Engaging New Learners
Signposting
Launching the BBC RaW campaign at Kirklees library
Museums and libraries are often positioned in the centres of communities and serve a wide variety of people.
This gives the opportunity for mla staff to act as signposters, providing information about local Skills for Life provision, and informally identifying people who may need to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. The relevant qualification for front of house staff taking forward this type of work would be the City and Guilds 9295. For more details see: .
The BBC RaW campaign aims to raise public awareness of reading and writing skills, and encourage viewers and listeners to get more information about learning from their nearest RaW centre. All library services are RaW centres, and museums and archives can also get involved in this campaign. For more information on RaW, visit the BBC RaW Website. For examples of how libraries in Yorkshire and Humberside are getting involved in the RaW campaign, download the case study presentation below (please note this presentation is a large file).
RaW library case studies [3.3MB]
First steps back into learning
Learners visit the temporary exhibition which they created in Swinton Library, Rotherham
Museums and libraries can provide a less intimidating place for adults to take the first steps back into learning. Research shows that the public do not necessarily associate museums, libraries and archives (mlas) with formal learning. Therefore, they may be more willing to visit a museum or library than a college if they have had bad experiences of learning in the past (e.g. at school).
Museums and libraries can also offer attractive, interesting and ‘special’ places for groups of learners to meet, enhancing the learning experience. As well as offering a room, mlas offer rich resources and stimulating experiences that tutors can incorporate into their sessions, or learners can take advantage of after the end of class.
Creative Writing in the Library provided a venue for Skills for Life learners to meet, which was seen as less intimidating than the local college, with a wealth of resources and opportunities to use the books and computers outside class times. View from the Hall offered visits to a stately home to pre-entry learners as a stimulus for discussion and asking questions.
Topics associated with mlas have a wide public appeal; for example, family and local history, creative writing and story telling. These themes can be used to attract new people into learning in any environment.
Skills for Life through Family History took archive based research into community venues to attract adult learners. Archaeology and Basic Skills took learners into a real archaeological excavation to provide a unique learning experience.