Cultural Weeks 2012

Week 1st October and 8th October

Aims:

“All pupils are entitled to high-quality museum learning experiences that are recognised as being an integral, but special, part of their education. Museums and galleries are full of potential for learning. The environment is rich and dense; the collections can work across the curriculum and opportunities for fresh ways of thinking can occur while working out of the classroom.”Learning through culture – The DfES Museums and Galleries Education Programme: a guide to good practice

“Everyone should be able to learn from the wonderful treasures that museums and galleries have to offer.”www.culture.gov.ukwww.artscouncil.org.uk

Every Child Matters, www.education.gov.uk

2006 Learning Outside the classroom Manifesto, DCSF

Shared Aims agreed with all of the venues and the university

Experience the practical and creative learning/teaching opportunities outside the classroom.

Understanding and knowledge increased by direct contact. Explore potential partnerships with museums and galleries in the Oxford

area. (And then relate museum galleries education to any part of the country).

Know resources for teachers in museums/galleries/outdoor venues/art organisations.

Understand the value and application of experiential learning as a vital component enhancing the Primary Curriculum.

Relate visits to Initiatives-‘Learning through Culture’, Every Child Matters, Learning outside the Classroom Manifesto, Five Hours of Culture.

Enable trainees to meet QTS standard’ Establish a purposeful and safe learning environment conducive to learning and identify opportunities for learners to learn in out-of-school contexts’

Shared Philosophies All venues value, promote and demonstrate; High quality questioning skills

Fostering enquiry Visual awarenessCreative thinkingTalking to learnActive learningLearning through storyRisk taking/open ended teaching strategiesProblem solving CommunicationRelevant (to child and curriculum) and purposeful learningMotivating and stimulating lessons opportunitiesInspiring teachingTransferrable skillsExperiential learningTrainees engaging with and responding to venues. Protocols and expectations indifferent learning environments

Arts, Humanities and PE assignment- Stories within Oxford The module assessment is 100% coursework; It will comprise of a group(minimum of 3) performance/exhibition/display/presentation, using relevant media, as a response to experiences in and selected content from the AHP module and PGCE programme. Cultural Weeks provide opportunities to explore stories in the area with experienced education officers/guides at the various venues..More details of the assignment can be found in the Arts, Humanities and Physical Education Handbook

The Venues

The Ashmolean Museum Education Officers: Mary Lloyd Clare Coleman Learning to Look at Paintings

The Ashmolean was founded in 1683 and is the oldest public museum in the country. It has amazing collections of Western Art, Eastern Art and Archaeology spectacularly displayed in new galleries which opened in December 2009. In this lively workshop you will discover how to decode paintings and be introduced to a range of strategies for engaging children with art in any gallery. The session will include drawing activities and object handling. It will help you to develop your questioning skills and discover how you can use a painting as a stimulus for cross-curricular learning in the classroom and outside the classroom.

Modern Art OxfordEducation Officer: Sarah Mossop

"Founded in 1965, Modern Art Oxford is considered to be one of the South East's leading centres for modern and contemporary art, with a national and international reputation for it's exhibitions and education programme. 'Long recognised as one of the best spaces in Britain for seeing new developments in contemporary art'"- Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate.

Sarah Mossop writes:"The visit will provide an introduction to the gallery with a brief account of it's history followed by activities and discussion designed to encourage engagement with the current exhibitions. The aim is to introduce students to approaches that they may employ with the children to help them understand and enjoy contemporary art."

Harcourt ArboretumEducation Officer: Kate Castleden

The Harcourt Arboretum is a 130-acre site which is an integral part of theplant collection of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. This beautifuland varied site provides an ideal opportunity for children to engage withthe natural environment. Our school programme introduces children to a widevariety of trees from around the world, and a number of different habitatsincluding our native oak woodland and wildflower meadow. All the sessionsare held outside, and are based on the principles of education forsustainable development. The sessions are tailored to each season, andinclude a range of topics with both scientific and artistic themes.Children are asked to participate in a number of activities includinginteractive games, art and craft, hands-on activities and group discussions.

During your Cultural Week visit, you will be introduced to the site, andwill have the opportunity to explore and have a go at some of the activitieson offer. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear, as this is anoutdoor visit, and the ground can be very soggy at this time of year.

Directions: Driving from Oxford, join the ring road and drive around to theHeyford Hill roundabout (Sainsbury's). Take the A4074 exit, signpostedReading and Henley. Drive through Nuneham Courtenay village, and theHarcourt Arboretum is on your right just after you leave the village.Inform our ticket office staff that you are with Brookes, and you will notbe charged entry.

Unlocked – Oxford Castle Learning and Access Officer: Helen de MayIf you thought Oxford was just about elegant spires and world-class academia then think again! Oxford Castle Unlocked reveals Oxford’s less well known history, one that is rich with tales of great escapes, betrayal and even romance, all within the walls of the ancient castle and prison. Schools can explore 1000 years of history and discover the people and events from the site's turbulent past. The site can be used to develop students' thinking skills and teach History, Geography, Citizenship, English, Art and much more. This visit will outline the Schools Programme and resources available and include elements of the visitor tour. Students will consider the benefits and possible difficulties of using a historic site and will explore in practical ways the site’s potential for cross-curricular learning.

The University of Oxford Museum of Natural HistoryEducation Officer: Chris Jarvis

“The Museum houses Oxford University's extensive world-wide collections of zoology, entomology, geology, and mineralogy, including the local dinosaur finds, a 40ft Tyrannosaurus rex, the observation beehive and Alice’s Dodo. The building itself is one of the finest examples of the Victorian Gothic style of architecture, exhibiting a wealth of naturalist carving; the huge glass roof over the central museum court is supported by cast iron shafts, decorated with wrought iron spandrels.”

Cross-curricular, Creative Learning at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History

This visit will introduce the schools’ education programme and the variety of sessions available, together with some of the logistics involved in organising a trip.

One particular teaching session (‘Dinosaur Trapping’) will be used as an example to explore different types of learning, and how this learning can be extended in a creative and cross-curricular way. Students will then be challenged to explore how they might use a museum specimen to access different areas of the curriculum in a creative manner after a museum visit.

The Botanic GardensEducation Officer: Louise Allen

“The Garden is a national reference collection of 7,000 different types of plant, making it the most compact yet diverse collection of plants in the World there is even more biological diversity here than there is in tropical rain forests and other biodiversity hotspots.

“The Garden consists of three sections. The Glasshouses contain plants that need protection from the extremes of the British weather. The area outside the Walled Garden contains classic garden features such as a Water Garden and Rock Garden as well as the innovative Black Border and Autumn Borders. Within the Walled Garden plants are grouped in a number of different ways such as by country of origin, botanic family or economic use.”

The University of Oxford Botanic Garden provides a unique opportunity for children to learn about plants. Within the oldest botanic garden in Britain is a garden full of amazing plants from around the World. We will explore this collection of plants during the session demonstrating how a botanic garden can be used to enhance the national curriculum.Practical examples of activities will be included enabling participants to fully appreciate how botanic gardens can be fully utilised as a natural place for learning.

The Pitt Rivers Museum Education Officer: Andy McLellan and Becca McVean

The Museum displays archaeological and ethnographic objects from all parts of the world. It was founded in1884 when General Pitt Rivers gave his collection to the University. The General’s founding gift contained more than 18,000 objects but there are now over half a million. In this hands-on session you will:- look at how students can learn from objects- research objects as you explore the collections- develop questioning skills through handling mystery objects- consider the practical application of learning theory- discuss creative approaches to handling objects within a classroom setting

The Oxford MuseumEducation Officers: Kate Toomey It's Not Just History...Formal Workshops at the Museum of OxfordHow can a museum visit enhance your classroom teaching? Kate Toomey will take you through some object handling workshops at a typical local social history museum, from booking to evaluation, through investigating objects, related activities and visiting museum galleries.

This session will be interactive and practical, considering issues relating to: museum etiquette investigating evidence in museums object handling cross curricula links making the most of your visit!

Pegasus TheatreEducation Officer: Yasmin SidhwaMagdalen Road, Oxford, OX4 1RE“Pegasus is a hugely successful youth arts organisation and venue that presents and creates some of the newest and most exciting contemporary performing arts from all over the world made by professional artists and young people.”

“It is the home of Oxford Youth Theatre founded in 1962.”

The Museum of the History of ScienceEducation Officer: Michelle Holloway

“The Museum of the History of Science houses an unrivalled collection of historic scientific instruments in the world's oldest surviving purpose-built museum building, the Old Ashmolean on Broad Street, Oxford. By virtue of the collection and the building, the Museum occupies a special position, both in the study of the history of science and in the development of western culture and collecting. The present collection of the Museum preserves the material relics of past science. The objects represented - of which there are approximately 10,000 - cover almost all aspects of the history of science, from antiquity to the early twentieth century.

Particular strengths include the collections of astrolabes, sundials, quadrants, early mathematical instruments generally (including those used for surveying, drawing, calculating, astronomy and navigation) and optical instruments (including microscopes, telescopes and cameras), together with apparatus associated with chemistry, natural philosophy and medicine.”The Museum of the History of Science is located in the centre of Oxford, on Broad Street, next to the Sheldonian Theatre and directly opposite Blackwell's main bookshop.

The Oxford Walk

You may not know Oxford well and perhaps will find time to explore it further. One way to consider an Oxford Walk is by taking it as an example of how an interesting neighbourhood can provide

source material for children’s investigations. There are all kinds of perspectives that you might wish to explore, and you may want to choose one or two in advance…art and architecture (look out for gargoyles!), geography (eg transport or physical features), history (Bodleian Library, Carfax Tower, Sheldonian Theatre, the Saxon Tower of St Michael at the North Gate), RE (St Aldates, St Ebbes and the Oxford Synagogue, which you will be visiting during the week), Design Technology (the railway, Osney Lock)…

A suggested route would be to…meet at the Ashmolean, and then go to:The Oxford CanalThe Railway StationOsney Lock (just off the map up the Botley Road)Railway bridgeThen choose a route through to the Folly Bridge (at the south-east corner of the map)Christ Church College – and any other colleges you might wish to exploreThe shopping areaRadcliffe Square and the Bodleian LibraryBroad Street

Consider the learning opportunities at each point. Plan with children in mind but also respond at a personal level: sketch; make notes, record thoughts, wax lyrical!Notes

On the Primary Languages trailMany opportunities exist in Oxford to enhance the teaching and learning of Primary Languages:

Locate 3 international restaurantsAre menus written in the foreign language?Do staff speak the appropriate language?

Locate 3 international shops (try the Covered Market)Are items labelled in the foreign language?Do staff speak the appropriate language?

Go into a bookshop eg BlackwellsAre there any authentic foreign language texts? Storybooks?

Go into a store that sells music store e.g. WHSmith, Are there any foreign language recordings?

Go to The Phoenix cinema in Walton Street, JerichoWhich foreign languages are represented?Is there a programme for children?Do they cater for school groups?

Go into The Tourist Information OfficeIs there literature available in foreign languages?Do any of the attendants speak a foreign language?

Locate any Language SchoolsWhich languages are taught?

Go into a supermarketFind some authentic products

Equipment/Materials ListThis is neither exhaustive nor prescriptive – but it works on school trips:CameraSketch/note bookDrawing pencils, sharpener, eraserHighlighter pensGold/silver pensScissorsPritt stickGuidance notes/ map in plastic walletUmbrella/waterproofsSmall rucksack/carrier that gives “hands free”Oxford United venues-“sports wear”

ArrangementsAt the museums and galleries, and at the Botanic Garden, the pattern of your visit will be an introduction to the collection by the education officer, perhaps focusing on specific examples that have particular relevance for the primary curriculum. You will then have the opportunity to visit the collection independently.

You will gain much more from your visits if you have an understanding of what they offer before you arrive. All of the venues have helpful and informative web sites:

Ashmoleanhttp://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/

Hill End Field Study Centrehttp://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/index/learning/s chools/outdooreducation/hill_end/

Modern Art Oxfordhttp://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/

Oxford Castlewww.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk

Oxford University Museum of Natural Historyhttp://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/

Pitt Rivers Museumhttp://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/

University of Oxford Botanic Garden/Harcourt Arboretumhttp://www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/

Museum of the History of Sciencehttp://mhs.ox.ac.uk

Museum of Oxfordhttp://museumofoxford.org.uk

Pegasus Theatrehttp://www.pegasutheatre.org.uk/

Kilvrough Study Centrehttp://oxfordshireoutdoorlearningservice.co.uk

There are no admission charges, however, individual donations would of course be welcomed.

Please organise your travel to and from the Harcourt Arboretum – you do not need to pay for parking.

Our thanks are due to Oxford City Council for kind permission to use their map (see www.visitoxford.org for the full .pdf file).

We are very grateful to colleagues at the museums, galleries and other venues for being involved in creating and running these weeks.

CD 2012