Museum learning

Draft

Definition

• Museum learning usually refers to a kind of informal learning where (mostly) children learn from informal, not teacher mediated museum visits.

• “Taken as a whole, museum collections and exhibition materials represent the world's natural and cultural common wealth. As stewards of that wealth, museums are compelled to advance an understanding of all natural forms and of the human experience. It is incumbent on museums to be resources for humankind and in all their activities to foster an informed appreciation of the rich and diverse world we have inherited.” (American Association of Museums)

See also: Virtual museum

Motivations for museum learning research

“Learning is a key issue for museums to address. Museums are positioning themselves in the market as places for learning and, at the same time, research has shown that people visit museums to learn.” (Lynda Kelly, AMARC, retrieved 14:51, 17 July 2006 (MEST)).

There are several academic research teams that specialize in museum learning, e.g. LRDS's Learning in Museums group:

LRDC's museum initiatives are grounded in the conviction that informal learning environments are increasingly important venues for real learning. We are interested in museums and other out-of-school environments as locations where children have some of their first encounters with discipline-specific learning, where students and teachers can extend formal activity, and where adults can pursue life-long learning in the disciplines.

(Learning in Museums and Beyond, retrieved 14:51, 17 July 2006 (MEST)).

According to Knutson and Crowley (2005:4), {{quotation | providing credible empirical evidence about museum learning experience is not easy. Template:Qutoation

The same authors (p. 4-5) give three good reasons on what museums have to offer as learning laboratories.

• First, museums are filled with people; people who are potential research

subjects. This may sound like a superficial observation but in fact, the access to research subjects is a major draw for researchers.

• Second, museums are learning environments with complex tasks. The museum

provides a naturalistic setting in which to watch parents and children working together, and exploring exhibit topics of mutual interest.

• Third, museums are filled with staff who develop new learning environments and can work in partnership with researchers to think through complex issues about learning and knowledge

Pedagogical strategies

Object-based learning

One strategy often used in museums is object-based learning. Object-based learning can be incorporated into a variety of activities, but all have the same basic theory in common: by exploring material culture (art, artifacts, specimens, documents, etc.), people can learn about the object and its relationship to other objects, people, eras and ideas. This method of learning enables the participant to look directly at an object, be it a sculpture or painting, artifact or advertisement, primary document or ritual object, and, using a myriad of questions, discover its role and importance in our world - past, present and future. Objects are used to initiate discussion, as well as make connections to the learner's own experiences.

(What is object-based learning?, Museum learning initiative, retrieved 14:51, 17 July 2006 (MEST))

The experience museum

BRC Imagination Arts (retrieved 14:51, 17 July 2006 (MEST)), a design company contrasts old-style museum with experience-based museums:

• Old-style museums featuring \u201cold stuff in glass boxes and stale rooms\u201d are of the 20th Century. The museums of the past are based on a definition from the past -- Webster\u2019s dictionary defines a museum as a building that houses and displays a collection, traditionally authentic artifacts and items that represent the life, times and history of a given person, event or era.

• Today\u2019s 21st Century public is increasingly eager for experiences rather than static objects. They want drama, immersion, adventure and involvement. A collection of authentic objects may be a traditional curator\u2019s focus, but with the exception of art galleries, an increasing number of guests are responding enthusiastically to artifacts, if they come with an adventure that tells a compelling and educational story.

Links

• The Journal of Museum Education is “the premier publication promoting and reporting on theory, training, and practice in the museum education field. Journal articles, written by museum, education, and research professionals, explore such relevant topics as learning theory; visitor evaluation; teaching strategies for art, science, and history museums; and the responsibilities of museums as public institutions.”

• Musem-Ed (Mailing list, links, blogs).

• ED 831 Reading & Reference List, Jay L. Lemke, School of Education, Department of Educational Studies, at the University of Michigan (retrieved 12:28, 17 July 2006 (MEST))

• Informal science “The comprehensive resource for the latest research and techniques to encourage the learning of science in everyday life.”. Large database, e.g. contains 500 referemces on topic "museum learning". Aliased from museumlearning.org.

• Learning in Museums and Beyond, LRDC, University of Pittsburg.

• UPCLOSE, University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments.

• Learning in Museums, Australian Museum Audience Research Centre (AMARC).

References

• American Association of Museums / International Zoo Educators Association, Standards & Best Practice in Museum Education

• Ash, D. & Wells, G. (in press ??). Dialogic inquiry in classroom and museum: Actions, tools and talk. To appear in Learning in places: The informal education reader. UK: Peter Lang Publishers.

• Ash, D. & Klein, K. (2000). Inquiry in the informal learning environment, In .Teaching and Learning in an inquiry-based classroom (Eds.) J. Minstrell & E. Van Zee: AAAS, 216-240.

• Crowley, K. & Jacobs, M. (2002). Islands of expertise and the development of family scientific literacy. In G. Leinhardt, K. Crowley, & K. Knutson (Eds.) Learning conversations in museums. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [ http://upclose.lrdc.pitt.edu/papers/pdfs/upclose_papers_6.pdf PDF]

• Eberbach, C. & Crowley, K. (2005). From living to virtual: Learning from museum objects. Curator (48)3, 317-338.

• Léonie J. Rennie & David J. Johnston (2004). The nature of learning and its implications for research on learning from museums, Science Education Supplement: In Principle, In Practice: Perspectives on a Decade of Museum Learning Research (1994-2004), (88), S4-S16.

• Kirsten M. Ellenbogen, Jessica J. Luke, & Lynn D. Dierking (2004). Family learning research in museums: An emerging disciplinary matrix?. Science Education Supplement: In Principle, In Practice: Perspectives on a Decade of Museum Learning Research (1994-2004), (88) S48-S58.

• Knutson, K. & Crowley, K. (2005). Museum as learning laboratory: Developing and using a practical theory of informal learning. Hand to Hand. 18(4), pp. 4-5. PDF

• Nourbakhsh, I., Hamner, E., Bernstein, D., Crowley, K., Ayoob, E., Lotter, M. et al. The Personal Exploration Rover: Educational assessment of a robotic exhibit for informal learning venues. International Journal of Engineering Education: Special Issue on Robotics Education. PDF

• Paris, S. (1997). Situated motivation and informal learning. Journal of Museum Education. 22 (213) pp 22-26.