PS many apologies for the typos at the end of the email...I was composing the email on the train.
________________________________________
From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Jo-Anne Sunderland
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2015 11:40 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Museum visit activity
Hi Dominic
I run the ESOL programme at the British Museum and agree with many of the points Eleanor has raised here, although I would say don't worry about 'learning' about lots of objects before you go or trying to be an expert because the learners will always find an object or ask a question you don't know. Questions which allow for speculation are fine....one of things we try and do is say that museums are learning about their collections all the time and its ok not to know everything. We focus on questions about use, material, ownership and avoid questions about 'like' or 'dislike' as it usually comes down to aesthetics or whether or the object looks 'clean' or 'dirty' (old). We like to think about why the object is on display, what it tells us about the people who used it. Visits can be a great opportunity for learners to share and talk about their own experiences and cultures and can often elicit much higher levels of language than you might expect.
At the BM we provide a wealth of materials online and you might want to look at these to help prepare for you visit to the Horniman are some of them under the 'Getting the most from your visit' and the 'self-directed materials' can be adapted http://www.britishmuseum.org/learning/adults_and_students/esol_programmes.aspx
I would echo Eleanor's point about not trying to do too much. Wherever you are in the country there are lots of free museums and heritage sites around and you can go back once you get more familiar with the space. Personally I love the music gallery at the Horniman. The Horniman also provide tr4aining for group leader so if you have other colleagues who would like to find out more about the collection and the gardens they should be able to run a group trianing session for you.
Good luck and if or anyone else on the list would like to find out more about what museums in your area offer, don't hesitate to get in contact.
Best wishes
Jo
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From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Eleanor Kliffen [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2015 8:41 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Museum visit activity
Hi Dominic
First of all, have a great trip! The most important thing I’ve learned from leading about a dozen ESOL class trips to museums and sites in London is – Be Prepared. If you know the answers to the questions you mention, or if you know they are going to be able to find that information, then that sounds like an interesting approach. If you don’t, or haven’t had time to do a recce visit, then it might not go so well – the learners will feel exposed if they’re being expected to answer questions they don’t know the answers to, or cannot find using their level of language skill.
Most museums have some excellent educational material available online which is easy to adapt to an ESOL class (and a few even have purpose-made materials, which is wonderful). Whenever we go on a field trip, I usually use some kind of quiz / activity sheet / questionnaire / photo trail, to help the class prepare for the trip, provide structure to the visit, and as a focus for a follow-up session. Photos of objects, in particular, help to focus attention during the visit – there can be so much to see that it can be overwhelming without some kind of direction.
Hope this is useful. Best wishes.
Eleanor
From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dominic Clarke
Sent: 17 May 2015 19:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museum visit activity
Hello everyone
On Wednesday I will be leading a group of ( roughly ) E3
mothers to Horniman Museum in SE London. This museum
has a wide variety of artefacts and natural history items from
around the world. I am thinking of doing an activity something
like this :
Student finds ( or is guided to ) something from their country
of origin or nearby , then other students find out about the
item asking questions thus :
What is this ?
Where does it come from ?
How old is it ?
Is it traditional ?
Who made it ?
Why was it made ?
What is it used for ?
Do you like it ?
Why do you like it ? Why don’t you like it ?
Can you describe it ?
Any thoughts or suggestions on the above ?
Regards
Dominic
*********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
________________________________
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*********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask]
From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Eleanor Kliffen [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2015 8:41 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Museum visit activity
Hi Dominic
First of all, have a great trip! The most important thing I’ve learned from leading about a dozen ESOL class trips to museums and sites in London is – Be Prepared. If you know the answers to the questions you mention, or if you know they are going to be able to find that information, then that sounds like an interesting approach. If you don’t, or haven’t had time to do a recce visit, then it might not go so well – the learners will feel exposed if they’re being expected to answer questions they don’t know the answers to, or cannot find using their level of language skill.
Most museums have some excellent educational material available online which is easy to adapt to an ESOL class (and a few even have purpose-made materials, which is wonderful). Whenever we go on a field trip, I usually use some kind of quiz / activity sheet / questionnaire / photo trail, to help the class prepare for the trip, provide structure to the visit, and as a focus for a follow-up session. Photos of objects, in particular, help to focus attention during the visit – there can be so much to see that it can be overwhelming without some kind of direction.
Hope this is useful. Best wishes.
Eleanor
From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dominic Clarke
Sent: 17 May 2015 19:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museum visit activity
Hello everyone
On Wednesday I will be leading a group of ( roughly ) E3
mothers to Horniman Museum in SE London. This museum
has a wide variety of artefacts and natural history items from
around the world. I am thinking of doing an activity something
like this :
Student finds ( or is guided to ) something from their country
of origin or nearby , then other students find out about the
item asking questions thus :
What is this ?
Where does it come from ?
How old is it ?
Is it traditional ?
Who made it ?
Why was it made ?
What is it used for ?
Do you like it ?
Why do you like it ? Why don’t you like it ?
Can you describe it ?
Any thoughts or suggestions on the above ?
Regards
Dominic
*********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
________________________________
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This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com<http://www.avast.com/>
*********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask]
***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
To contact the list owner, send an email to
[log in to unmask]
***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
To contact the list owner, send an email to
[log in to unmask]
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