19 November 2010

Lessons in Learning is a free to download publication by UCL Museums & Collections relating to science outreach in primary schools. It covers themes including Higher Education, Science and methods for success in engagement and aspiration raising.

This publication is the result of an evaluation study - carried out by Culture:Unlimited into the Primary schools outreach programme offered by UCL Museums & Collections. It will be of interest to universities, museums and other institutions that engage in outreach programmes with schools. It can be found here: www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/learning/he

They present a good practice guide for working with Primary school children particularly in science, including the strategic background to such projects. The key to outreach that is effective and engaging is discovery-based learning, developed from an exploratory model. Concepts of Higher Education (HE) are poorly understood among Primary-aged children but it is both possible and appropriate for universities or museums to introduce such concepts at this level through hands-on interactive workshops in schools.