Then and now

How has Museum life changed in the last yen years?

Hello everyone, I am one of the newly appointed Education Officers. I’ve been observing and familiarising myself with the program Then & Now for P–4 groups, in which students investigate – through object handling and gallery exploration – how life has changed in Australia in the last 100 years. While watching the program I can’t help but reflect on how life at the Museum has changed since I was working here 10 years ago, initially as a Visitor Host – part of the so-called ‘First Fleet’ during the opening year in 2001 – and then as a casual School Presenter while I was studying a Bachelor of Education from 2002–04.

It is an exciting time to return to the Museum, a place that ignited my passion for inquiry learning and working with children. The fact that the exhibits and programs are constantly changing and updating  demonstrates what a contemporary and dynamic place it is. I am in the process of learning about new objects and exhibits that have not been on display before, and have new stories to interpret to students about Australia’s social history.

The name of the environment gallery, Old New Land, is a metaphor for me in this new position – so much to learn and discover yet a feeling of familiarity and belonging. In ‘Then and Now’  students are introduced to the concept that museum objects help us remember stories from the past and tell stories of the present. There are obvious strong links to the current SOSE/HSIE curriculum, particularly Time, Continuity and Change, and the skills of investigation, communication and participation. Classroom teachers will be happy to know the program is a hit for the new Australian Curriculum for History, particularly learning outcomes for Year 2:

Examining changes in Technology over several generations by comparing past and present objects. Discussing how these changes have shaped people’s lives. Students demonstrate skills in historical questions and research – pose questions about the past using sources provided.

Participating and observing a Year 1 Class from a local school was highly energising and enjoyable.

The students’ excitement was contagious as they used all their senses to investigate unfamiliar objects from the past in categories of

• food preparation
• women’s work
• men’s work
• communication
• toys
• sport

Educators and Volunteers probed students’ inquiry with open-ended questions such as ‘What do you think this object is made of?’, ‘Who do you think might have used it?, ‘What do you use now that is similar to this object?’ Students openly shared their ideas and personal experiences to come up with possible themes of each collection of objects.

A humorous moment for me was watching the students handle the tape recorder/Walkman. Students were so curious while they inserted the tape and pressed the on/off, FF (fast forward) and RW (rewind) buttons, asking ‘How does this work?’, ‘What are these buttons for?’ An object that was so familiar to me and was part of my youth in the 80s has already become an ancient clumsy technology compared to the sleek touchscreen of the latest iPods! One student identified a vinyl record and exclaimed ‘That plays music on that trumpet thing over there; I saw one on an old movie once.’ The presenter, Linda, skilfully allowed for that teaching moment, and showed the students how to play a record on a gramophone. There was silence in the room as the students waited in anticipation for what sounds would come from this unfamiliar object. Their faces lit up once they heard the rustic sounds of ‘Don’t Misunderstand’ by Anne Shelton, coinciding with the spontaneous dancing by Linda and the Education Volunteer, Shirley.

As an observer, I thought to myself what a joyous and engaging learning experience it was for both students and teachers. I thought of that old adage that has always inspired me as a teacher: ‘Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.’ That last part is the essence of what we are doing at the Museum in our school programs and how inquiry learning proceeds best in group situations. I facilitate my first ‘Then and Now’ next week… Watch this space.