The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

Burke, Alison

Learning is at the heart of the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum: how Robert Burns learned, and how students visiting the site learn about Burns, shape the interpretation of one of Scotland's Collections of National Significance.

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The museum complex offers schools the opportunity to explore the works of Burns in three key areas:

* The historic landscape includes the unforgettable locations of Burns's Tam o' Shanter. Students can experience the ghostly atmosphere of Alloway's auld and haunted Kirk, where witches and warlocks danced to the tune of the Devil's pipes, as well as the auld Brig on which brave Meg pays the price of Tam's licentiousness with her tail.

* The birthplace cottage, where Burns came into this world on the 25th January 1759 amid an unearthly storm, and which Burns forever associated with the birth of his poetic imagination.

* A new museum building that explores the issues addressed in Burns's poems, songs and letters. The exhibits and manuscripts, interpreted in Scots and English, encourage students to form their own responses to Burns, delve into areas that inspired the poet, and grapple with the contradictions inherent in his works, actions, and behaviour.

'What's on for schools' has been planned in consultation with primary and secondary school teachers. Teachers can choose to come for workshops led by our dedicated and experienced learning professionals, or for a self-led visit using our specially composed teacher's notes. Either way, teachers are always welcome to make a pre-visit inspection of our facilities.

Primary aged children can take part in set workshops in the cottage and museum that have been planned to meet the learning outcomes of the school curriculum and use interdisciplinary learning approaches. For each age group there are two different workshops:

* For early years, Kailyard Capers explores how Burns used the Scots language in a fun and engaging way, and Tim'rous Beasties includes a costumed performance of Burns's 'To a Mouse'.

* For ages 6-8, When Burns was a Bairn, looks at the lifestyle of the Burns family in the mid 18th century, and Auld Lang Syne explores how Burns's famous song has been celebrated across the world through the theme of friendship.

* For ages 8-12, Being Burns uses dramatic performances to explore how Burns learned in a time before compulsory education; and Hot Potatoes uses interactive technology and debating skills to encourage students to investigate some of the difficult issues explored in Burns's poetry.

All of our workshops are supported by post-visit activity packs that include: lesson plans, activities, student evaluation and teacher assessment materials which have been written in consultation with teaching professionals. These packs will be made available to download from our website in 2011.

For secondary school students, we offer a bespoke workshop planning service. Teachers of English find a visit to the museum an excellent support to their classroom studies and workshops are planned to fit with what is being studied in the classroom. Recent examples include working with standard grade students in English from Grange Academy studying Tam o' Shanter for their assessed folio piece and drama students from Queen Margaret Academy using historic locations to build dramatic monologues. Students from Grange Academy took part in a workshop that explored the poem through its narrative structure using story-board techniques, and Queen Margaret Academy worked with our learning staff to produce a costumed drama which was performed in the Auld Kirk as part of our Halloween Fire Festival.

To support teachers in the classroom, we offer Continuous Professional Development sessions several times a year. These sessions are delivered by heritage education specialists and offer an insight into learning methods that can be used in the classroom. Additionally, we welcome teachers who would like to undertake a placement of one day to one week. Dawn Halliday (a teacher at Bothwell Primary) recently completed a three-day placement, with the aim of developing an interdisciplinary approach to her teachings of Burns. At the end of her placement, Dawn commented 'You have been a wonderful contact and you share my enthusiasm and vision. I really do appreciate this tie my school has with yourself and RBBM.'

All of our workshops take place in either our recently refurbished Education Pavilion (which includes three teaching rooms and a research library) or the new museum building (which includes state-of-the-art gallery and education spaces). Scottish schools can apply for Scottish Government funding to cover 75% of transport costs.

Dr Alison Burke

Learning manager at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum