Learning experiences for all

Preschool groups

Image: Preschool children enjoy craft activities.

The ‘Foundation Stage’ of the National Curriculum includes 3-5 year olds and overlaps into the Reception Class of Primary Schools. Just like the rest of the National Curriculum there are detailed areas of learning and learning goals for children of this age. It is not, however, quite as prescriptive as those for older pupils. More and more pre-school groups are making use of extensional education opportunities to fulfil these requirements in an exciting way. The 6 areas of learning which are identified are:
*Personal, social and emotional development
*Communication, language and literacy
*Mathematical development
*Knowledge and understanding of the world
*Physical development
*Creative development
Almost any activity you do will address some of these areas, and don’t forget that just going out to visit a different place, learning how to behave in a different situation and developing confidence away from home and school is valuable in itself. The sort of activities they are looking for are always hands-on and immediate while allowing for follow-up activities back at the group premises.

Further information about requirements for early years can be obtained from:

www.qca.org.uk

www.cornwall.gov.uk/Education/ab-de11c.htm

Adult groups

Adult groups are usually special interest groups with a specific requirement. Mostly this will be a general history of the area or museum itself or might be looking for specific information about a particular event or period of history, e.g WWII. It is a good idea to have a menu of talks/demonstrations that can be offered when a group books in to ensure that you and they know what they can expect.
It is not normally necessary to provide extra resources for these groups.

College groups

The numbers of visits from colleges is usually fairly limited, but what they require when they do visit can be very wide ranging, and not all of them will be directly to do with the information you hold with regard to your collection. Areas of interest which have been investigated by college groups recently at Porthcurno Telegraph Musuem include:-
*Tourism and how you address the needs of the visitor
*Health and Safety issues in a public place
*Creative inspiration for art work
*Creative inspiration for a drama project
*Archaeology
*Garden design
*Environmental survey around the grounds
*Communication history
Tourism studies are particularly common in the South West so if you can provide opportunities for some of these type of groups then it is worthwhile getting in touch with the relevant college tutors to let them know that you can accommodate their needs.
It is not usually necessary to provide extra resources for these groups.

Out-of-school and holiday activities

Saturdays, holidays and after-school activities all come under this heading. These types of activities are common in museums and galleries so make sure that your proposed dates do not clash with other already established activities. If possible find something different and unusual to do which ties in with your collection. It also helps to work with other organisations. So, for example, you could have a series of sessions throughout the summer holidays, all marketed through the same routes but being held at different venues. This minimises the amount of planning and publicity work required and will help with funding applications if you are seen to be working in partnership with like organisations.

These activities can be a ‘free’ fun session as an added attraction for normal fee-paying visitors to encourage wider use of the museum, a separate activity for which a charge can be made without an associated museum visit, or they could be provided free if you can raise the funds to cover them from elsewhere. Publicising these events is usually through the local press, libraries and through school contacts. These are all low-cost alternatives.

Groups with impairments

You should ensure that people with impairments in an able-bodied group have access to as much as possible that the rest of the group use or see. Under the terms of the DDA legislation this is no longer an option but a legal responsibility. You must be seen to have made reasonable efforts to accommodate people with physical or mental impairments, taking into account issues like problems with buildings, levels of support and staff numbers and skills.

If you invite groups of impaired children from a Special School to your site you must be sure that you are aware of the whole range of difficulties that they might have and attempt to provide for each individual as necessary. This may mean detailed discussion with a teacher beforehand or a visit to the school to meet the pupils first. It is very time-consuming and intensive but is also extremely rewarding when it works successfully.

Home | Site Map