>From: Cecelia Ottenweller <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Definition of Museum Education >Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 12:36:26 -0700 > >Hi all, > >Keni said "To me, museum education is a way of thinking that puts the >visitor, the museum's audience, first. We are the people who should >beadvocating for the public within our institutions." Amen! The >number of hats we wear!! Forget Clark Kent and "Smallville" - to be a >museum educator is a superhuman task in many ways. It's so easy for >non-profit administrations to lose sight of the real reason the >institution exists, and our job is to bring it all back to the >mission. > >The comments have been great - thanks for the discussion, folks. > >Cecelia > >--- Keni Sturgeon <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > > I'll throw in my two cents worth. I agree that museum education is > > that > > which both Brian and Cecelia have mentioned. I also think it is > > more. > > > > To me, museum education is a way of thinking that puts the visitor, > > the > > museum's audience, first. We are the people who should be > > advocating > > for the public within our institutions. This includes (but is in > > no mean > > limited to) being up to speed with current audience research that's > > going > > on in museums; being the ones who work with curators and exhibit > > designers to make sure our exhibits communicate well and > > effectively; > > being able to keep the needs of a variety of diverse groups > > (students, > > teachers, families, seniors, community groups, underrepresented > > audiences, various stakeholders, etc.) in mind and reminding the > > rest of > > the museum staff that we serve these people; and yes, it includes > > educating the public about "the museum" --what museums do and their > > purpose, why they are important and how they enrich peoples lives. > > This > > isn't necessarily done in an overt way, but should come across > > through all > > of our endeavors. > > > > Those are my thoughts for the morning. > > > > Keni Sturgeon > > Jensen Arctic Museum > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Brian Bray <[log in to unmask]> > > Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 9:36 am > > Subject: Re: Definition of Museum Education > > > > > My thinking is along the same track as Cecelia's. I have > > developed > > > programsthat are not tied directly to our museums simply because > > > there was a need. > > > Yes, educators need to have programs that cover the policies, but > > > in my > > > opinion museum educators need to be more of a resource for > > > teachers and the > > > general public. Our job is to educate the pubic! That might mean > > > talkingabout the perm. exhibits in the museum or developing > > > "traveling trunks" on > > > topics that teachers have always wanted to know more about, but > > > did not have > > > the time/resources to do so. > > > > > > > > > Brian W. Bray > > > Director of Education > > > Texarkana Museums System > > > [log in to unmask] > > > 903-793-4831 (w) > > > 903-793-7108 (fax) > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: Cecelia Ottenweller <[log in to unmask]> > > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > > Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 11:02 AM > > > Subject: Re: Definition of Museum Education > > > > > > > > > > I can see that, but is it really about educating the public > > about > > > > "the museum" or about what the museum is about?? As a member of > > the > > > > public, I'm not going to a museum to find out about their > > > policies. I > > > > could care less. I DO care, however, about that fabulous > > Diplodocus > > > > in the main hall, how it was built, where it was dug up, the > > science > > > > of digging up, the wonderful characters who dug it up, whether > > > all of > > > > it is actually bone and how casts are made. Then, I want my > > children > > > > to have an intimate, engaging, out of the box experience > > learning > > > > about that diplodocus in a way that expands their life. > > > > > > > > That's Museum education to me. It's the wonderful part of > > education, > > > > not the dry crap. As for looking for someone with an education > > > > background for a position, that's fine, but an education > > background > > > > and a museum education background are often very different > > > paradigms.> > > > > Just my two cents. > > > > > > > > Cecelia Ottenweller > > > > > > > > > > > > --- "Bodman, James" <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > > > > > Shirley, > > > > > > > > > > In my opinion, museum education means what it says. > > Educating > > the > > > > > general > > > > > public about a museum's policies, museum's collections, > > museum's > > > > > exhibitions, and museum's special programs. Generally, the > > > > > functions range > > > > > from writing docent learning materials to traveling to > > schools in > > > > > the area > > > > > to educate children on a collection. This is why a museum > > > look for > > > > > a person > > > > > with an education background to hold this position. > > > > > > > > > > Jim > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > > From: Shirley Brown [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > > > > > Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 10:29 AM > > > > > To: [log in to unmask] > > > > > Subject: Definition of Museum Education > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hello, > > > > > > > > > > What is Museum Education? I have been asking myself this > > question > > > > > for the > > > > > past few weeks and my definition has changed with research in > > > > > learning > > > > > theories, teaching styles, etc. I would like to ask everyone > > what > > > > > is your > > > > > own personal definition of Museum Education? Why is Museum > > > > > Education > > > > > special? > > > > > > > > > > Why am I doing this? I am fine tuning my definition of museum > > > > > education for > > > > > myself, and to see where I really want to go in the field. > > > > > > > > > > Thank you. > > > > > > > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > > > > > Shirley Brown > > > > > > > > > > Email Address: [log in to unmask] > > > > > > > > > > > > ===================================================== > > ==== > > > > > Important Subscriber Information: > > > > > > > > > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > > > > > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain > > > detailed> > information about the listserv commands by sending a > > > one line > > > > > e-mail message > > > > > to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message > > should > > > > > read "help" > > > > > (without the quotes). > > > > > > > > > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line > > e-mail > > > > > message to > > > > > [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should > > read > > > > > "Signoff > > > > > Museum-L" (without the quotes). > > > > > > > > > > > > ===================================================== > > ==== > > > > > Important Subscriber Information: > > > > > > > > > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > > > > > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain > > > detailed> > information about the listserv commands by sending a > > > one line > > > > > e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of > > the > > > > > message should read "help" (without the quotes). > > > > > > > > > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line > > e-mail > > > > > message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the > > message > > > > > should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). > > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > > > Do You Yahoo!? > > > > Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup > > > > http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com > > > > > > >=== message truncated === > > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup >http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com > >========================================================= >Important Subscriber Information: > >The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). > >If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).