The interactive workshop was part of The Green Howards Museum’s pilot project to support teachers and students virtually in the classroom while they are physically unable to visit the museum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 24th November, Year 7 pupils at Risedale Sports and Community College took part in a live stream History lesson hosted by The Green Howards Museum, Richmond.
The interactive workshop was part of The Green Howards Museum’s pilot project to support teachers and students virtually in the classroom while they are physically unable to visit the museum due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the event, Risedale’s Head of History, Alex Lipinski, liaised with The Green Howards Museum’s Learning Officer, Carl Watts and together selected a range of artefacts and historical objects that the pupils could look at and touch to support their learning.
Mr Lipinski said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for our pupils at Risedale and something that I wouldn’t have thought was possible given the current restrictions. Risedale’s partnership with The Green Howards Museum has long been established and it’s great that our youngest pupils aren’t missing out. We want to embed local history into our curriculum, and we are working with Green Howards to be able to do this, as well as establishing a History Champions Club to develop a love of learning of history across all year groups. Pupils were really engaged and it was lovely to see them eagerly putting their hands up to answer questions and contribute to the group discussion.”
One student brought in a coin from home to be identified during the lesson and another said she believed that a relative of hers had served in The Green Howards many generations ago. Mr Lipinski and Mr Watts agreed that they would keep in contact and continue their investigations.
Carl Watts said: “I was so impressed with the pupils. Their answers were brilliant and they definitely have some budding historians at Risedale. We look forward to working with the school again soon, and hopefully, in the not too distant future, welcoming the children back to The Green Howards Museum itself so they can come and experience our entire collection.”
News Article from Darlington & Stockton Times 13th November 2020
Museum to stream 'lessons' to schools
Photo: The Green Howards are, once again, at the forefront of using communications technology. (Museum collection image from the 1930s)
A Yorkshire museum is harnessing technology to help children continue to learn through the pandemic.
The Green Howards Museum in Richmond is launching a pilot project which will see workshops streamed directly into classrooms; supporting teachers with curriculum-based content linked to the museum’s collection.
The workshops are just one part of the scheme, which will also offer a more informal weekly history club.
A grant from the Art Fund’s ‘Respond and Reimagine’ funding stream, and support from the museum’s friends group means the six-month-long pilot project will get underway in the next few weeks.
“It won’t come as any surprise that Covid-19 has presented us with numerous challenges,” said director and curator, Lynda Powell. “Just like everyone else, we have had to cope, adapt and simply try to keep going.
Our successful application for funding for the pilot has been a real boost, especially as we enter the latest phase of lockdown. It enables us to continue to support schools, but with a new type of educational programme. Teachers tell us that what we have offered in the past is really helpful; now we are working hard to create content for new interactive workshops which we will live stream into schools, enabling us to continue to engage with young learners.”
The museum is working with Risedale Sports and Community College in Catterick Garrison, and Saint Francis Xavier School in Richmond during the pilot.
It is likely that the lessons learned over the next few months will be implemented into the museum’s educational programme in the longer term, as the reliance on streamed content becomes a routine part of the school day.
“Our collection can be used to teach anything from technology and numeracy, textiles and art, to literacy and politics,” explains the museum’s Learning Officer, Carl Watts. “Schools will be able to choose from a menu of workshops, all specifically developed to meet their subject’s curriculum requirements. As well as the streaming element, there will be opportunities to handle museum objects in the classroom to accompany their online learning. Amid all the uncertainty, it’s great to be able to work on something positive that has the potential to reach many more young people than if we had continued to rely on school visits to the museum.”
The same technology will also be used by the museum to relaunch its popular ‘Museum Talks’ series, with a programme to be announced.