The digital possibilities for inspiring cultural education: 3 examples

Times are changing: students grow up in a digital world. They bring their smartphones to museums, and digital tools have become indispensable in classrooms. From online quiz tools to smartboards and laptop-based education. With digital offerings for education, you can cater to these changing needs and connect with the audience of the future. These three practical examples show how digital possibilities can be utilized to connect with the students' experiences. 

1. An app for the smartboard

Engaging students with classical music and ballet. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and The Dutch National Ballet faced a challenge. Together with the publisher Follow a Muse, they developed a smartboard app that made a classical music piece and ballet interactive. This made their offering directly accessible for education.

With this, they reached students at over 3,500 schools throughout the Netherlands, including young people who otherwise would not be able to attend a performance. Here's what that looks like:

Digital enhances the experience

The app serves as a preparation or extension of the experience. The school concerts and family programming align with the app's content, making such a performance a joyful recognition for children. And for students who cannot attend the performance, the apps provide a solid foundation for appreciating classical art.

Tips from the creators

• Develop your material for the teacher: “Our target group is the classroom teacher. They must be able to work with the apps even if they are not subject specialists. That’s why the apps are a complete package with lesson plans and ready-to-use materials.” - Berlinda Kerkhof, director/publisher at Follow a Muse.
• Align with the curriculum: “We also align with the learning objectives of SLO, the national curriculum expertise center. This makes it easier for classroom teachers to use the smartboard apps alongside a method.” - Klazien Brummer, director/publisher at Follow a Muse.
• Invest in quality: “The apps need to last a long time and be timeless, so we invested in high-quality audio and video.” - Lili Schutte, education manager at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
• Let physical and live experiences reinforce each other: “Thanks to the apps, our school concerts are immediately sold out.” - Lili Schutte, education manager at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

2. A digital lesson package

A lesson package consisting of vlogs, fillable PDFs, and a teacher's guide. The Historical Center Overijssel developed a free digital lesson package about World War II.

See here how the project came to life:

Invest once, benefit for years

One of the advantages of digital lesson material is that it can often be reused for years with minor adjustments. With the vlogs and materials from the lesson package of the Historical Center Overijssel, teachers can teach the lesson themselves. The package can therefore be used in all schools in the region without educators needing to be present.

Tips from the creator

• Do thorough groundwork to embed your lesson package in education. “Without alignment with school practice, it becomes an extra task for teachers on top of the curriculum – and they’ll ignore it.” - Willemijn Zwart, project leader Expedition Freedom.
• Evaluate your digital resources. Assess whether the language and images are suitable for young students.
• Make it as user-friendly as possible for the teacher. A good guide helps immensely! Want to know what teachers want? Invite them before developing the material.

3. A regional online education platform

Various cultural institutions in Gelderland jointly developed the online platform Reizen in de Tijd (Travel Through Time). This is a central place where primary school teachers can find the educational offerings of cultural institutions in the Gelderland region. Lessons for the classroom, possibly with an expert, but also in combination with a museum visit.

By bundling lesson materials, the educational offerings or visits to cultural institutions no longer stand alone. They become part of a lesson program with a learning pathway via the platform. Additionally, the offerings are digitally and structurally available on the platform.

Go digital and collaborate

Because the platform is digital, teachers can search by theme. This allows them to quickly and easily find offerings that match the topic. Since the platform includes offerings from the entire region, teachers and students are more likely to encounter various cultural institutions nearby.

The assignments on the platform link language activities, citizenship education, historical and geographical skills to learning objectives with cultural education. Due to the wide range of offerings, schools can choose to use individual themes in their lessons or create a continuous learning pathway themselves. This way, students build on the themes, knowledge, and skills of the previous year each year.

Tip from the creator

• As a cultural educator or connector, you can help staff get closer to the target audience and make the lesson interactive. Support small museums with many volunteers with the didactic part. 

This article was created in collaboration with: 
Christine Timmer, executive producer Education, Participation and Programming at the Dutch National Ballet; Lili Schutte, education manager at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Klazien Brummel and Berlinda Kerkhof, directors/publishers at Follow a Muse; Willemijn Zwart, project leader Expedition Freedom at the Historical Center Overijssel; Floor Oudshoorn, manager Projects & Events at Stichting Nederland Monumentenland and Jacoline Zilverschoon, freelance educator at Reizen in de Tijd and heritage coach at the municipality of Tiel.