Hi All
Have delivered sessions to home ed groups in a couple of roles. My experiences have been much the same as everyone else's. Altering the activity itself to meet their needs never proves too difficult but the wide age range can be a bit of a challenge, esp as some groups you can have 5 year olds to early teens.
On the number of adults, I have had to be firm and limit the numbers as have sometimes found we have been crowded out. It does depend on the group but I have limited it to either 1 adult per child or 1 for every two children. The other thing that can be an issue, depending on the location and its facilities, is sometimes you find parents bring along younger siblings, so you can suddenly find you have several pre-school aged children in addition to the Home Ed group.
I've always found the coordinator of the groups friendly and helpful and I just make sure I have an in-depth conversation with them, make sure we agree on the terms and arrangements for the visit, and any special requirements they have.
Jason
Jason Finch
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Aberdeen Maritime Museum
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Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2016 08:58:50 +0000
From: Cathy Simpson <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Home Education Groups
Hi there
I run 2 or 3 Home Ed sessions a year and yes, they can be interesting. With regards to the age range covered, I always make it clear that my workshops are suitable for x age (usually KS2) and can be extended for older children but that they cannot be accessed successfully by younger children. I then negotiate a KS1 activity (not generally a led workshop) for the younger children and the very much younger siblings who invariably come too. I say that 1 adult per family is free but other adults have to pay and that the group leader is ultimately responsible for the behaviour of the group, as a class teacher would be with a school group. This usually ensures good ratios.
I usually ask for a list of names and ages beforehand, understanding that this might not be wholly accurate on the day, and calculate what each family is due to pay and ask a volunteer to collect cash (this again is made clear to the organiser beforehand). As we charge per head on the day this seems to work well and means that the organiser does not have to chase people who didn't turn up for their contribution.
In terms of adult behaviours, I am very clear with them what I want them to support and also get the children on side by emphasising their skills and cleverness and how they can find out more... (most of our activities are hands-on). This just gives the parents the hint that this is a learning experience for the children, not them.
All this takes skill and patience, not to mention flexibility. It is ultimately rewarding when you see how children begin to interact and how through pursuing their own learning within your structure they take on board new concepts
Education Officer
London Canal Museum
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From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Lisa Kerley <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 1:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Home Education Groups
Surely as a home schooler the child's parent is their 'teacher' and on this basis I find it hard to justify excluding them from the learning experience.
Also, there would be variation in age if you came as a family group of your own free will - families generally cope with catering to the needs of 4 and 11 year olds together.
I have a lot of experience in delivering workshops using museum objects for adults and children with a whole range of learning disabilities which forces you to adapt in new ways every time and cater for a wide range of abilities within one group , all of whom engage in the session but in slightly different ways.
I think flexibility is the key word here.
Lisa
________________________________
From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of David Birks <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 23 February 2016 12:49
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Home Education Groups
Hi Zoe,
I would echo Charlottes response. We’ve done a few, it wasn’t tricky tweaking our standard workshops but it did throw up issues. Mixed ages was a problem, 4 year olds and 11 year olds together is never going to be easy. Lof parents wanted to stay with their children and I find the “audience” a bit off-putting – the first home school session I led, parents tended to join in too much. The spaces we utilise in the Museum become cramped with too many adults. I found the nappy changing in mid-session rather distracting. As for minimum numbers 10 – 12 children. We have felt that the children are not used to working in a group and tend to be less responsive. Haven’t had a problem with bookings as there tends to be a co-ordinator although people do arrive a bit late and you never quite know how many to expect.
We’ve only done a few and I do encourage them to organise visits if I meet a home schooling parent. You can set your own conditions as to whether parents stay with their children and split them up into workable groups.
David Birks
Trowbridge Museum
From: Martin Zoe [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 23 February 2016 11:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Home Education Groups
Hello all,
We are increasingly getting enquiries from Home Education groups to come and take part in our school sessions and I wanted to see how others are working with these groups. I’ve had a look through the Jiscmail archive and found a few useful ideas from a few years ago but looking for some more up-to-date advice if possible. We have delivered a few sessions in the past couple of months and have been making adaptations based on feedback from parents within the group and our Enablers (delivery staff) but wanted to ensure we’re offering the best that we can for the children and their parents whilst making the process of delivering easier for our Enablers.
We are unable, at this moment in time, to develop bespoke Home Education sessions but where possible want to adapt our school sessions. With this in mind, can anyone share any tips for the following queries we have:
· Do you have a limit to the number of children who can take part in the session?
· Do you have a limit to the number of adults who can support the children? We’re finding that we’re getting around 2 adults per booked child which proves tricky logistically and in some of our learning spaces.
· How do you get around parents bringing younger/older children to a session that is not suitable for that age group?
· How do you approach behaviour management? Some of our Enablers have felt unsure about tackling unacceptable behaviour because of there not being a designated ‘lead’ adult like you would find with a school group.
· How do you book in Home Education groups? We’re finding that our normal method for booking in school groups is not suitable, particularly as the person booking doesn’t always know the children and their age/needs of everyone turning up.
I will be happy to share any responses to anyone who is interested.
Many thanks,
Zoe
Zoe Martin
Heritage Learning Education Programme Developer
Heritage Learning
35 High Street
Hull
HU1 1NQ
T: 01482 318740
E: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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