainedareremarkablethemuseumeducators,the

layout,theartefacts,thefactsareallrecalledvividlyandwithpassion. Asone

childcommented,theirvisittothemuseumwasaonceinalifetimeexperience

Visitstomuseumsandgalleriesatayoungagearelikelytoencouragevisitsoutsideofschoolandforinlaterlifemostofthechildrenstatedthatthey

wouldliketovisitthemuseumand/orgalleryagain. Almostalltalkedtotheir

parentsand

siblings

about

their

visit.

This

indicates

that

asuccessful

school

visit

canimpactuponthewayinwhichchildrenrespondtomuseumsandgalleries

lateroninlife.

Museumsandgalleriesreinforcelearningbestwhencertainthingsareinplace.Notably,whenchildrenareencouragedtobeactiveduringtheirvisits,when

h h h l h d d h h f ll


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9.2 RecommendationsforfurtherresearchItisimportanttonotethatthisresearchisbasedonamodestsampleof24children.

Itis

recommended

that

further

research

is

conducted

to

add

depth

and

insight.

Someofkeyresearchquestionsmayinclude:

Dochildren/youngpeopleofdifferentageshaveadifferentexperience? Isthereadifferentexperienceinamuseumthaninagallery? HowdoestheWestMidlandsexperiencecomparetothenationalexperience? Whathappenswhenavisitisunsuccessful?


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APPENDIXI

TopicGuideforFocus

Groups


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CONSULTINGINPLACE

TheImpact

of

School

Visits

on

Attitudes

to

Learning

and

Attainment

Topic

Guide

for

Focus

Groups

9.3 GenericLearningOutcomesTheGenericLearningOutcomesidentifiesbenefitsthatpeoplegainfrominteractingwithmuseums,librariesandarchives. Thistopicguideis

drivenbytheGenericLearningOutcomes.


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CONSULTINGINPLACE

9.4 ProformaItisimportanttorecognisethatthisisaguideforthefocusgroupdiscussion. Thefacilitatorwillbeabletoguidethediscussionandwillaskrelevantquestionsusinglanguageappropriatetotheagegroup. Theicebreakerquestionwillgivethefacilitatoranindicationofwhichgeneric

learningoutcomestofocuson. Thequestionsinboldareconsideredtobeofcentralimportance.

Time Activity Questions GLO

010 IntroductionandIcebreaker

Introducefacilitator,explaintheproject.Askforco

operation,nospeakingovereachother,andthat

everyonesopinionisimportantandwillbelistenedto.

Showpicturesofthemuseumorgallery[e.g.

Birmingham

Museum]

Hold

up

each

picture.

Doyouremembergoinghere?

Whatwastheonestrongestmemoryofthatvisiteitherpositive

ornegative?

Howdiditmakeyoufeel?

1020 Opinionlines

Explainthatyouaregoingtoreadoutsome

statements.Iftheystronglyagreewithit,theyshould

gotoonesideoftheroom,iftheystronglydisagreethe

otherside,andiftheydontmindeitherwaystayinthe

middle.

IlearnnewthingswhenIgotoamuseum/gallery

IgainedknowledgethatIhaveusedinmyschoolworkasaresult

ofmyvisit(s)here

Ihavelearntnewthingsaboutmyself

Ihavelearntnewthingsaboutmyfamily

KnowledgeandUn

derstanding

Discussion

Leadagroupdiscussiononthequestions.Youcould

alsousetheopinionlinesasapromptandfollowup

withthesequestionsastheyarestillinaline.

Whatdidyoulearnwhenyouwenttothemuseum/gallery?

Didithelpyouwithyourschoolwork?How?


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CONSULTINGINPLACE


2025 Discussion Whatnewthingshaveyoufoundouthowtodoin

museums/galleries?

Skills

OpinionLines Ihavebecomebetteratmathsfrommuseum/galleryvisits

Ihavebecomebetteratreadingfrommuseum/galleryvisits

Ihavebecomebetteratwritingfrommuseum/galleryvisits

Ihavebecomebetterattalkingtofriendsaboutmyideasfrom

museum/galleryvisits

Ihavebecomebetterattalkingtoadultsaboutmyideasfrom

museum/galleryvisits

2535 OpinionLines Themuseum/gallerysurprisedme

Ilearntthingsthatmademechangemymindaboutsomething

IammoreconfidentaboutwhatIcando/achieve

Museums/galleriesaremoreinterestingthanIthought

Thevisit

has

given

me

lots

to

think

about

Attitudesandvalues

Discussion Hasamuseum/galleryvisiteverchangedyoumindabout

something?

Whatdifferencedoyouthinkvisiting/takingparthasmadeto

you?

Howdiditfeelwhenyouvisitedthemuseum/gallery?

Whodidyouhangoutwithatthemuseum?(e.g.friends,other

childrenintheclass,teachers,museumstaff?)

3545

Discussion

What

has

been

most

fun

about

museums/galleries?

Whodoyourememberfromyourmuseums/galleriesvisit?

Whatdoyourememberaboutthem?

Enjoyment

Inspiration

Creativity

OpinionLines IwasinterestedinwhatIsawanddid


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CONSULTINGINPLACE


Ifoundmyvisitinspiring

IwasexcitedbywhatIsawand/orwhatIdid

Ifeltboredbythemuseumexhibit/gallery

Ihavelaughedatamuseumexhibit/gallery

4555 OpinionLines Iintendtogoagain

VisitinggavemelotsofideasforthingsIcoulddo

Thevisit

made

me

want

to

find

out

more

Activ

itybehaviourandprogres

sion

Discussion Haveyoutalkedtoyourfriendsorparentsorsiblingsaboutthe

museum?Whatdidyoutellthem?

Wouldyougoagain?Wouldyougotoanother

museum/gallery?Whichones?

Howwasthisvisitbeendifferenttolearningatschool?Doyou

behavedifferentlyinmuseumstothewaythatyounormally

behaveatschool?Inwhatway?

Didyoutalkorthinkaboutthevisitsafterwards?

5560 Contextandwrapupquestions Haveyoubeentoamuseum/gallerybeforeyourschoolvisit?

Haveyoubeentoamuseum/gallerysince?

Canyouname/remember/thinkofanygalleries/museumsnearto

whereyoulive?

Whatisthebestthingaboutmuseums/galleries?


27/27

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