O Museu Pedagógico Municipal de Lisboa: do complexo educativo municipal aos museus dirigidos às classes trabalhadoras (1875-1892)

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalisation of museum education. To date, most research has focused on visitors’ experiences with and museums’ management of digital museum education. This leaves the voice of museum educators underresearched. Museum educators, however, are the main drivers of this digital transformation. Therefore, this study explores the voice of museum educators. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with twelve museum educators working in museums in the Brussels Capital Region (Belgium). We identified opportunities and challenges of digital museum education related to three key stakeholders of museums, i.e. museum visitors, museum educators, and museum institutions. Partnerships seemed key to overcome challenges in developing digital museum education. By exploring museum educators’ experiences, we provide a broader and multi-layered understanding of digital museum education on which practice and research can build further.

Museums, just like formal institutions of learning always have understood that conserving collections for study and exhibition can be an important part of the educational process. Since 1957, Ghana has established several museums under the Museums and Monument Board. These museums just like others are required to play a great deal of role in the social, educational, economic development of a nation. However, it is distressing to note that with the highly endowed museum assets of Ghana, such as the Cape Coast Castle Museum, Ghana National Museum, Fort Appolonia Museum of Nzema History and Culture, the Elmina Castle Museum, Ho Museum, Bolga Museum, Wa Museum, The Head of State Museum and Museum of Science and Technology both in Accra, there has been little contributions to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product. Significantly, visitor experience and satisfaction is very low. In this view, this study sought to investigate educational activities of Ghana Museum and Monument Board (GMMB) and inquire into their educational activities. Employing qualitative approaches, the study used a triangulation of observations, interview and focus group discussion to assemble data from these museums. In conclusion, the museums provide some sort of education but there is no formalized educational framework serving as a guide. They mainly employ monotonous experience of guided and self-guided gallery tours, and occasionally, the museum curators and educators organize a oneoff programme such as an outreach to schools and special exhibitions as well as seminars. Recommendations to strengthening museum education in Ghana are addressed
 Citation: Kwasi Amoako – Ohene, Nana Ama Pokua Arthur, and Samuel Nortey.Museums: An institution for knowledge acquisition – A spotlight on the museum education in Ghana, 2020 5 (2): 10－23. Received: March 3, 2020 Accepted: June 30, 2020

Researchers have argued for increased collaboration between teachers and museum educators to improve the outcomes of museum education on students; however, significant gaps in understanding between the two remain impediments to effective collaboration. We surveyed fifty-one museum educators, conducted in-depth interviews with ten of these respondents, and analyzed the data with use of an inductive lens. In this article we use a composite dialogue between a museum educator and a teacher to present a series of questions teachers should ask of, and information they should provide to, museum educators. Such questions and information can be used to initiate more effective collaborative relationships that may ultimately improve the quality of museum education for our students. We argue that gaps in museum educators’ understanding about teachers’ needs, objectives, and concerns about museum visits could be bridged if teachers knew what questions to ask and what information to volunteer to museum educators before arranging a museum visit.

ABSTRACTRecent changes in tourism and an increased interest in education and learning have led to the growth of museum visits in developing countries. The major objective of this study is to identify the key components of education and learning at the museum in order to enhance the audience's learning; and to investigate the tendency of audiences towards learning activities. This study was conducted at the Malek National Museum of Tehran, Iran. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research and the data was gathered through questionnaire and interview form (a closed questionnaire for visitors of the Malek National Museum, Tehran, Iran and an interview form for professionals and experts in the field of museums). Data was analysed using a coding method and SPSS tools. The research findings illustrate that the most important factors in improving education and learning in museums can be classified into three groups: policy making, executive functions within the museum and executive functions in relation to the visitor. Audiences have a highly positive tendency to all key components which were suggested for improving education and learning in the museum.

Using international case studies from art museums, this chapter examines how museum educators are integrating iPads in their programming to offer interactive learning opportunities for K-12 audiences. It argues for the importance of a digital pedagogy in museum education as well as the adoption of a new learning theory for the digital age, within a museum educator's pedagogy. The chapter demonstrates how Siemens' and Downes' theory of connectivism can be applied to analyse and develop strategies that enable museum educators to embed the iPad in museum learning and support the development of General Capability and Visual Art specific skills. The strategies and challenges associated with implementing iPad technology in museum education are discussed within the context of the motivations and trends for digital education pedagogy, the shifting role of art museum education, and the role of the museum educator in the digital age. Findings demonstrate the applicability of connectivism in museum education and recommendations for museum educators to integrate iPads in their pedagogy.

Current science curricula adopt inquiry as a basic component in their proposals, and at the same time they place emphasis on the non-formal aspect of education, due to the fact that inquiry is easier to be implemented in science centers and museums. In this context, both teachers and museum educators’ roles are viewed with a common lens, as though both groups of professionals have critical roles in the success of a school museum visit, they do not necessarily share the same agenda for the visit. In the present small-scale qualitative research, we studied two Greek science teachers and two museum educators who attended a joint professional development course on the Tinkering approach in Milan in the context of an EU funded project. We looked into the impact of the joint course on their views about inquiry and specifically their views about inquiry before and after being exposed to inquiry based Tinkering activities. We also studied their views about the joint course per se. Data collection was based on semi-structured interviews and the participants’ notes. The results point both to some different and common points between teachers and museum educators’ views. The opportunity to exploit the results in a broader non-formal science education context is also being discussed.

Science museum educators’ perceptions of the relationship between their professional practices and visitors’ expectations affect the formulation of their self-identity and their educational practices as museum education professionals. Situated in the sociocultural context of Chinese science museums this phenomenological study explored the perceived contradictions between museum educators’ and visitors’ expectations from the educators’ standpoint. In this study, 23 museum educators from five Chinese science museums participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Informed by Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) the outcomes suggest four thematic contradictions within the activity systems composed of museum educators and visitors. This study demonstrates the sociocultural complexities of educator-visitor relationships and offers suggestions for building a collaborative learning community for museum education in Chinese science museums. Moreover, the outcomes have relevance for other museums situated in similar cultures around the world where science museums and museum education are a relatively new and developing enterprise.

Museum education has become an important approach for children to acquire knowledge and engage in enjoyable learning activities. Although previous studies have examined the development of museum services, limited attention has been paid to museum education for young visitors, particularly from teachers' perspectives. This study focused on early childhood and primary school teachers in China who had organized or implemented museum education activities. Using a grounded theory approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore children's museum education and its influencing factors. The data were analyzed from two dimensions: internal factors (including teachers' experiences, cognitions, and emotions) and external factors (such as environmental conditions and institutional support). The findings revealed that both internal and external factors jointly shape teachers' practices and perceptions of children's museum education. Teachers' professional experiences and emotional engagement, along with supportive environments and institutional mechanisms, were identified as key influences on the implementation of museum education activities. These results provide important implications for improving teacher intervention programs, developing supportive policy frameworks, optimizing the dissemination of museum education, and enhancing museum resources and services. Such efforts may further promote the sustainable development of children's museum education.

Bir Üniversite Müzesinde Aktif Sanat Eğitimi: Barber Enstitüsü Örneği-Active Art Education in a University Museum: The Example of the Barber Institute

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced museum educators to draw on new resources, which has led to the increased use of social media as an educational tool. This qualitative study explores museum education through social media using an adapted museum education theoretical model. The more specific aim is to address the approaches, experiences, and objectives of museum educators who use social media, and to consider how youth aged 18 to 24 respond to it. Twenty-eight art museum educators answered a survey, and 15 young people participated in in-depth focus groups. The results suggest that social media is a new horizon for museum education, short-form videos are an effective tool for learning about art in museums, the connection between educators and visitors is complicated via social media, and a balance between high and low cultural practices is hard to strike. The study also provides practical recommendations for educators who wish to consider young people’s experiences in the future development of networking platforms for museum educational purposes.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes to the museum field in 2020. Significant among these changes are losses in museum education. Using data collected from museum educators and museum directors, the authors document and contextualize what they consider incongruous, detrimental impacts on museum education. Most troubling, when examined in the context of pre-pandemic trends, the losses in education suggest a paradox of sorts. Prior to the pandemic, museum education was taking an increasingly prominent role in the museum field with audience engagement becoming an increasing priority. So, how could museums reduce education departments and their resources at a time when serving audiences is paramount? Ultimately, the losses in museum education reveal its vulnerability. Museum leadership asserts the importance of museum education, but when push comes to shove, makes significant cuts to museum education departments.

This article presents research relating to how science museum educators perceive their roles, identity, and practice. This qualitative study examines: (1) what brings museum educators to and sustains them in their profession; (2) how museum educators view their roles and work; and (3) what knowledge, skills, and attitudes museum educators identify as critical to their work. Findings show that museum educators have a strong value system that has attracted them to and sustains them in this profession, including a need to “make a difference.” They primarily view themselves as educators and get great satisfaction from sparking the learning process. They enjoy interacting with people, developing relationships, and working collaboratively. They are drawn toward creative opportunities and challenges and have a thirst for learning. They appear to thrive in the changing, non-traditional, and sometimes chaotic environment of museum work. The skills and knowledge they identify as key to museum work include knowledge of teaching and learning, presentation skills, science content knowledge, project management skills, and organizational savvy. They enjoy working in informal learning environments, and convey strong positive feelings about their work as it offers them stimulation, autonomy, social interaction, variety, creative freedom, and flexibility. The work challenges they cite include feeling stressed by workloads, time constraints, a changing work climate, and the pressures of working in non-profits in terms of job insecurity and lack of resources. Overall, the museum educators in this study expressed a strong attachment to their work, believe they are contributing to the greater good, and intend to remain in the profession.

Turkey incorporates museum education in its culture and education strategies in accordance with new approaches to museology. Under the “museum education” cooperation protocol signed between the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the “Museum Education Certification Programme” was launched by the Directorate-General for Teacher Training and Improvement with the aim of allowing teachers to employ museums as learning environments, supporting in-class learning with out-of-school environments notably including museums, and consolidating their learning outcomes in awareness, consciousness, and skills by carrying their in-class learning to more permanent learning environments. The cooperation protocol executed with the Department of Museum Education at Ankara University culminated in the preparation of training and sctivity books on museum education for teachers to incorporate in their curricula. Delivered to 630 teachers, the training programmes offered theoretical information and examples on the concepts of cultural heritage; approaches to museology and techniques employed in museum education; approaches for the development of museum programmes; and the use of technologies in museums, as well as relevant data on measurement and assessment. The study explains the process implemented for courses with examples and presents the monitoring results concerning the practices undertaken by participating teachers after the training.

ABSTRACTMuseums are complex, dynamic, and empowering learning environments that have great potential for informal and lifelong learning. Museum educators make museums more relevant for visitors. However, the museum’s educational function is a contested arena and the museum educator’s profession is in constant flux. In this article, I review literature spanning 35 years in relation to the contested educational function of museums and argue that as a profession, museum education faces serious practical and theoretical challenges within the organizational structures of museums, leaving museum educators in a precarious position. I ask what conditions and qualities contribute to sustainable and pedagogically successful museum education. I contend that museum education practices need to shift focus and to situate the profession within a broader theoretical context. Discussing the findings through three lenses – looking back, looking at, and looking toward – I propose sustainable museum education practices that require supportive organizational structures and the adoption of museum learning theories, and that encourage empowerment of museum educators as change agents.

This article presents research relating to how science museum educators perceive their roles, identity, and practice. This qualitative study examines: (1) what brings museum educators to and sustains them in their profession; (2) how museum educators view their roles and work; and (3) what knowledge, skills, and attitudes museum educators identify as critical to their work. Findings show that museum educators have a strong value system that has attracted them to and sustains them in this profession, including a need to “make a difference.” They primarily view themselves as educators and get great satisfaction from sparking the learning process. They enjoy interacting with people, developing relationships, and working collaboratively. They are drawn toward creative opportunities and challenges and have a thirst for learning. They appear to thrive in the changing, non-traditional, and sometimes chaotic environment of museum work. The skills and knowledge they identify as key to museum work include knowledge of teaching and learning, presentation skills, science content knowledge, project management skills, and organizational savvy. They enjoy working in informal learning environments, and convey strong positive feelings about their work as it offers them stimulation, autonomy, social interaction, variety, creative freedom, and flexibility. The work challenges they cite include feeling stressed by workloads, time constraints, a changing work climate, and the pressures of working in non-profits in terms of job insecurity and lack of resources. Overall, the museum educators in this study expressed a strong attachment to their work, believe they are contributing to the greater good, and intend to remain in the profession.