LessonUp is an online learning platform where you can find, create, and deliver interactive lessons, both physically and online. The lessons are offered in four steps: activating prior knowledge, instruction, doing/interaction, and evaluation. Within these steps, there are plenty of opportunities to vary didactically and to use different teaching methods. Think of a quiz question, poll, open question, photo question, or an interactive video. You can upload your own lesson to the platform, but you can also make use of a LessonUp staff member.
Van Gogh Museum & LessonUp: Digital Lessons for Art Education
The Van Gogh Museum develops interactive digital lessons about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh. Through LessonUp and its own website, students gain art historical knowledge and are encouraged to look at art creatively. An example of this is the lesson series ‘Van Gogh and Pokémon’.
Why LessonUp?
When transitioning to fully digital teaching materials, the museum sought a versatile and accessible tool, in addition to offering teaching materials on its own website. Through Q42, the museum's website builder én LessonUp, a great collaboration emerged to align these contents. This saves time and budget and provides a user-friendly solution. The education team focuses on the content, while LessonUp takes care of the technology. Benefits include the wide reach, interactive teaching methods, and accessibility. Challenges lie in maintenance and keeping up with new features.
Tips for cultural education providers
Reserve sufficient time and money
Determine your target audience and goal before choosing a platform.
Think about maintenance and promotion: just putting it online is not enough!
Collaborate with other cultural institutions.
Combine digital and physical: teaching materials work best in combination with museum visits or workshops.
“Digital is a means, not an end in itself. We use digital tools because we believe they add value in telling our story. But there are still great analog ways to engage in cultural education, such as museum tours or our painting workshops for different target groups. It’s not a matter of either/or, but of both/and. And it’s mainly about staying true to your identity as an organization.”
Club Zien joins forces on LessonUp
Club Zien (opens in new tab), a collaboration between five Brabant museums, recently launched a shared channel on LessonUp. Here, the participating museums develop preparatory and concluding lessons in close co-creation with students and teachers. The goal is to make museums more accessible to young people and to stimulate their sense of wonder, imagination, and creativity. The shared channel gives Club Zien a structural place within the school curriculum and makes it possible to share the costs of using LessonUp.
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