Museums in a Box Bringing Learning Alive
Greatest benefit
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For me, I think this is going to be the best thing I’ve done all year and it’s because Museums in a Box provided me, and the children, with a focus – a specific aim to work towards. Year 4 teacher, Maybury Primary School, Hull
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Introducing Museums in a Box Museums in a Box is externally funded by Renaissance in the Regions until March 2011. This exciting and innovative new outreach project uses genuine artefacts from Hull Museums’ handling collections to inspire pupils to create their own museums in school. The Museums in a Box project began in 2008 with the aim of using Hull Museum collections as the catalyst to achieve three key objectives; firstly to raise attainment in literacy in Hull Primary schools; secondly to demonstrate the value of cultural learning; and thirdly to support Hull’s primary teachers in the delivery of a new cross-curricular and skills-based primary curriculum.
Funded through ‘Renaissance in the Regions’ the project was developed by Hull Museum Education in partnership with three primary schools. Museums in a Box encourages young people to take a lead role in the learning process providing them with the opportunity to experience a reallife challenge by creating their own museums in schools using original artefacts and professional equipment.
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Why Museums in a Box? In 2011 the new curriculum will be embedded into all schools nationally. The Museums in a Box project objectives were established in response to local and national learning agendas. In 2008 the percentage of Hull pupils achieving 5+A*-C (and equivalent) including English and mathematics GCSEs was 29.6%, significantly below the national average of 47.3%. Schools chosen to pilot the Museums in a Box project highlighted the need to raise attainment in literacy as part of their school improvement plans with an average of 56% of their pupils achieving level 4+. Following the outcomes of the project, pupils were reported to have significant improvement in literacy skills with a marked difference in pupils currently underachieving. Hull schools have already adopted elements recommended by the 2009 Rose Review of the Primary Curriculum
including a focus on skills-based learning and emphasis on thematic/ cross-curricular teaching. The project is designed to support the new curriculum, providing inspiring cultural and creative learning opportunities that concentrate on developing transferable key skills through a real-life situation. The project also supports delivery of the new curriculum offering advice on thematic approaches, ideas and suggestions for topics and themes, through to training opportunities for teachers and school staff. The project aims to encourage young people to become lifelong users of museums. Through placing museum objects at the heart of their communities young people can experience first hand their value and develop a sound understanding of the significance to their lives.
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Practical, well-paced, skills-based session. Creating the display within the museum was fun and gave the children the confidence to do it on their own. Year 1 teacher
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What makes the project unique? The Museums in a Box project sits at the heart of teachers’ curriculum planning, embedding creativity into the curriculum. Museums in a Box has been developed as an integral part of curriculum planning, not as an enhancement or ‘treat’ as museum visits can often be viewed. Handling collections are provided to support pupils’ theme and are used to embed creativity and cultural learning into lessons, contributing to the proposed entitlement for pupils to access five hours of culture per week. The project is focused on developing fundamental key skills, thinking skills and elements of literacy rather than
the more traditional museum subjects of history or art. Pupils are encouraged to develop personalised learning by taking a lead role in directing and creating their museum. The project offers primary schools a tangible outcome which pupils work towards as part of their topics. Museums in a Box is also an innovative project in the heritage field with few museums offering an outreach provision or extended stimulus project of this type.
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We found that boys wanted to be more involved in writing. Year 1 teacher.
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Key Outcomes Following the outcomes of the project pupils were reported to have significant improvement in literacy skills Raising attainment in literacy was a key objective of the project. One pilot school found in their assessment that writing levels had significantly improved in 96% of children as a direct result of taking part in the Museums in a Box project. Evaluation also revealed speaking and listening skills were developed on a whole school basis and that boys were eager to be more involved in writing. Through practical hands-on activities, lower ability pupils were able to express their ideas and participate fully. The project provided many opportunities for verbal recall rather than just written, for example when giving tours to visitors around their museum, teachers commented on the value of this for assessing the progression of lower ability pupils who could not express this so well in written form. Throughout the project the pupil’s ability to ask questions was developed - not just of the session leader and teachers but questions which pupils
then researched and discovered the answers themselves. The use of original artefacts from Hull Museums handling collection and real life experiences provided a stimulus for under achievers whilst the project as a whole provided a challenge for gifted and talented pupils. The project has had a wider social impact on communities with families being invited to contribute to the museum and a wide range of events held that encourage families and communities to play an active part in school life. Research has proven that pupils who participated in Museums in a Box are now visiting museums regularly with parents. The Museums in a Box project has provided a structure and tangible outcome for the delivery of the new curriculum. As a result, teachers now feel more confident in delivering and embedding creativity and key skills into the curriculum.
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Case Study Maybury Primary School’s Year 4 theme was ‘Bombed’. They looked at artefacts from different elements of life on the Home Front during World War Two as part of the Understanding Evidence session with Hull Museums. Year 4’s teacher used different artefacts as the stimulus for lessons encouraging independent enquiry and developing knowledge and understanding of a particular element of their topic.
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Teachers found that the Museums in a Box project has… ‘made pupils more interested in the topic due to using real artefacts in our classroom.’ Year 4 teacher.
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The Museums in a Box project has had a positive impact on whole school speaking and listening, through my pupils showing the other children around. The children were so excited and so eager to learn their motivation increased and this turned into actual progress in their reading and writing skills. The biggest impact of the project has been on my pupils’ writing skills as nearly all the children increased one sublevel in writing in just the first half of the autumn term. Gifted and talented children were able to ask much deeper and open questions, including things which I was really surprised about them asking. Having the artefacts to investigate motivated the lower ability and SEN (special educational needs) children; it’s more creative for them. Year 4 teacher. Maybury Primary School
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Case Study Alderman Cogan Primary School’s Year 1 theme was ‘toys from the past’. Year 1’s teachers used the Museums in a Box project to introduce their pupils to nonfiction writing.
Giving the children the chance to write creatively for a real purpose, we saw a noticeable improvement in many children’s writing during the project. Children also developed spoken communication skills when they had to present their ideas about the artefacts and explain their museums to visitors. Overall, the Museums in a Box project helped bring the theme to life with the real artefacts and many have visited the museums after the project to show their parents what they were learning about. .
Case Study Bellfield Primary School’s Year 4 theme was ‘the Vikings’. Using artefacts from Hull Museums’ handling collection, pupils explored different areas of Viking life from weaponry to food.
including writing names in Viking runes, becoming archaeologists to dig for and identify ‘artefacts’, cooking Viking stew, making Viking helmets, shields, a longboat, and a mock battle.
At Year 4’s official opening (performed by ‘Queen Elizabeth II’) pupils took on the role of the museum education team by not only providing a tour of the museum for fellow pupils and members of their community, but with a whole range of other activities
Bellfield Primary School completely embedded the Museums in a Box project into their new curriculum making it truly cross-curricular and skills-based whilst involving the wider community.
Without Museums in a Box we would not have been inspired to be so creative. Bellfield Primary School, Year 4 15
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Good basics learnt which can be repeated throughout life! Year 3 teacher
How does it work? Hull Museum Education provides led sessions in schools and at the museums as part of the Museums in a Box project. Hull Museum Education provides artefacts which compliment the schools theme for use in the classroom. A number of museum-facilitated led sessions both in-school and at Hull Museums are provided to develop transferable key and thinking skills. The outcome of the project is pupildirected, thus providing a differing outcome in each school and developing pupil’s personalised learning.
Following a visit to the museums, pupils work in teams back in the classroom to create plans for their own museum. This provides stimulus and opportunities to develop and practice different writing styles in fiction and non-fiction, including labels, reports, mind maps, captions, invitations, recounts, posters, letters and stories.
www.mylearning.org/museumsinabox This webpage provides teachers with support in the planning of the project, background notes for teachers on the artefacts and support materials for the teacher-led elements of the project such as writing information labels.
Teachers found Hull Museum Education’s support in planning the project ‘fantastic! We didn’t know
where to start and they helped us all the way.’ 17
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When given such a rich experience, children do become more confident in a piece of work because they have actually experienced what they are writing about. Year 1 teacher
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Conclusion and Future of the Project Museums in a Box provides a live, hands-on project in which pupils take the lead role, are writing for a purpose and showcase their work to others. Evidence and evaluation from the project has proven the impact that museums and cultural activity can have on pupils learning. The Museums in a Box project has raised attainment in literacy because it provides a reallife, hands-on project. Pupils are writing for a real audience and a specific purpose. Community involvement has proven to develop pupil’s speaking and listening skills through showcasing and ownership of their museums. The project engages young people in learning by offering a personal approach. It helps raise aspirations and broaden horizons by encouraging young people to develop a deeper understanding of the history of their city, their own communities and their place within them.
Museums in a Box is externally funded until March 2011. Our vision for the future is that every school in Hull will have access to the service on an annual basis. We aim to work with Hull’s Children and Young Peoples Services to embed this as a core project in schools. Partnerships have been developed with Hull Libraries and Hull History Centre to expand and enhance the museum-led teacher and pupil sessions available. Following consultation with secondary school teachers Hull Museum Education are currently developing the Museums in a Box project to support the new Key Stage 3 curriculum. The project has also been written into schemes of work for the new 14-19 Diplomas.
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For more information about Museums in a Box visit: www.mylearning.org/museumsinabox Museums in a Box is a Hull Museum Education project. Contact: Hull Museum Education 35 High Street, Hull HU1 1NQ T: 01482 318733 F: 01482 318731 Museums in a Box Project Officer - Kate Armitage kate.armitage@hullcc.gov.uk
Printed December 2009