Working with cultural
heritage organisations
Robin Clutterbuck
White Rook Projects
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Research project 2007-8
Managed by Caerphilly County Borough Council
Funded by CyMAL
Partners
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Coleg Gwent (FE)
National Museum Wales
Glamorgan Archives
Welsh Federation of Museums
WJEC / WBQ
Research project
The brief
Research and develop the means by which Museums,
Libraries and Archive services can support the Welsh
Baccalaureate:
- Map sector relevance
- Evaluate opportunities to contribute
- Pilot projects
- Report, guidelines, training
- Recommendations for marketing
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Research project
Outputs
– Research into 14-19 audiences (publications;
consultation with MLAs and education sector)
– 9 case studies (mainly WEW)
– Email discussion group
– Training day
– Report and recommendations
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Research project
Findings
‘I think visits like these are imperative to the success of the
Welsh Bac. It’s all very well discussing topics and looking at
websites, but the real learning takes place through the
experiential learning cycle, and interaction with the places
and the people that work there and who have in depth
knowledge.’
Welsh Baccalaureate Coordinator
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Research project
Findings
– MLAs are good at reaching ‘challenging’ audiences, as they are
used to catering for different learning styles
– MLAs which use creative and experiential approaches appeal to
youth audiences
– Learning outcomes are enhanced through MLA visits
– Good potential to reach WBQ vocational groups
– Can adapt existing services; the main requirements are
interactivity, staff contact and a dedicated learning space
– Cost a major factor, especially for FE groups:
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Research project
How student's
contribution is used
Proportion of a student's contribution of £5 spent
on travel or services
Travel
Learning
services
0
10
20
30
Miles to destination
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40
50
Research project
Recommendations
– Strategic planning and advocacy required to raise
awareness, increase regional capacity and develop
partnerships
– MLAs encouraged to develop targeted services,
aimed at small groups and individuals
– Networking and regional training required
– Marketing of MLA services to WBQ teachers, via
web, personal lobbying and INSET events
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Research project update 2010
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Increase from 22,000 to 30,000 WBQ students
Principal Learning and Project Qualifications
Creative apprenticeships
Sector working with WBQ audiences:
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Some outreach projects and partnerships
WEW content-based visits rising
Poor evaluation
No training, limited networking
No coordinated marketing; individual MLAs working with
WBQ centres; some running INSET
Dissemination 2011-12
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Increase to 70,000 students
Principal Learning Qualifications being phased out
Level 1 / 14-16 WBQs increasing
Smaller MLAs missing out
Dissemination:
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Good practice guide for WBQ teachers and students
Good practice guide for MLAs (including small organisations)
2 training seminars
Support on WBQ website
Case study 1
NVQ Childcare students at Llancaiach Fawr Manor
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Main WBQ link: Wales, Europe and the World
Option link: compare childcare approaches
Other agendas: improve group cohesion
Site preparation: Actors briefed, researched childcare
issues; handling collection and handout
• Programme: 1 hour tour; 45 minute workshop with quiz,
handling collection, lavender bag making, swaddling a doll
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Teacher:
‘Very valuable – brought the whole experience to
life. Made ‘history’ realistic and believable’.
Need for practical workshops ‘to meet the
needs of visual and kinaesthetic learners.’
Students:
‘Show us, don’t just tell us’
‘this visit was very
relevant to our childcare
course’
‘mothers didn’t really
bond with their children’
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Case study 2
AS level students at the National Museum Wales
temporary exhibition ‘Industry to Impressionism’
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Main WBQ link: Wales Europe and the World
Option link: None – General WBQ Core
Other agendas: Site preparation: No special resources
Programme: None – teacher used own worksheet
Teacher:
‘It was great, the students raved about the art they had seen
(after originally dismissing the idea as ‘Bo-oring’).
‘they really appreciated the wealth of art on display.’
‘It was just refreshing to get out of the classroom. They
discussed it with enthusiasm afterwards; it also helped the
group to ‘gell’.
‘They could inform the colleges when they have appropriate
new exhibitions in place.’
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Case study 3
BTEC Health and Social Care students at the Centre
for Alternative Technology
• Main WBQ link: Personal & Social Education
• Option link: BTEC Introductory Diploma, Health and Social
Care, Social Responsibility Unit – Level 1
• Other agendas: To improve students’ confidence and selfesteem
• Site preparation: None: used ‘off the shelf services’
• Programme: Introductory talk; guided tour; on-site interactive
installations; plenary session
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Advice from teachers:
‘Make sure the presentations are
appropriate for the academic level’
‘Make sites as interactive as possible’
Students:
‘I found out that you don’t really need
power stations to create electricity’
Would have liked:
‘A workshop to make things’
‘Food students can afford’
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Case study 4
33 Yr. 12 students at ‘Artes Mundi’ exhibition, National
Museum Wales, Cardiff
• Main WBQ link: Personal & Social Education: Global
Citizenship
• Option link: Core WBQ course, some Art AS students
• Other agendas: Wider issues on views of conflict
• Site preparation: No specific resources apart from those
prepared for general educational visits, including CD
• Programme: Gallery education session led by museum
education officer, then independent study
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Teacher:
‘Excellent, as it added the type of depth of experience I would
look for at Welsh Bacc.’
‘I could not match the input of the museum staff. They brought
invaluable expertise to the experience.’
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Case study 5
Business Studies at the Waterfront Museum, Swansea
• Main WBQ link: Wales Europe and the World, Cultural
heritage and Technological changes
• Option link: BTEC Business Studies
• Other agendas: Taking Cardiff students to a different place
• Site preparation: Learning Officer discussed teacher’s
needs and prepared new resources
• Programme: Introductory talk and PowerPoint presentation
from Learning Officer, followed by self-led time spent in
relevant galleries.
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Teacher:
‘The interactive exhibits were novel and showed students a
different way of displaying information.’
‘It puts what we have been discussing in the class room into
context and allows them to develop their knowledge and
understanding of the key issues from first hand experience.’
‘Don’t just give a talk – students need to be stimulated with
activities that are relevant to their studies and that have an
outcome. Also resources are better if they are ‘fun’ – quizzes,
competitions, hands-on activities and experiences.’
‘Resources that we can take away with us are always well
received, e.g. PowerPoints, hand outs, activity sheets. They can
then be used in the classroom in recap sessions; and will save us
time in having to prepare our own resources!’
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Case study 6
ICT students with RCAHMW
• Main WBQ link: Wales Europe
and the World; Essential Skills
Wales (communication, working
with others)
• Option link: BTEC ICT
• Programme: An on-going
partnership between RCAHMW
and Coleg Gwent to produce GIS
‘e-trails’ of students’ local areas.
Intention to roll out more widely as
an outreach activity.
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Case study 7
90 AS students at National Slate Museum, Llanberis
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Main WBQ link: Wales Europe and the World
Option link: None – WBQ offered as a separate subject
Other agendas: Enrichment activity
Site preparation: None – a very late request so no time to
prepare anything for such a large group
• Programme: Lecture, guided tours, existing displays
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Teacher:
‘Essential experience for students to visualise their industrial
and historical legacy.’
‘Provide as much interactive and visual elements as possible
without trivialising the exhibit / theme.’
Students:
Would have liked the opportunity to climb the shafts and break
rock and slate themselves
‘heard the opinion of someone that worked there’
‘gave us information on the working conditions’
‘one man showed us some cloggs that they built themselves’
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For individual students
Individual Investigation
• Case study: comparison between St. Fagans and Jardin des
Tuileries, Paris
• Suited to libraries and archives, set up to assist research
• Toolkit
Work Related Education
• Work placements
• Team enterprise
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What next?
1. Get the message to teachers / WBQ coordinators
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Regional Development Officers
Direct contact with schools and colleges
Attendance at regional meetings
Material on WBQ website (‘useful organisations’ page), using
template
• Individual Investigation toolkit
• Publicise Good Practice Guidelines:
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In touch with our cultural heritage
How museums, historic sites, libraries and
archives can support the Welsh Baccalaureate
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What services can we expect?
Museums and historic sites
– Guided tours
– Workshop sessions
– Outreach (e.g. travelling exhibitions, loan collections)
Libraries and archives
– Assistance with research
– Tours to find out what the organisations do
– Online collections
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Making the most of a visit
– Be aware that smaller organisations may not have
staff responsible for education
– Visits are brief, so ask for experiences, not just
knowledge and information
– Tell the organisation about your learning objectives
(but also be open to unexpected gems!)
– Fit the visit into a scheme of work – e.g. as a stimulus
at the start, or to lead to more informed discussion at
the end of a project
– Give plenty of warning so the organisation can dig
out relevant material
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What next?
2. Update research
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New developments since 2008
New case studies
Update web links
Include galleries
What next?
3. Cultural heritage sector development
• Training – especially regional
• Networking – again regional, and through email lists
• Include arts organisations
… and your ideas
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Robin Clutterbuck
White Rook Projects
01626 333144
robin@whiterook.co.uk
www.whiterook.co.uk
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