Description
Book SynopsisMuseum learning is a vital component of the lifelong-learning process. In this new edition of The Manual of Museum Learning, leading museum education professionals offer practical advice for creating successful learning experiences in museums and related institutions (such as galleries, zoos, and botanic gardens) that can attract and intrigue diverse audiences. The original Manual of Museum Learning was published in 2007. The editors have totally rethought this new edition. This second edition focuses on the ways museum staffs (and the departments for which they work) can facilitate the experience in a way that capitalizes on their individual institutional strengths. The goal of this new edition is to provide museums with guidance in developing a strategic approach to their learning programs. There is a close connection between institution-wide strategic planning where an institution decides what course and direction it will take for a five to seven-year period and its approach t
Trade ReviewThe Manual of Museum Learning is certainly a practical and thoughtful resource for those working or studying in the museum arena, and others can benefit from its broad offerings, too. Any professional working in an industry or institution with parallel goals as the learning museum can profit from its foundational approach to meaningful, systemic change. * Journal Of Museum Education *
Based on the premise the learning within the twenty-first-century museum setting is informal, voluntary, and affective, this volume presents both theory and case studies on how to optimize that learning. Building on material in the widely held 2007 first edition, the authors explore new settings and formats for educational experiences, from school-museum partnerships to the possibilities (such as Makerspaces) made available by the digital world. By analyzing the different resources a museum has, from collections of rare and beautiful objects to interactive learning spaces, the authors enumerate the different learning spaces. Four case studies offer precise examples of the ideas being presented. The authors have a wide range of experience in the museum world, from art and textile museums to botanical gardens. They provide a panoply of approaches to enhance the visitors’ experience, and to increase their understanding of the collections and exhibits they encounter. Any reader interested in improving the learning experience, for people at any stage of life, will find this volume of interest and use. Academic libraries and any others serving an education clientele should consider this volume, even if they own the first edition. Museum study programs will be most interested in this information. * American Reference Books Annual *
Rich in examples and hard-won experience, this fascinating book provides an invaluable survey for those administering, running, and publicizing museums, who need to attract new audiences. And if you’re planning a museum, this is an admirable starting point, for the editors and contributors know of what they write and are bursting with ideas. Everyone who loves, and works with, museums should own this invaluable volume. -- Brian Fagan, former museum officer, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of numerous general books on the past
This new edition of The Manual of Museum Learning is a collection of visionary, innovative approaches to museum learning that explores untapped potential in innovative partnerships, community collaborations and shared intellect. -- Patrice Farquharson, Associate Professor, Post University and Executive Director, West Haven Child Development Center, Connecticut
For those interested in educational partnerships between museums and other types of organizations, this book provides an exciting survey of opportunities, as well as practical, ‘how to; information from successful case studies. I highly recommend the book to anyone working in public education, whether it be a formal or informal learning institution, interested in how museums can help achieve shared educational goals. -- Mariana Borrego Hoffmann, General Advisor to the CEO, Petroleos Mexicanos and Project Lead, Museo Nacional de Energia y Tecnologia (National Museum of Energy and Technology), Mexico City
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Contributors Prologue Brad King Section One: WHY Planning Basics 1. Introduction Brad King 2. Planning Strategically for Learning Brad King 3. Planning for Informal Learning: Understanding and Simplifying the Interpretive Process Jennifer Shepherd Section Two: WHAT A Framework for Museum Learning Introduction Brad King 4. Learning for Change Ngaire Blankenberg 5. The Changing Role of the Curator Sascha Priewe 6. Planning for Effective Learning Partnerships Brad King Case Study 6.1: Tine Seligmann, Project Learning Museum: collaboration between museums and the educational world, from project to concept 7. Museum Learning Outside the Museum Ngaire Blankenberg Case Study 7.1: Trish Savill, Campus Calgary/Open Minds – Moving the Classroom into the Community; doing together what we can’t do alone Section Three: HOW Transforming the Museum into a 21st Century Learning Institution Introduction Brad King 8. Managing Institutional Change Introduction Brad King 8.1 Re-Visioning the Museum as a Learning Institution Nannette V. Maciejunes and Cindy Meyers Foley 8.2 Thinking About Operations Charlie Walter 8.3 Banishing the “Museum Position”: Training Front-Line Staff for Effective Learning Kathleen Brown 8.4 Facility Planning for Museum Learning Heather Maximea 9. Planning for Audiences Introduction Brad King 9.1 Adopting New Habits for Visitor-Centered Learning Merilee Mostov Case Study 9.1: Anne Madden, Engaging Audiences: Climate Change Learning at the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden 9.2 Childhood Learning in Museums Brad King Case Study 9.2 Candice Anderson, Cool Culture 9.3 Access for Museum Learning Katie Stringer 10. Planning Learning Programs Introduction Brad King 10.1 Use of Collections in Museum Learning Sascha Priewe 10.2 The “Cultural Exhibition”: A Museum Model for Cultural Works-in-Progress Andrea Sachdeva 10.3 Learning From Interpretation Katherine Molineux Case Study 10.3: Genia Hesser, The North Dakota State Museum: A Thematic Approach to History Exhibits 10.4 Tools and Technology for Museum Learning Shailoh Phillips 11. Conclusion Brad King Postscript Barry Lord Glossary Bibliography Index
