Developing Education Programmes for Different Audiences Caroline Lang April 2014

What are museums and who are they for ?  A cultural treasure house  A leisure and tourism attraction  A source of local pride  A memory store for the community  A meeting place for promoting dialogue  A resource for both informal and structured learning All of these and more Adapted from Black, G

What is learning in museums and galleries ? A core function of museums Offers opportunities for everyone to develop:  a critical understanding of the collections  the skills to interpret them  visual literacy  an understanding of their social, aesthetic and historical context  broader and deeper knowledge  increased enjoyment

A definition of learning ‘Learning is a process of active engagement with experience. It is what people do when they want to make sense of the world. It may involve an increase in skills, knowledge or understanding, a deepening of values or the capacity to reflect. Effective learning will lead to change, development and a desire to learn more.’ The Campaign for Learning in museums and galleries

Audiences and Learning Styles Different types of Learning  Formal Learning  Informal Learning  Self-Directed Learning

Using Kolb’s learning styles

What this means for museums  Each visitor learns in a different way  They bring their own prior knowledge and experience  They personalise the museum’s message  They select a small number of experiences from the many on offer  Visitors are influenced by the physical aspects of a visit  Social context & other encounters eg. with staff are important  There is no such thing as an average visitor Exhibitions and education programmes should be designed to appeal to a wide range of visitors.

Barriers to access Access is usually seen in terms of barriers which may be:  Physical and sensory  Intellectual  Cultural  Attitudinal  Financial Barriers which might hinder visitors need to be addressed, ensuring that their specific needs are met.

A tale of two museums Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) : London Opened 1837; National Museum of Art & Design; Around 600 staff ; 2.6 m visitors per year; Budget in yuan per year: 500 m. Hong Kong Maritime Museum Opened 2013: Independent Museum; 30 staff; 80,000 visitors in first year; Budget in yuan per year:15m.

V&A’s priority audiences 6 main audience groups  Families *  Schools*  Students*  Professionals in the creative industries  Groups (other than schools and students)  Individual adults not in other categories*

Engaging with audiences through programmes Take into account  Information from visitor surveys  Consultation with users and non users  Barriers some visitors perceive  Different learning styles: provide variety

Audience needs: families Families want:  To spend leisure time together in a worthwhile pursuit.  Activities to keep children occupied.  Direct experience and play for children.  Text (panels /labels) that adults are able to scan quickly and answer questions.  Questions and suggestions for discussion topics and activities.  Level access for baby buggies/ strollers.  Baby-changing and family friendly toilets.  Affordable family-friendly menu in the café. Note : the children, especially the youngest child, generally drive the visit.

Programme: families  Regular Saturday programme: Activity back packs and Imagination Station ( Art cart).  Regular Sunday programme: Drop-in Design activities, e.g. design and make an accessory in Baroque style  School holiday programmes: Drop-in Design Specials,  Free Art Fun Festivals, e.g. ‘Arabian Nights’ festival, part of the Arab World Family Learning Programme

Audience needs: schools  Cloakroom facilities and somewhere to eat.  Welcoming attitude from security and other front of house staff.  Advance information about what is in the museum and why they should visit.  Links to the Curriculum and examination syllabuses.  Things that will give structure to their visit, eg gallery tour.  Teaching resources usually online.  Space in galleries and teaching rooms for groups of

Programme: schools  Workshops, led by artists and designers  Gallery talks and exhibition talks on a set menu of themes  Big events e.g. ‘Creative Quarter’ which showcases careers in the creative industries  Special projects e.g. ‘Design Lab’ in which students work to a brief with professional designers  Resources for self-guided visits  Courses for teachers, e.g. ‘Drawing Skylines’ where teachers investigate influential drawings and architectural fragments of buildings and places  Teacher’s previews for Special Exhibitions

Audience needs: university students  Need help learning how to ‘read’ museum objects.  Need structure and direction when visiting the museum.  Outlook and purpose for visiting museums matures over the course of their study.  Want resources related to their personal projects.  Like different perspectives on the same object.  Want to challenge the ‘authority’ of the museum... ... but young undergraduates want to hear from the curators and value their expertise.  Post-graduates more interested in views of other students

Programme: university students  Hard to programme for as courses vary a lot at different universities.  Personalised support & resources.  Networking with creative industries practitioners is important, events with a social element work well eg Friday Late.  Courses for tutors.  Induction sessions, e.g on the architecture collections.  ‘Behind the scenes’ access to the stores

Audience needs: adult learners  Manage their own learning rather than being driven by a formal curriculum.  Motivated by curiosity and internal incentives  Not restricted by conventional subject boundaries.  They bring varied experiences to the learning process and often operate through word-of- mouth and networks.  Outside their own area of expertise they will be novice learners.  They respond to information at different levels and in different ways to tie in with their varied learning styles.  Older adults may be short-sighted or have mobility problems.

Programme: adult learners  Long and short courses on art and design history  Academic conferences and symposia  Study days and seminars  Practical one or two-day workshops or longer practical & digital design courses (daytime or evening)  Illustrated lectures and gallery talks  Ticketed evening talks by big name speakers  Themed special evening or weekend events  Concerts and film screenings

Setting up education programmes in a new museum

Pacifying the South China Sea scroll 靖海全圖

Staff and volunteers. Aim: to offer opportunities for the whole community to enjoy and to learn from our collections The Education Team

Priority Audiences Adults with a general interest Schools Families with younger children

Adult talks and tours

Schools  Teachers’ Guide and help with planning a visit  Resources. Activity Sheets linked to the curriculum 4 Topics for Primary schools 5 Topics for Secondary schools  Museum – led gallery sessions  Workshops  Special programmes for temporary exhibitions  Outreach: visits to schools

Resources

Families with young children Started in July Family corner: 1 Sunday per month Workshops, art and craft Family tours with drama

 Increase number of local school groups visiting :  Hold talks and events for Adults every Saturday  Run Family Programme every Sunday  Increase number of trained volunteers  Develop sessions for older people and teenagers Developments for

Thank you 謝謝 !

Develop a gallery activity to suit ….  Families  Schools  Students (tertiary)  Adults (non academic)  Young People (teenagers, not with family or school)  Elderly people  Community Group