Design for Learning in Museums: A Professional Development Exercise

Abstract

The paper discusses the role of educational research and reflective practice in the design of a learning methodology in a museum education context. Educational research and reflective practice are addressed for their role in visitor-centred experiences and in the professional development of museum educators through the case of the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci. The paper first examines the research questions by looking into the work of the Education Department of the Museum in order to contextualize and justify certain choices and directions in the development of visitor learning and experience. It then analyses one of the education projects of the Museum, “Future Inventors”, as the context for the learning design and reflective practice processes in order to question traditional epistemological stances in visitor learning and to stress the importance of professional development for museum educators to enrich their knowledge in the field and the competences necessary to stand as the audience advocates within the museum institution.