Musselburgh's Childhood Role Models

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This project provides an excellent case case study of how museums can bring together people from different generations to learn more about their local community, and to break down generational barriers through the provision of enjoyable experiences using museum collections.

- To bring together children from schools in Musselburgh and members of the senior community in a jointly organised and delivered project, in an environment which encouraged sharing of ideas and discussion between generations.

- For each group involved in the project to produce a mini-exhibition displaying their chosen role models, including those of the older people and pupils, which was curated, produced, managed and promoted through intergenerational working between pupils and adults

- To create a main exhibition bringing all the mini-exhibitions together, with the help of a Digital Artist

- For the Museum Service to work with older members of the community and to pilot the involvement of older people with schools

- To allow older people and local schools to benefit from training, resources and support by local professionals to result in sustainable outcomes for the future of enhanced local identity, improved community relations and a new bank of skills and knowledge on topics such as internet use, exhibition curation, artistic presentation and oral communication.

The Museum Service worked with the local Trefoil Guild, Musselburgh Museum Committee and local schools to find and recruit buddies (local people aged 60+) to work with 4 classes on the project.

The buddies were paired with an individual class. The classes then worked through the following plan (although each teacher elaborated in the original plan and adapted the project to suit the needs of their own class)

Week 1 1950/60s Classroom
The Museum Service’s Education Officer delivered a session in each class, with the help of the buddies on the 1950s and 60s. Children were able to play childhood games, try on clothes from the eras and undertake some activities in the daily life of 1950/60s child.

Week 2 My Role Model
Buddies told the class about their childhood role model. Class discussed/researched:
1. What are role models
2. What qualities does a role model have
3. Who are our role models
4. Are our role models different to children from 1950/60s
5. Why might we have different role models to people in the past
The Digital Artist also visited each class to introduce themselves and explain the artistic part of project.

Week 3 Research
Pupils and buddies undertook research about life in the 50s/60s and began to compare each others’ role models.

Week 4 Artistic Inspiration
The Digital Artist visited each class to find out which role models had been chosen. The artist led a discussion with children about how their ideas on role models could be interpreted in a digital artwork. The classes then began to make initial drawings or presentations about their role models.

Weeks 5-7 Artwork
The classes completed their artwork or presentations and submitted them to the Digital Artist. The Digital Artist then created a final presentation which included all the information, images or presentations the classes and buddies submitted.

Exhibition Opening
The classes and buddies attended an ‘exhibition opening’ where the finished digital display was unveiled. Councillor Peter Mackenzie officially opened the exhibition and pupils from each class spoke about their experiences of the project. Their physical artwork was also displayed, alongside some of the objects used in week 1. The exhibition was opened to parents and the wider public in the afternoon.

To finish the project, each class was presented with a copy of the digital display. Evaluations were sought from those involved and the Museums Education Officer visited each class to pass on a personal thank you for being involved!

The Buddies and primary school aged children worked really well together to explore the topic of life in Musselburgh in the 1950s/60s. Teachers remarked upon pupils becoming ‘confident individuals’ due to feeling that they had been specially selected to take part in an important project and worked with other classes to do so. The pupils were also boosted by having regular visitors to their classes, through their buddies, the Museums Education Officer and the Digital Artist (see “Campie P5s online blog” http://edubuzz.org/blogs/campiep5c/2010/12/08/media-role-models/ for an example).

The benefits of including buddies extended far beyond the original aims. Classes responded really well to the older people visiting them. It also meant that museum objects were spoken about by someone with the knowledge of using them on a daily basis. Buddies had greater flexibility and more time to spend with classes, beyond that which the Museums Education Officer could offer meaning some ended up visiting each week. Classes and buddies established friendships which have carried on beyond the life of the project, with many inviting their buddies in on a regular basis to assist them with other projects.

It is possible for Museums to influence the school curriculum. The project was first presented to schools in June 2010. Those classes who signed up changed their topic to the 1950s and 60s. By offering a unique experience to teachers and classes, the Museum Service was able to influence the topics the schools chose. Teachers reported enjoying the topic and many reflected that they would feel confident in studying the topic again with future classes.

For the buddies, it was an enjoyable experience, giving them the opportunity to reminisce and share their childhood memories with each class. One said ‘It made me feel young again’. It was really beneficial for the Museum Service to see how great an impact it had had upon the buddies, as well as the pupils. (see Whitecraig’s Blog for an example)

That bad weather can really influence a project! This project co-incided with the heavy snow in December 2010. East Lothian schools were closed for over a week. Buddies were also unsure about visiting classes once the schools had reopened due to the hazardous conditions on many rural pavements and roads. The artwork and presentations were therefore not completed until January, rather than December as had been planned. This meant the artist was left with little time to edit them before the exhibition opening. The artist therefore made further changes to the presentation before each class were given their own copy.

Individual teachers and their enthusiasm and dedication really contribute to the final outcome of a project. All the teachers involved were very keen to fully involve their class in the project, and used it as a springboard for a much bigger topic and project for their pupils. For the Museum Service, the teachers made it really easy by being enthusiastic, by bringing new ideas to the project and by preparing their classes for all their visitors.

With the breakdown of families, and growing mobility of the population, generational isolation and fear of other generations is increasing. Museums are able to use their collections as a basis from which to develop projects to engage intergenerational groups, and this project illustrates how a well-planned intergenerational project can provide both short-term enjoyable experiences, and support the development of long-term improvement of intergenerational relationships within a small community.

This project indicates the benefit of working closely with schools to enable links with museum projects to be made to the Curriculum for Excellence.

This project also indicates how external partnerships (with SCIP ; and with East Lothian Council Arts Service) can provide both financial support and additional expertise and other resources to support museum work.

Initially, the project was promoted to schools in Musselburgh via email. The Museums Education Officer also visited those teachers interested in order to ensure they had the information they required.

The Museums Education Officer also visited various local groups, such as the Trefoil Guild, in order to recruit buddies.

During the project, detailed information was posted by each class on the website Edubuzz (East Lothian’s Schools blogging network) (see http://edubuzz.org/blogs/wallyford/2010/12/02/p67-role-model-project/). This promoted it to other schools and within the schools themselves in which the project was taking place.

For the exhibition, invites were sent to all those involved, including to parents via pupils. The local press were also invited along and an article appeared in the local paper.

After the exhibition, many classes then created displays or held assemblies in their schools to promote the project internally.

• Pupils, teachers and buddies all completed questionnaires at the end of the project.
• The Museums Education Officer observed the Digital Artist’s sessions.
• Visitors to the final exhibition were asked to leave comments in a visitors’ book.
• The Museums Education Officer kept in regular contact with teachers throughout the period of the project, both via email and by having meetings after school.

Contact Sarah Cowie, Museums Education Officer, East Lothian Council Museums Service
scowie@eastlothian.gov.uk
01620 828225

Categories
Partnership
Learning
Access

Project Start
1st Sep 2010

Project End
1st Feb 2011

Published
2nd May 2011

Who Led?
East Lothian Council Museums Service

Who else took part?

East Lothian Council Arts Service

Who Paid?
Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice and East Lothian Council Museums Service

How Much?
SCIP £750; East Lothian Council Museums Service: £410