Case study – real practice, real impactManchester Museum – developing skills to support child-led play

Manchester Museum – developing skills to support child-led play 2

Highlights 3

Museumprofile 4

HappyMuseumfundedactivities 4

Whathappened? 5

What’schanged? 7

HappyMuseumsuccessfactors 8

Tools 9

Onlineresources 10

This case study is relevant to:

• Frontofhousestaff

• Seniormanagementteam

• Learningandcommunityengagementteams

Manchester Museum – developing skills to support child-led play This case study is about how, through two projects, Manchester Museum aimed to embed playfulness. The first project trained the museum’s visitor team to develop their understanding of play and reflection techniques. In the second project, the museum developed Rules for a Playful Museum, a playful and accessible handbook to capture the learning and experience of their experiments in playfulness.

Manchester MuseumisrunbytheUniversityofManchesterandattractssome450,000visitorsayear.

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Highlights• The museum used external specialists to train

25 members of the visitor team

• The training was in awareness and support for child-led play and use of observation, reflection and sharing for evaluation

• Museum developed its playful side and increased its play offer for children

• A handbook on play in museums created for internal development and for sharing with the sector

“The training helped some of our staff change the way they worked. For some, the experience helped them to reveal a really playful side of their personality.”

Anna Bunney, Engagement Manager, Manchester Museum

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Museum profileManchesterMuseumhasaworldrenownedcollectionspanningarchaeology,anthropologyandnaturalhistoryandisownedbytheUniversityofManchester.Itattractssome450,000visitorseachyear.ItistheUK’slargestuniversitymuseumandservesbothasamajorvisitorattraction

andasaresourceforacademicresearchandteaching.In2003,themuseumre-openedafteramajorrefurbishment.ThemuseumwasjointwinneroftheCloreAwardforMuseumLearning2012andwaslonglistedfortheTelegraphFamilyFriendlyMuseumAward2012.

Happy Museum funded activitiesSincereopening,themuseumhadworkedhardonbeingawelcoming,informalandaccessibleplaceforvisitors.Activitiesforchildrenandfamiliesarewellestablished.Todevelopitsofferingforyoungervisitorsfurther,themuseumdecidedtofocusitsHappyMuseumprojectondevelopingpolicyandpracticetosupportchild-ledplay.Workingwithplayspecialists,thevisitorteamworkedtodevelopsensitiveawarenessofplayprocessesforchildren,tovaluetechniquesof

observationandreflection,andtounderstandandevaluatechildren’suseofthemuseumspace.Themuseumnowoffersplayfuldaysandplayfulnessfeaturesinmuseumstrategydocumentsandininductionmaterials.AsecondHappyMuseumprojectbuiltonthiswork.Workingwithanexternalconsultant,thevisitorteamdevelopedRules for a Playful Museum,ahandbookforthemuseum’sownstaffandforothermuseumsandgalleries.

“The concept plays with the tension between the idea of a rulebook and the idea of play, with the aim of challenging our ideas about the rules that operate in a museum space.”

Charlotte Derry, consultant and project lead

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What happened?“Sinceourrelaunchin2003,wehaddonealotofworkontoneofvoiceandhowweapproachouraudiences,”saysAnnaBunney,EngagementManagerattheManchesterMuseum.“Wewanttobewitty,friendly,accessible,knowledgeableandfundespiteourhomebeingalargeVictorianbuilding.Sincetherefurbishmentwehavebecomeamuchbusiermuseum,wehavehadsuccessatattractingpeopleandwehavemetandpassedourtargetof420,000visitorsayear.”

“Wehadwantedtolookatchild-ledplayforsometimeandtheHappyMuseumcommissionprojectenabledustodothat.Around25membersofthevisitorteamweretrainedbyvisitingplayspecialistsinleadingfacilitatingchild-ledplayandintheuseofdifferenttechniquesforobservationandevaluation.Thekeyaimwastowidentheirengagementwithvisitorsandtobroadenthescopeoftherole.”

Throughthetrainingandtensessionsrunningplayfuldays,stafflearntfrominnovativeworkintheplayworksectorandtirednew,creativewaysofworkingwhichhelpeddeveloptheirunderstandingofplayandprovidemoreplayfulopportunitiesforvisitors.Theywereencouragedandsupportedtochallengetheinstitutionalandtheirpersonalperceptionsabouthowplayandspaceisused,totryoutplayfulnonsense,andtoobservechildrenandadults’playfulmovements.

“Aswellasrunningplayfuldays,weheldaplayfulOlympicsduringschoolholidays,aswellasothersessionsthatwereaboutsimplyencouragingvisitingchildrentobeplayfuloraboutjustrecognisingaplayfulencounterinthemuseumspace.”

“Ithinkwewerequiteaplayfulplacealready,butthetraininghelpedsomeofourstaffchangethewaytheyworked.Inthecaseofsomeindividuals,theexperiencehelpedthemtorevealareallyplayfulsideoftheirpersonality,aninnateabilitythattheyhadn’tbroughttoworkcamethrough.”

Evaluationsandinterviewscarriedoutduringtheprojectshowedthatstafffoundtheirshiftspassedquickerandtheyfeltmorecomfortableworkingwithchildren.Playfulnessisnowmoreprominentinthemuseum’sculture–thoughembeddingplaywassloweddownslightlybykeystaffmovingon.

Buildingonthiswork,inautumn2014themuseumstartedworkonasecondplayfulprojectwithHappyMuseumfunding.Theprojectinvolvedanexternalconsultantworkingwiththevisitorteamtodevelopa‘rulebook’forplay.

PlayandMuseumsConsultantCharlotteDerryworkedwithvisitorservicemanageratmuseumtodeveloptherulebook.“Westartedwithtwosessionsforallofthevisitorteamtoreflectontheplayfulnessofthemuseum.Thisgaveusconfidenceasstaffhadagoodgeneralapproachtoplayand

“A playful museum is an attitude of people and the environment. Our museum is a living organism and our gallery staff have coined the term ‘relaxy staffitude’ as one of the key ingredients in creating the right conditions for play.”

Anna Bunney, Engagement Manager, Manchester Museum

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hadlotsofideas.Wewantedthishandbookonplaytocomefromthemandbeownedbythem.”

Asmallerprojectteamofstaffthenusedthreelongsessions,aswellasshortmeetings,overaperiodofmonthstodevelopthecontentofthehandbook.“Ihadacleardesignconceptinmind,andastheprojectteamcollaboratedcreativelyitbecameamuchshorterbook,moreofaquickreferenceguide,veryaccessibleandpractical,introducingthekeyconceptsandideasandgivingsomepracticalexamples.Inotherwords,ahandbookforthosewhodon’thavealotoftimeoraccesstoacomputerduringworktime.”

“Thevisitorteamsofothersettingshelpedtotestthebookandthismadeusclarifyeverythingverycarefully,theywantedfewerrules.Wehadlotsofdiscussionabouthoweffectivearulebookasaformatcouldbe.Theconceptplayswiththetensionbetweentheideaofarulebookandtheideaoffreely-chosenplay,withtheaimofchallengingourideasabouttheunspokenrulesthatoperateinamuseumspace.”

Thekey‘rulebook’themesthatemergedwere:

• Createtheconditionstoenableplaytohappen–whetherthroughasmile,awink,throughflexibleresourcessetoutinthegallery,orbyplayfulactions

• Getthesupportyouneedfromacrosstheorganisation–tobeabletoexperimentandtrynewthings,whetheritisgivingpermissionorinitiatingplayfulhappenings

• Keepbeingwillingtofailandkeeptrying

• Onesizedoesnotfitall–notallstaffwanttobeplayful,everyone’spositionmustberespectedandaccommodated

“Aplayfulmuseumisanattitudeofpeopleandtheenvironment,”saysAnnaBunney.“Ourmuseumisalivingorganismandourgallerystaffhavecoinedtheterm‘relaxystaffitude’asoneofthekeyingredientsincreatingtherightconditionsforplay.”

TheRules for a Playful MuseumwaslaunchedinMay2015,with3,000copiesprinted.Anetworkeventtosharetherulebookisgoingtobeheldinautumn2015.Copieshavebeenrequestedbyaround40differentUKculturalorganisations,fromlargenationalmuseumstosmalllocalindependentmuseums.Therehasbeeninternationalinteresttoo,withcontactfrommuseumsinAustraliaandGermany.

“WehavehadafantasticresponsetotheRulebook,”saysAnnaBunney.“Theprojecthasalsobeenabrilliantwaytoengagenewmembersofthevisitorteam–anditwillhelpusembedplayfulnessacrossthemuseumandensureitstaysaliveintheorganisation.”

Evaluationevidencefollowingtherulebookprojectshowedthatplayfulbehaviourfromstaffandvisitorshasincreased.ForCharlotteDerry,theprojecthas“reallyhelpedthemuseumhaveevenmoreconfidencewithwhatthey’redoing.Itishelpingtoembedplay,whichisaquiteanephemeral,fleetingthing.Havingthishandbookunderpinsgreatpracticemakingitsomethingconcrete–playfulnessispartofwhatstaffdonow.”

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Confidence:Visitorteamisnowmoreconfidentandtheirrolehasbeenbroadened.

Playfulness:Staffarenowbeingplayfulandencouragingplay,drawingontheskills,experienceandtechniquestheyhavelearned.Themuseumisworkingtoembeditsplayfulside,andtherulebookwillhelpnewstaffasapracticeguide.

Evaluation techniques:Visitorteamlearnttovaluesimpleobservationaltechniquesandtosharetheirstories.

Community of practice:“WereallybenefitedfromthenetworkinganddevelopmentopportunityofferedthroughtheHappyMuseumcommunityofpractice,”saysAnnaBunney.“TheHappyMuseumProjectcelebrateswhatmuseumscando,what’spossible,andbeingpositiveaboutchange.Wefoundtheinputfromotherpractitionershelpedtoshapewhatwashappening,gaveusachancetothinkaboutourwork,andreflectinadifferentway.”

What’s changed?“Developing the rulebook is really helping the museum to embed play, it underpins great practice making it something concrete – playfulness is part of what staff do now.”

Charlotte Derry, consultant and project lead

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Happy Museum success factorsSince2008,TheHappyMuseumprojecthasbeentestingasetofworkingprinciplesthroughcommissionedprojects.These‘actionresearch’projectshavehelpedusidentifycriticalsuccessfactorsofhow,whatandwhymuseumsmightre-imagine

themselvesinthelightoftheseprinciples.Thetablebelowisasummaryofour‘StoryofChange’tool(Moreinformationhere:www.happymuseumproject.org).Thiscasestudybestdemonstratestheaspectsofpracticehighlightedinred.

Principles How? Drivers

What? Delivery

Why? Difference we make

Measurewhatmatters

Shareawellbeingvision

ShareaStoryofChange

Usetime,resourcesandscopecreatively

Measurewhatmatterstopeople

Tore-thinkwhatmatters

Beanactivecitizen Encourageactiveengagement

Anticipatechallengeandchange

Workexperimentally

Useeveryone’spotential

Tocreatehappy,resilientpeople

Pursuemutualrelationships

Shareownership

Ensuremutualbenefit

Workacrosshierarchiesandteams

Tocreatehappy,resilientteams

Allofwhichhelpre-imaginemuseumsforbettercommunityLIFE*

Createtheconditionsforwellbeing

Learnforresilience

Considerplayfullness,creativity,activityandaesthetics

Beagoodhost

Brokerrelationships

Communitiesare:

•Learning

•Interacting

•Feelinghappy,satisfiedandworthwhile

•Environmentallyaware

Valuetheenvironmentandbeastewardofthefutureaswellasthepast

Considerthesocialandfinancialbenefitsofbeinggreen

Usethemuseum’suniqueresources.

Leadbyexample:careofpeople,placeandplanet

*TheHappyMuseumProjectisconductinganationalLIFEsurvey,whereLIFE=Learning,Interactionswithothers,Feelingsandemotions,andEnvironmentalawareness.More:www.happymuseumproject.org

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Tools usedStory of change TheManchesterMuseumteamusedthe‘storyofchange’todefinetheirvisionfortheprojectandtoplantheroutetoachievethatvision.Thepurposeofthistool(whichissimilartotheoryofchange,orlogicmodelling)istomakesurewestartbyfocusingonthedifferencewewanttomakeratherthanontheactivitieswemayusetoachievethoseends.

Usingastoryofchangechallenges‘businessasusual’thinkingbystartingwiththeoverallpurposeandworkingbackwards.Theprocessof‘measuringwhatmatters’canthenstartattheplanningstage–bydefiningthesuccessfactorsforaproject,astrategyorachangeofdirection.Thetoolisalsovaluableforhelpingtocommunicateavisiontostaff,volunteersandallstakeholders,aswellasthethinkingthatunderpinsit.

MoreonusingaStoryofChangecanbefoundhere:www.happymuseumproject.org

Observational AnalysisManchester’sPlayfulMuseumapproachwasbasedonresearchshowingthatplayledtowellbeing.TheManchesterteamcollectedinformalobservationalevidenceofgoodqualityplay,confidentthatothershadprovedthatwouldleadtowellbeing.

Belowarethreetypesofobservationalevaluation(standardtechniquesusedbypsychologists)thatproduceformalevidence:

Interval observation–observeeveryfiveminutes,forexample.Logonlythebehavioursthatyouhaveplannedtolookfor

usingpre-agreedcodes.Usetwoobserversatthesametimetovalidatetheapproach.Iftheloggedobservationsareverydifferentsomethingiswrongandtheprocessneedsrefininguntiltheyaresimilar,whentheaveragescorecanbeused.

Frequency observation–targetalimitednumberofpeoplefor10minutes,forexample.Countthenumberoftimestheyshowadefinedbehaviour,e.g.everytimetheysmile.

Blow by blow account–thisisamorecomplexapproachinwhicheverythingthathappensisrecorded.

Moreonobservationalanalysiscanbefoundhere:www.happymuseumproject.org

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Online resourcesMuseum website: www.museum.manchester.ac.uk

Download Rules for a Playful Museum: www.happymuseumproject.org

Happy Museum development day report: The Serious Benefits of Fun

Manchester Museum blog post: https://playfulmuseum.wordpress.com

Article: www.artsprofessional.co.uk

Playful museum images on Flikr: www.flickr.com