%0 Journal Article %T ‘The whole exhibition becomes the stage…’ – a journey through time by children for children as a new approach to peer learning %A Sabine Oetzel %D 2018 %V Special Issue: The Material Culture of Energy %N Spring 2018 %K children as museum guides %K educationally disadvantaged children %K extracurricular place of learning %K museum club for children %K museum education %K Museum of Electricity and Life %K participation %K project work with elementary school children %K target group %K visitor engagement %X %Z http://www.umspannwerk-recklinghausen.de/ %Z Attempts to broaden audiences have included, for example, contacting coach tour operators to promote a special range of programmes to present the Museum as a popular tourist attraction. We offered a combination of guided tour, refreshment break with coffee and cake and a high-voltage performance. In addition, we developed a new format for working with nursing homes. After consultation with the staff of several facilities for senior citizens, we recognised that it is helpful for people with Alzheimer’s to create an environment and a situation that triggers personal memories. In cooperation with the municipal school for music we invited people with Alzheimer’s to an afternoon session at the Museum. Sitting in one of the room sets (preferably from the 1930s or 1950s depending of the age of the participants) staff and visitors sing old songs and visitors touch the devices they used when they were young (for example a flat iron, carpet beater or waffle iron). %Z From the German language literature see, for example, Neurone, Ulrich / Klingler, Walter, Kultur, Medien und Publikum 2011. Eine Analyse auf Basis der Ergebnisse einer Repräsentativbefragung, in: Media Perspektiven 12/2011, S. 592-607 Mandel, Birgit (Hg.), Teilhabeorientierte Kulturvermittlung: Diskurse und Konzepte für eine Neuausrichtung des öffentlich geförderten Kulturlebens, transcript Verlag, 2016 Particularly with regard to non-visitor research: Renz, Thomas, Nicht-BesucherInnen öffentlich geförderter Kulturveranstaltungen. Der Forschungsstand zur kulturellen Teilhabe in Deutschland, in: Kulturelle Bildung Online (www.kubi-online.de), 2016; Renz, Thomas, Nicht-Besucherforschung. Die Förderung kultureller Teilhabe durch Audience Development, transcript Verlag, 2016 %Z This assessment is based on the Museum’s experience. For the last two years we have offered several programmes to this target group. When contacting those parents who would not allow their children to participate in any project, teachers, educators and our staff received reasons for refusing to participate including the following: “She is just a girl and does not need such nonsense” (two fathers and one mother); “I like to have my peace on Friday afternoon, so she has to keep the other brats at bay” (a father); “Museums are not suitable for real boys” (a father); “It is a waste of time. He should accompany us and help out in our shop” (both parents); “I’m sure, at some point I’m obliged to take care of something, even if you say I don’t have to. And I don’t fancy this idea at all” (a father and a mother). %Z https://www.buendnisse-fuer-bildung.de/ https://www.bmbf.de/de/kultur-macht-stark-buendnisse-fuer-bildung-958.html http://www.museumsbund.de/ http://www.museum-macht-stark.de/ %Z The first trams in the nineteenth century were carriages on tracks. The recognisable sparks coming from the overhead cables led people to call the trams ‘spark carriages’; ‘steam radio’ is a humorous term for an old tube radio, while ‘flicker box’ is used for an old television with the characteristic flickering effect on the screen. All three words reference effects of the related energy source and, as used here, are intentionally old-fashioned. %Z According to the funding guidelines we were obligated to establish a local alliance or network with two other actors or facilities of the cultural, educational or child and youth work sector. We chose two organisations that supported after-school clubs in our district as partners. %Z German primary schools have after-school provision attached. This article relates to open all-day-schools (unlike compulsory all-day-schools), where participation is not obligatory. There are no lessons but activities include homework support, sport and music activities, playing and handicrafts. %Z For examples of the justifications given, see footnote 5. %Z It is important to bear in mind that the following steps are not self-contained, but are overlapping and interconnected phases. Frequently, certain parts of a following step were carried out earlier in order to guarantee a varied programme and keep a high level of suspense. At other times it appeared sensible to resume previous contents and recapitulate. Some steps, for example step two, spread over all the other steps. This loose structure reflects the reality that teambuilding is not a completed action, but an on-going process from the first to the last meeting. %Z We would have preferred to start the project already in March, but that would have resulted in a three-week gap after the first meeting due to the Easter holidays. %Z The drinks were planned right from the start, but we hadn’t reckoned on the need for (or calculated the cost of) the snacks, which proved to be of immense importance to the children. %Z There are examples in Germany of theatre projects with children that are popular and long-running. The very successful project of the University of Düsseldorf, ‘Kinder spielen Theater’, was funded for more than twenty years by government institutions, public organisations and private companies. With the participation of prospective teachers studying at the university the project was implemented in many schools. The site http://www.kinderspielentheater.de/ contains comprehensive information including the evaluation of individual projects. See also Bönnighausen, Marion/Langkau, Thomas/Wehling, Jürgen, Kompetenzerwerb durch Theaterspielen? in: Grundschulunterricht 9, 2007, S. 25-30 Fischer, Antje/Schneider, Markus, Kinder spielen Theater. Projekt der Universität Duisburg-Essen in Zusammenarbeit mit Schulen, in: Schule NRW 5/11, S. 227-229 Haupt, Wolfgang/Langkau, Thomas/Wehling, Jürgen, Theater spielen mit Kindern, in: Essener Unikate 24 (Bildungswissenschaften), 2004, S.118–129 Haupt, Wolfgang/Langkau, Thomas/Wehling, Jürgen, Naturwissenschaft und Techniklernen durch Theaterspielen, in: Sonderheft Grundschulunterricht, 2007, S.17–22 %Z At first this girl hardly talked at all and barely interacted with the group but over time she flourished. According to staff from her after-school club, she has five younger brothers and has difficulties asserting herself at home. The project was her chance to unbend and come out of her shell. We assume that reading is her way to evade the chaos at home. %Z We were informed about the child’s condition from the start and the parents warned us that it might impact on the group. %Z We couldn’t reach the family by phone and found out the next day that her mother had visited a friend, keeping her daughter at home to look after the younger siblings. When talking to the mother and pointing out that her daughter had eagerly studied her roles for weeks, she just answered: “You have enough children, you don't need mine as well.” %Z Although it was intended to be a one-off event for attracting participants to this project, the outreach phase has been so well received by educators and children that we will be attending classes once every school year in the future – regardless of any project. %Z One project was implemented from August 2016 to February 2017 with thirteen children, the other from February 2017 to July 2017 during the same school year and therefore with only nine children. %I The Science Museum Group %@ 2054-5770 %B eng %U https://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/article/exhibition-becomes-the-stage/ %J Science Museum Group Journal