Meet our Learning Programme Developer

With so many fantastic team members across the Museum, we want to showcase some of them! In this series, find out more about work and life at the Museum.

Next up, we talk to our Learning Programme Developer, Rosie Cooper-Bowman, about why the Museum is special to her, the fun projects she is involved in, and her favourite memories working here.

1.           What is the main purpose of your role?

To produce excellent, exciting, educational content for school children and families! This might be workshops or science shows on site, virtual workshops online, or various resources for teachers. I always ensure the content I design helps visitors feel inspired by the natural world and hopefully encourages them to become advocates for the planet. I also produce educator and colleague training in best practise when working with different audiences (my particular favourite, adolescent learners) and consult various learning activations across the Museum.

2.           What does a typical day look like?

A great day involves delivering or observing learning activities in the Museum to help me best understand the audience. However, most of my working time is spent at my desk, collaborating with team mates to plan future activities and resources. One thing I do almost every day, and my favourite thing to do, is to come up with new, fun and unusual ideas to help young people engage with nature (from baby dinosaur puppets to remote controlled lizards)!

3.           What are the most enjoyable and challenging parts of your role?

The thing I enjoy the most is interacting with visitors at the Museum and facilitating their ‘wow’ moments with nature. I also very much enjoy coaching and supporting other educators as we enhance our understanding of the best ways to approach informal education. I also enjoy trialling new activities - after months of careful planning and activity design, I love seeing those ideas come to fruition and watching the delight on visitor’s faces, but also learning where improvements can be made.

A big challenge for my role is the barrier many people face in connecting with museums or science in general. For many reasons, some individuals and communities may not see museums or science as places/things for them. This is a shame for so many obvious reasons, but notably so when thinking about the responsibility we all owe to protecting our planet, and the climate injustice faced by billions. These barriers to science are something that I actively try to understand (including bringing in my own experiences) and I strive to develop my understanding of the best ways to overcome such barriers.

4.           What do you like about working for the Museum?

The Museum is so iconic for me and played a part in my own journey into science as an A Level student. I am from a family of low science capital and was unsure about attending university and would have been the first in my family to do so. However, I always loved animals so decided to study Biology at Sixth Form. My teacher brought us on a free Spirit Collection Tour to the Museum and I remember being in absolute disbelief and awe that such an amazing collection even existed. It was then I decided to study science and said aloud to my friends ‘I want to work here someday’. I am so proud that not only did I achieve that, but I have now been part of the team facilitating those exact A Level tours myself, hopefully inspiring future students with the importance of scientific skills.

5.           What’s the most interesting/weird thing you have learned about the Museum?

I distinctly remember working my very first sleepover event at the Museum and hearing the incredible ghost stories from senior staff and security teams. I then proceeded to have my own eerie experience in an empty gallery early the next morning! I doubt any true spooky presence, but I still get chills going into certain galleries at certain times of day.

6.           Do you have any fun or special memories you have made while working at the Museum?

So many – from planning a giant squid’s 10th birthday party, to taking over my office with designs for buckets of dinosaur poo, to observing truly excellent educators at work inspiring hoard of young people, to giving myself goosebumps when showing off Darwin’s collection to visitors, to working in collaboration with partners (and celebrity heroes) on short film productions out of hours, to spooky movie marathons, and the comradery formed from working out of hours events with a stellar team. I am lucky my time at the Museum has been eventful, inspiring and never dull.