Actually the exegesis of the idea that education can only work if it is
entertaining goes back at least as far as the Elizabethan poet/militarist,
Sir Phillip Sydney, and was the basis of Thomas More's method of teach his
daughters Greek.  It probably goes back much further - most pre-literate
cultures use dance, music, poetry, puppetry and other basic entertainment
techniques to transmit knowledge and culture.  Why do we have to try and
make learning so dull?  Thomas Aquinas thought that the mind engaged in the
process of reasoning was one of the truly great turn-ons.  Pity we've become
such puritans that we can't have fun with it, and take our knowledge like a
dose of castor oil

Heleanor  (again)
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 ----------
From: daemon
To: MUSEUM-L
Subject: Re: edutainment
Date: Wednesday, 1 October 1997 9:31AM

Is "edutainment" another of those new buzz words?  It sounds as if education
can't get its job done unless it is entertaining.  Extrapolating, is it
something like education must copy MTV to get its job done?  Will somebody
explain the concept for me?

I guess I ask this because Kansas City is in the process of developing what
they like to call a Science Center, but which more honestly is called a
Children's Museum, where kids can come and flip switches and press buttons
to be entertained.  And some highup curator type said that was where Museums
were going.  Are Museums turning into entertainment centers for kids?  Do I
exaggerate?

Help!

george

===========================

>     Museum News devoted an issue to "edutainment' fall 94 (?).  About that
>     same time, the Museum Education Roundtable hosted a day-long workshop
>     ion the topic.  The American Association of Museums is the resource
>     for the magazine, Museum Education Roundtable (202) 547-8378, for the
>     session.  As you can imagine, there are lots of other edutainment
>     resources out there, but these are good points of departure.
>
>     Angie Dodson
>     Curator of Education
>     The Octagon
>     Washington, DC
>     202.626.7374
>     [log in to unmask]
>
>
>______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
>Subject: edutainment
>Author:  Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> at
AIA_INTERNET
>Date:    9/30/97 10:48 AM
>
>
>Hi everybody,
>
>I am a student in the Masters of Museology at the University of Montreal
>and I am doing a project on edutainment in museums:  Is this the way to
>the futuree.
>
>I would really appreciate your input on this topic.  Also if anyone knows
>of sources-- articles, books-- which discuss edutainment, I would really
>appreciate if you could let me about them.
>
>Thank you very much
>Danielle Dugas
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>
>