GEM One Day Conference

Monday 9 July 2007

LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM MANIFESTO:

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE HERITAGE SECTOR

Bishopsgate Institute, London

Download programme (pdf 106kb)

This one-day conference gave an opportunity to find out more about the implementation of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto across the heritage sector, and to debate and influence its development.

The aim of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto is to ensure that all young people have a variety of high quality learning experiences outside the classroom environment, and to “make a difference” to the amount and quality of learning outside the classroom.

The heritage sector is defined here to include museums, libraries and archives; historic houses, sites and environment; local history; science and discovery centres; and zoos and aquaria. John Stevenson (Director, GEM) has been asked by the DfES to represent the heritage sector on a national advisory group, and is developing a heritage sector partnership to encourage full participation, ownership and involvement in the drawing up of a manifesto action plan.

Who attended from the heritage sector?

Providers: senior learning & access professionals; managers with responsibility for education
Specialist Advisors: subject associations; special interest groups
Users: head teachers, teachers, directors of children’s services, governors, parents with a particular interest in using the heritage sector to enhance teaching and learning

Delegates learned more about:

“Out & About” package of training and guidance for teachers
plans for a new family of safety and quality badges
evaluating quality provision
“making the case” communications strategy

They joined in discussions on:

involving all stakeholders in the heritage sector partnership; the development and delivery of the Manifesto Action Plan; and the communications campaign
what should be the key elements of the “out & about package”
how to develop a simple but effective safety/quality badge scheme
how best to “make the case”
actively involving users in ensuring their needs are met

This conference was subsidised by the DfES.

Link to full programme

Download programme (pdf 106kb)