Profile: Robin Johnson
By presenting cultural opportunities in the correct way, you can transform the lives of children with learning issues
Formerly a primary schoolteacher and an education officer at Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Robin Johnson is the cultural curator at the Arc School in Warwickshire for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.
What does your job entail?
There are three areas: to encourage creative learning in and beyond the classroom; to identify rich cultural experiences at museums, theatres and visitor centres for our students whom we call “reluctant learners”; and to enhance the curriculum by working with partners on long-term projects rather than one-off visits.
An example of your work?
Nuneaton Museum invited some of our KS3 students to work with a curator and search through the stores for objects they liked. They were encouraged to write a story about why they chose the object and the meaning it had for them before completing a label for when it went on public display.
It’s a simple idea but it gave the students pride in their achievement; most of our kids have poor perceptions of themselves as learners, seeing themselves as people who always fail. With this project there were no right or wrong answers and they got so much out of that.
Our children haven’t coped in mainstream education and they’re the ones who tend to be left behind when a school goes on a museum visit. It’s up to us to provide that positive experience for them. We don’t use the term “school trip”, though, as everything is part of a creative curriculum.
Do you believe museums can learn from this approach, too?
We’ve been working with English Heritage on a toolkit to help staff and volunteers at cultural attractions feel more comfortable when students like ours visit.
It also encourages a symbiotic relationship through which teachers can appreciate the advantages of embedding heritage and culture into the curriculum. We’ll be showing the results at a conference in Stratford upon Avon later this month aimed at bringing schools and museums closer.
Do you miss museum life?
I miss the people, but it was frustrating when I had some kids come in for a session and then I’d never see them again. I really wanted the chance to work with students over longer periods of time, to see the effects culture and the outdoors can have.
The Engaging Reluctant Learners conference takes place on 28 March and is free to attend.
What does your job entail?
There are three areas: to encourage creative learning in and beyond the classroom; to identify rich cultural experiences at museums, theatres and visitor centres for our students whom we call “reluctant learners”; and to enhance the curriculum by working with partners on long-term projects rather than one-off visits.
An example of your work?
Nuneaton Museum invited some of our KS3 students to work with a curator and search through the stores for objects they liked. They were encouraged to write a story about why they chose the object and the meaning it had for them before completing a label for when it went on public display.
It’s a simple idea but it gave the students pride in their achievement; most of our kids have poor perceptions of themselves as learners, seeing themselves as people who always fail. With this project there were no right or wrong answers and they got so much out of that.
Our children haven’t coped in mainstream education and they’re the ones who tend to be left behind when a school goes on a museum visit. It’s up to us to provide that positive experience for them. We don’t use the term “school trip”, though, as everything is part of a creative curriculum.
Do you believe museums can learn from this approach, too?
We’ve been working with English Heritage on a toolkit to help staff and volunteers at cultural attractions feel more comfortable when students like ours visit.
It also encourages a symbiotic relationship through which teachers can appreciate the advantages of embedding heritage and culture into the curriculum. We’ll be showing the results at a conference in Stratford upon Avon later this month aimed at bringing schools and museums closer.
Do you miss museum life?
I miss the people, but it was frustrating when I had some kids come in for a session and then I’d never see them again. I really wanted the chance to work with students over longer periods of time, to see the effects culture and the outdoors can have.
The Engaging Reluctant Learners conference takes place on 28 March and is free to attend.