GEM/SMC GRASS ROOTS PROJECT
Advice Notes – Using The Schools Curriculum
The 5-14 Curriculum – background notes
Cross-curricular approach – think broad
Interpreting exhibitions and adapting gallery spaces
Resources, Outreach and Interactivity
What does the schools curriculum in Scotland involve? Why is it important to the work of museums and galleries? And once we do understand it, how can we use it to improve our learning programmes?
This resource aims to answer these questions, provide some practical advice and put you on the right track to developing learning resources in your organisation that are relevant, stimulating and attractive to your schools audience.
The 5-14 Curriculum – background notes
Introduced in 1991, the 5-14 curriculum provides national guidelines as to what children are taught in primary and early secondary at set stages.
Principles of 5-14
5-14 is based on a set of five principles that apply to all pupils:
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Breadth Areas of learning
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Balance Appropriate time for each area
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Coherence Links across the curriculum
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Continuity Learning builds on previous experience
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Progression Challenging but attainable goals
Aims of 5-14
The 5-14 curriculum aims to help pupils acquire and develop:
- Dispositions
a commitment to learning
respect and care for others
a sense of social responsibility
a sense of belonging
- Knowledge and Understanding
- Core Skills and Capabilities
Knowledge and Understanding
The key curricular areas that pupils are taught fall into five main categories:
Language English Language
Modern Languages
Environmental Studies Society, Science, Technology
Expressive Arts Physical
Education
Art, Drama, Music
Maths
Religious & Moral Education Personal Social Development
Health Education
ICT is a cross curricular subject
Strands, Targets and Levels
Strands and Targets
The strands for different curricular areas exist to help teachers judge the
extent of the teaching and learning required and the depth of understanding
expected for particular levels and targets. These vary depending upon curricular
topic, but allow the breakdown of lessons into specific knowledge and skills
outcomes.
Levels
Level A Will be achieved by all pupils in P1-3
Level B Will be achieved by all pupils in P3/4
Level C Will be achieved by all pupils in P4-6
Level D Will be achieved by all pupils in P5-6 (and most by P7)
Level E Will be achieved by all pupils in P7-S1 (and most by S2)
Level F Will be achieved by some pupils in P7-S2
Skills
5-14 is not just about curriculum topics and what pupils learn, but it is also about the way in which they learn and the transferable skills they acquire in so doing. A large part of 5-14 is about developing Core Skills and Capabilities:
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Personal and interpersonal skills, including working with others
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Language and communication skills
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Numeracy skills
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ICT skills
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Problem-solving skills
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Learning and thinking skills
A Curriculum for Excellence
Now that you have some background to the 5-14 curriculum, it is important to note that the Scottish curriculum is currently going through a national review, which will see a number of changes! A Curriculum for Excellence aims to develop a new streamlined curriculum for 3-18 year-olds. The purpose is to enable all young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. The new Curriculum for Excellence guidance will eventually replace the 5-14 National Guidelines.
Don’t let this alarm you, though. The main curriculum areas will be refreshed and refocused in accordance with the principles of the new curriculum and there will be a strong emphasis on cross-curricular projects and studies. However, this does not mean pupils will necessariliy be studying new topics. Indeed, A Curriculum for Excellence should provide even greater scope for museums and galleries to play a more integrated role in the schools curriculum.
For more detailed information on A Curriculum for Excellence, go to the
Learning Teaching Scotland website
www.ltscotland.org.uk
In addition, Grass Roots already provides a resource which deals with A
Curriculum for Excellence on this website. Check the Advice Notes entitled
Curricular Developments.
So that’s the school’s curriculum in Scotland – but why is it so important for us to be aware of its content? How can it help us to inform our own learning programmes?
Audience
The 5-14 audience is an especially important target audience if you want to achieve sustainability within your museum – they are the audience of the future. The curriculum provides us with a framework around which this audience can be targeted.
In addition, the 5-14 guidelines also make this an easy audience to target. Teachers want support to deliver their obligations in the classroom and if museums provide the right opportunities, teachers will use them.
Benefits to the Organisation
As well as the opportunity to increase visitor numbers, using the curriculum guidelines can also offer curatorial and outreach staff new ways of looking at their collections. Exploring ideas that link to the curriculum often sheds light on new ways to interpret collections for the wider public.
It is also politically ‘savvy’. Increasingly museums and heritage centres have to justify their positions and education is always a key focus. Evidence that you provide a coherent and relevant learning programme can also be a huge bonus when applying for funding - a factor that should not be under-rated!
But I’m Not a Teacher …
Obviously many staff who are responsible for learning provision in their organisations do not have a teaching background. However, this is not something that should put us off or be seen as a disadvantage. Remember:
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We are the people with the best knowledge of our collections and what an invaluable resource they are. The collections are our unique selling point and the reason why schools will visit. Schools want experiences and opportunities that are not available within a classroom environment and we can provide that.
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Even teachers don’t know the 5-14 curriculum inside out – they still look up the guidelines and seek support. The curriculum should not intimidate us, but be seen as a tool that can help us to improve.
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There are lots of sources out there to help us. The bibliography at the end will provide a starting point for those looking for extra help.
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Breaking things down into stages and tackling one topic or age group at a time will simplify the process and make it less intimidating. Don’t try to take on too much at one time.
So, how can you ensure that the activities and resources you develop are relevant both to your collections and to the schools curriculum? Probably the best place to start is by looking into the local authority topic guidelines for schools in your area. These outline the recommended topics that schools will study, and are an ideal starting point when considering what areas to focus on when looking at your own collections.
Often these are posted on the local authority websites or you can obtain copies by contacting the education departments directly. Once you have these local guidelines, then you can get to work looking at your collections and how best they can support what local schools are studying.
In addition, your local education authority has an Education Development Service with advisors for each main subject area. Try to meet with your advisor for advice on the local school programme and how to tailor your collections to the curriculum. Not only will this provide practical advice, but also your Education Development Service may well recommend a visit to your museum in their own guidelines for schools.
For an example of what form these topic guidelines take, check the Edinburgh Grid for Learning website at http://egfl.net/Teaching/index.html click on ‘Curricular Advice’ and choose a subject area.
Cross-curricular approach – think broad
Probably the most obvious subject area to start with will be Environmental Studies, People in the Past. This will normally provide you with the clearest routes into linking your collections with the curriculum. However, once you become more confident with finding your way around the curriculum, you may want to start looking a little more broadly at the topic areas that you can cover.
For example, are there opportunities to introduce Language components – creative writing or storytelling perhaps? Or maybe Expressive Arts – art workshops, drama or dance?
One example of a popular topic covered in early years (P1-P3) is Toys, which looks at simple technology. Maybe you have a collection of toys from a particular era – Victorians is a common one. Could these be used to provide a stimulus for practical toy making activities?
Taking a broader, more integrated, cross-curricular approach to planning your learning activities will definitely make your programme more attractive to schools and encourage more visits. Also, with the changes that will come with A Curriculum for Excellence, more emphasis is going to be placed on a cross-curricular approach. If you are already providing this, then your workshops will prove even more popular with schools.
Interpreting exhibitions and adapting gallery spaces
When thinking about how to make your collections more ‘schools friendly’, it also becomes important to consider how schools will want to use your museum. Are there ways in which your displays could be made more accessible to school groups? If you have pinpointed parts of the collection that would be of particular interest to schools, are there ways in which they could be made more user friendly?
This needn’t involve wholesale changes. Maybe there could be a simple interactive, some handling objects or dressing-up available in the area. Perhaps some extra interpretation could be introduced aimed at the level of the pupils you are aiming to attract.
This is also something you might want to consider when planning for any future temporary exhibitions. Think about the content of the exhibition. Do you want to target a schools audience? If so, what can you work into the planning of the exhibition that will make it an attractive proposition for schools to visit?
Resources, Outreach and Interactivity
The next step, then, once you have settled on the curricular areas that you want to cover and how your collections can support these, is to consider what types of resources and activities you will want to offer to your schools audience. There are a variety of options you might think about here. Remember, pupils will learn in different ways, and having the options of different stimulus for them will broaden your appeal.
Handling materials, games, tours, talks from experts, hands on workshops, art activities, puzzles, storytelling, drama – all of these can be used to provide different ways of interpreting your collections and offer opportunities for cross-curricular approaches; and this is by no means an exhaustive list.
Again, on this website you can access more detailed information on ideas for running schools workshops in your museum. Look for the Advice Notes on:
Developing Learning Activities
Also, why not have a look at what other museums in your area are doing? Perhaps you could arrange to get out and observe their sessions. There may even be ways in which you can look at sharing resources and maximising your potential, as well as sharing your skills. It’s not always necessary to re-invent the wheel!
Worksheets
A traditional, and simple, way to provide a resource for classes is through worksheets. These can be effective but remember the museum experience is the important part of the visit. Don’t focus too much on filling in blanks or long written answers. Pupils can often do this as easily at school, and it detracts from the objects themselves. Also, bear in mind that one size does not fit all. If you try to ensure worksheets are open ended and encourage creative thought, rather than yes/no answers, the whole class will get much more value from them.
Ideally, to really satisfy the needs of the curriculum, try to build a degree of differentiation into any activities that you develop so that the more able pupils can be stretched while those working at a lower level are being supported.
For further information and support with differentiation, you might want to check:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/YALDdifferentiation.htm
http://www.greenfield.durham.sch.uk/differentiation.htm
Outreach
As mentioned before, one of the barriers that many schools face is the physical one of actually being able to reach your site. Ideally, if you have the staff – and the time – available you can bring workshops to the schools themselves. This can also be a good way to prepare pupils for an organised visit, or to follow-up on work that a class may have already done at your museum.
However, a personal visit is not always feasible, and one way around it could be to develop a loans box that teachers can use. Again, the key to success here is to consider carefully what is in the 5-14 documents and how your own collection can support curricular areas. Do bear in mind, though, that any teachers’ notes and activities that you provide to go with a box has to be “off the shelf” and ready to use – easy to follow, differentiated, cross-curricular and photocopiable. Teachers will definitely appreciate this and your boxes will become all the more popular as a result.
For more information on developing loans boxes, check the Grass Roots website for How to … Make Loans Boxes
Once you have settled on the curricular areas that you want to try to cover and have developed activities and resources to do this, the next challenge is to actually promote this to your local schools.
How best can we encourage teachers to visit, or to use the resources that we have created? There are a number of barriers that we need to consider and to overcome if we are to achieve this successfully.
Perceived barriers for teachers
Some of the main barriers faced by teachers that can make it difficult for them to organise visits to museums and galleries include:
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Time This is particularly an issue for secondary schools who can’t get pupils out for long stretches, as classes only last up to an hour.
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Distance Sometimes venues can be just too far from the school for a day trip.
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Cost The expense of paying for transport is a huge consideration for schools – added to covering the costs of any entry fees.
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Health & Safety Out of school excursions require risk assessments to be completed by teachers, and strict criteria often govern where teachers may take pupils.
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Onerous Planning Teachers probably don’t know your collections / site and are concerned at the work they will need to undertake to prepare their pupils for a visit.
How to Overcome These Barriers
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Time This can be difficult, as you will also be bound by staff and opening time constraints yourself. Try offering short sessions or offering cross-curricular activities to enable schools to cover two or three topics in one visit.
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Distance Go to them. The use of handling boxes, online resources and touring workshops can maintain links and raise your profile.
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Cost Can you reduce activity costs or run sessions for free? If not, then look at building in an element for subsidising travel costs when developing project budgets and seeking grant funding. Other organisations may have such funding already, and you may be able to run joint activities with them.
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Health & Safety Offer hazard sheets, to help teachers in completing their risk assessments and free familiarisation sessions when they can visit and get advice from your staff. Liaise with the local authority to have your venue vetted and listed as an ‘approved’ excursion destination
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Onerous Planning Develop teachers’ packs with photocopiable worksheets. Offer CPD sessions when teachers can experience the activity and get to know your venue and collections to raise their confidence.
Marketing and
Promotion
There are a range of different methods that you can use to market and promote
schools workshops to target both existing and new audiences:
Existing Audiences
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Brochures, newsletters and circulars
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Emails
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Telephone calls
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Open evenings
New Audiences
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Word of mouth
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Press Releases
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Advertising space
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Leaflets and mailshots
For more help with marketing to schools, check the Grass Roots Advice Notes on Working With Schools.
Involving Teachers
One very effective way of publicising your work is to involve teachers directly in the process. This not only promotes your work to its key audience, but also provides valuable skills sharing opportunities. Two ways in which you can achieve this would be through:
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Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Sessions
These enable teachers to try out your venue and activities, giving you valuable opportunities to seek feedback, and slowly build a network of ‘ambassadors’ for your venue and resources. To find out about registering your museum as a CPD provider go to the National Register of CPD providers at www.cpdregister.org.uk -
Careers Scotland Placements (EEBL)
These provide a great opportunity to have resources developed by teachers for teachers. They also give you the ideal chance to get practical advice and to better understand your target audiences. The local Careers Scotland office will be able to provide further details. Go to
www.careers-scotland.org.uk/Initiatives/TeacherPlacements
for more information on the scheme.
Again, for more detail about involvement with both CPD and the EEBL scheme, check the Grass Roots Advice Notes on Working With Schools.
Learning Teaching Scotland
Links to everything you need to know about the Scottish Schools Curriculum,
including the 5-14 guidelines, A Curriculum for Excellence and numerous other
useful resources.
www.ltscotland.org.uk
Edinburgh Grid for Learning
Provides good examples of the curriculum guidelines and resources available in
the Edinburgh area – many of which are applicable across Scotland.
http://egfl.net/Teaching/index.html
The Learning Centre
Developed by North Lanarkshire Council, this site provides a really useful guide
and support to the 5-14 curriculum
http://www.thelearningcentre.org/35
Scottish Museums Council
Provides support to teachers and heritage staff with a remit for working with
schools, through resources and training.
http://194.200.63.26/members_services/learning_and_access_intro.asp
National Register of CPD Providers
www.cpdregister.org.uk
Careers Scotland
For information on the Teacher Placement scheme through the Excellence in
Education Through Business Links (EEBL) scheme.
http://www.careers-scotland.org.uk/Initiatives/TeacherPlacements/TeacherPlacements.asp
Inspiring Learning for All
For a comprehensive framework for promoting a learning culture in your museum.
Full of resources and helpful advice on a range of issues, including useful
advice on different means of evaluating your workshops and resources.
www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk
BBC Schools Scotland
www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/
The Science Discovery Clubs Network
Provides information and workshops on using science related ideas in museums and
galleries
http://www.scizmic.net/
Funderstanding
For current learning theories and a summary of learning styles in the context of
schools education.
www.funderstanding.com/learning_styles.cfm
TTS Group
Suppliers of reasonably priced replica objects that can be used to develop
handling collections and workshops
www.tts-group.co.uk
With thanks to:
With thanks to Patricia Weeks, Historic Scotland, who ran the Grass Roots training day upon which much of this resource is based.