Museum Learning Update: A Term of Thoughtful Exploration Across the Curriculum

Human Choices

How long do you wait to upgrade your phone? How often do you buy new clothes? Do you recycle your old electronics?

The Human Choices exhibition looks at how small acts to protect the planet can result in big changes for humanity. This includes looking at the impact e-waste, fast fashion, travel and data centres have on energy and natural resource use.

The UK is currently one of the largest producers of household e-waste in the world. Dumping precious materials into landfill. And the rapid production of cheap trendy clothing encourages purchasing and disposal. Fast fashion brands produce 50% more items today compared to the year 2000, with many items worn fewer than 10 times before being discarded.

We want to encourage our school community to take proactive steps to reduce our negative impact. Overall, this exhibition reflects on the effects of living in a society where we always want the latest items and information at our fingertips.

Party for Peace

Year 12 Research Project

In enrichment this term a group of Year 12 students have been undertaking their own research projects. How did Punk music influence society? Should we be concerned about social media’s impact on young people? Students have formed their own conclusions to these questions by finding reliable sources of information and analysing and evaluating them. They have presented these in Microsoft SWAYs.

What is it like to work in Adult Health & Social Care?

Year 10 and Year 12 Health and Social Care students visited Oxford Brookes University to learn about Adult Nursing. They took part in skills workshops that are part of Nurse training such as: 

• listening to a patient breathing and understanding what different sounds mean to support diagnosis
• how to insert a feeding tube
• experience what it feels like to have limited mobility by wearing a frailty suit
• caring for an individual who has limited mobility by supporting them to do daily activities such as siting down and standing up

Back in the classroom Year 12 students learnt about reminiscence activities and why they are often used in adult care homes. The students experienced how different stimuli can be used to spark memories and start conversations. One student reflected how the sound of a seagull reminded him of his hot dog being stolen at Brighton beach and another student recalled a specific train journey from hearing a train announcement. The Museum Leaning Team also modelled using objects to spark conversations about lived experiences. They brought in a range of objects which students were encouraged to choose from and share a memory. This led to a wider discussion about childhood and family events and celebrations. The students used this experience to help them think about the lived experiences of other generations and then designed their own memory object boxes.

Exploring the deeper meaning behind Words and Paintings

Year 12 English students visited the Picture Gallery at Royal Holloway, University of London to develop contextual understanding of the Romantic literary period. Thomas Holloway started the art collection in the 1880s.

It is the first collection in Britain specifically designed for women. We liked The Babylonian Marriage Market and how it inspired debates about women’s rights and Man Proposes, God Disposes which highlights man vs nature and sparks conversations around the power of God.