Developing, implementing and reviewing an Education Policy

The present move away from merely transmitting information towards facilitating a learning experience that provides a form of personal relevance to the child needs to be borne in mind in the development of a museum’s educational provision. Personal educational experiences are actively and subjectively shaped by the learners themselves, and will depend on such factors as existing knowledge, skills, background and personal motivation. The important concept is the plurality and variety of each individual's intellect within the overall ‘target group’ which in the case of formal education activities mean not only the children, but also teachers themselves.

These can to an extent be addressed and complemented by a variety of materials (informative texts, worksheets, information sources) and activities (e.g. hands-on workshops, guided tours, talks, role-play) that facilitate individual comprehension and enjoyment by providing a range of approaches to achieve a learning experience.

An Education Policy then helps to ensure a broad and even coverage of the various styles, techniques and methods employed in attempting to make the museum more attractive to a wider audience, and provide a framework for action within which these learning opportunities can take place.

By linking some of the stated objectives, targets and evaluative aspects to schools’ requirements regarding statutory Programmes of Study and other learning objectives as laid out in the National Curriculum (DES, 1989; DFE, 1995), museums can focus some of their energies into providing increasingly better formal educational provision and support, i.e. ‘helping teachers teach’.

The Gibraltar Museum's Education Policy outlines its mission statement, aims and objectives, roles and functions and incorporates one, five and ten-year plans which are continuously reviewed. Formal education objectives are tackled through four main services:

• A direct teaching service

• An information service

• A museum-based service

• An outreach service

These are described in more detail in other sections.

Another way that museums can assist teachers is by providing useful, well-planned and thought-out exhibitions and is one of the museum-based services described above. Exhibitions and galleries are unique resources that allow visitors to come into close contact  with real items, not pictures in a book, and as such are a privileged form of communication; by provoking individual enjoyment, amazement and inspiration, exhibitions and galleries can create the context within which out-of-the-ordinary learning experiences can take place. The formal learning experience must be based on and stem from this context, establishing what is known and what to develop, with sufficient flexibility to adapt to unforeseen changes. Otherwise, a visit to a museum becomes little more than entertainment.

To achieve formal learning objectives which enhance and support work done in schools, galleries and exhibitions should offer some material which is in direct support of curriculum content. For example, the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783) is covered by many schools as the ‘significant national or local event’ within the Key Stage 2 local history study unit of the National Curriculum for History (DfEE, 1999). The Gibraltar Museum already has an extensive exhibition on the Great Siege, thus providing schools with a well-resourced topic. Moreover, existing artwork can be used to generate interest and critical analysis.

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