Project Context

AS LEAD CONSULTANT at Ministry of Education I was tasked with: 

DEVELOPING highly skilled, confident educators to lead the cultural shift required to enable the Sultanate of Oman to retain its economic competitiveness in the 21st Century.

Project Development

IDENTIFIED an opportunity to build creative partnerships with prestigious cultural arts organisations in Muscat to access their incredible resources and approach learning from a new perspective e.g. The National Museum

FOCUSED on inspiring young educators to innovate

DESIGNED interactive and challenging activities to engage young educators with the new concept and museum collection

EMPOWERED Omani trainers to deliver high-quality experiential training on-site at the National Museum to instil confidence in young educators to develop their own practice and engage young people creatively with their cultural heritage

Project Objectives for National Museum 

HIGHLIGHT to young educators the value of learning beyond the classroom

ENGAGE and captivate young educators in the National Museum 

CREATE experiential and real life tasks connected to the museum collection 

APPLY inquiry based learning strategies in a museum environment to enhance critical thinking

INVESTIGATE how using smartphones can develop language acquisition, creative thinking and collaborative skills 

FACILITATE new and different experiences for the participants 

Creative Approach

DEVISED a series of exploratory tasks to be used in the National Museum to:

• CHALLENGE perceptions about museums
• SPARKE debate and discussion
• INSPIRE creative thinking and decision making
• GENERATE collaboration and problem solving

TASKS included some of the following creative approaches: 

• DEVISING a Instagram social media campaign to promote the museum and engage new audiences
• MAKING connections between raw materials and objects 
• SPEAKING in-role from the perspective of an object
• DESIGNING an audio tour for a specific audience group
• CATALOGUING, tagging and labelling museum objects

                                                                                                                           Photographs by Sarah Nunn                                                                                                                               Design by Creative Elements

Project Outcomes

TWO HIGH-QUALITY self-directed packs designed for English and Social Studies teachers to understand the value and impact of learning in a museum setting

SELF-DIRECTED PACKS included four interconnected tasks that required participants to:

• WORK together to make choices
• DISCOVER connections across the collection
• ASK questions and carry out research 
• APPLY their new knowledge to create a real-life outcome e.g. social media campaign or a persuasive museum advert to attract new audiences

SMARTPHONES and social media activities integrated across the tasks

Photographs by Sarah Nunn           Design by Creative Elements

Project Impact

10 Omani Centre Trainers completed onsite training led by Sarah at the National Museum to explore the learning potential of the interactive packs

260 English and 40 Social Studies Omani New Teachers completed the one day training programme at the National Museum led by the Centre trainers

300 Omani New Teachers devised and planned an action research project to be delivered in their region to evaluate the impact of learning in a museum or cultural setting

EMPOWERED young educators to engage directly with cultural organisations to determine content of interaction and manage operational aspects of their visit

Banner photographs courtesy of Said Al Nahawi