Developing Education Programmes for Different Audiences

1. Developing Education Programmes for Different Audiences Caroline Lang April 2014

2. 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. 2012.

3. 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

4. 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

5. Audiences and Learning Styles Different types of Learning • Formal Learning • Informal Learning • Self-Directed Learning

6. Using Kolb’s learning styles

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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 .

10. 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*

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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 30-35.

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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

20. Setting up education programmes in a new museum

21. Pacifying the South China Sea scroll靖海全圖

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

23. Priority Audiences 2013-14 Adults with a general interest Schools Families with younger children

24. Adult talks and tours

25. 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

26. Resources

27. Families with young children Started in July 2013. Family corner: 1 Sunday per month • Workshops, art and craft • Family tours with drama

28. Developments for 2014-15 • 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

29. Thank you 謝謝! Caroline.lang@hongkongmaritimemuseum.org

30. 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