Innovative educational program

in museum
 Museum and education
• Museums have changed and are continuing to change.
– adjusting to meet the needs and requirements of the
communities in which they are located.
• Expectations from museum users - visitor friendly museums:
– provoked museum personnel to provide greater services.
• Museum educational activities usually relate to children,
– However the larger audiences, children and adults alike,
require learning experiences.
• For example:
– Adults are seeking opportunities to learn with their families.
• It is the museum educator's role to serve as an
advocate for the museum's audiences
– to assure public access to the collections through carefully
prepared and sensitively presented educational
programming.
• Museums are unique places for teaching a variety of
subjects if the museum educator has established a
– philosophical framework that outlines the criteria to be
followed during the development, implementation, and
evaluation of museum education programs.
• Organized activities and open-ended
questions that encourage creative observation
and thoughtful interactions are taking the
place of simple lectures.
• It should be an environment where all can
learn at a level and pace appropriate to their
needs.
• To be the most effective, educational program
planning should be systematic.
• Museum educational programs should view
– school teachers as allies in the education process but
realize that the museum is a "special vehicle" for
learning.
• EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS/ACTIVITIES IN
MUSEUM:
– Different from traditional academic environment and
thus create special challenges or problems.
• A statement of this kind will establish the reasons for the
educational program and the general concepts to be
covered. It is the basic rationale for the education program.
• A clearly defined statement of purpose will guide the
development of programs.
• In developing the statement, care should be taken to
ensure consistency with the museum's general statement
of purpose.
• As the educational mission is just one element of the entire
institution, it cannot be considered in isolation.
 MUSEUM EDUCATOR VS MUSEUM CURATOR
MUSEUM EDUCATOR
• The museum educator develops,
implements, evaluates, and/or
supervises the museum's
educational programs with the
goal of enhancing public access
to and understanding and
interpretation of the collections
and resources.
• The programs, which may employ
a variety of media and
techniques, may involve the
following description:
MUSEUM CURATOR
• The curator is a specialist in a particular
academic discipline relevant to the
museum's collections.
• The curator is directly responsible for the
care and academic interpretation of all
objects, materials, and specimens
belonging or lent to the museum;
recommendations for acquisition,
attribution, and authentication; and
research on the collections and the
publication of the results of that research.
• The curator also may have administrative
and/or exhibition responsibilities and
should be sensitive to sound conservation
practices.
 Educational
May have exhibitions
Printed
administrative
materials such
responsibilitie
as self-guides
s

Other
outreach
programs as
Demonstrations
well as
docent/guide
training

School MUSEUM Classes

EDUCATO
R
Teacher-
training Tours
programs

Workshops Films

Special events Lectures

 Professional Standards for museum educators in the
context of accomplish educational mission in museum.

1. Accessibility
• Focus on Audiences-Museum educators have knowledge of and respect for the audiences their
museums serve.
• Focus on Community-Museum educators promote museums’ public service role within our
changing society.
• Diversity of Perspectives-Museum educators use interpretive practices that acknowledge the
variety of cultural, scientific, and aesthetic points of view that contribute to visitors’
understanding.
 
2. Advocacy
• Advocacy for Audiences-Museum educators facilitate a spirit of teamwork and
collaboration within the museum to promote the best interest of audiences.
• Advocacy of Education-Museum educators promote education as central to advancing
the mission and goals of the museum.
• Dedication to Learning-Museum educators possess a love of learning and a
commitment to nurture and develop an informed and humane citizenry.
Qualification of Museum Educator
• A museum is a laboratory for teaching by
qualified museum personnel and learning by
the public.
– Education
• Advanced degree in education, and knowledge of an
area of the museum's specialization, or museum
studies with a concentration in museum education.
– Experience
• Two years in a museum education department or other
educational institution.
Skills and knowledge of museum educator
• Knowledge, ability, and skills
1. Ability to devise and carry out education programs, including the
prepara­tion and use of publications and exhibitions.
2. Knowledge of museum education techniques and resources.
3. Knowledge of the learning characteristics of museum audiences.
4. Skill in oral and written communication techniques appropriate to
various educational levels and objectives.
5. Knowledge of the objectives, curricula, and operation of school
systems and other educational institutions.
6. Knowledge in the area of the museum's collections.
7. Skill in using research techniques.
8. Knowledge of education evaluation methods.
Teaching tips in MUSEUM :Communication

• Art objects, historic objects and unique

environments communicate to viewers even without
an interpreter.
• The meaning of the experience, however, depends
upon each viewer’s prior experience and knowledge.
• As an educator in museum, dissemination of
knowledge must consider the following aspects
– the nature of the exhibit
– the familiarity of objects to visitors
– the ways information is presented to visitors
– the interpretations visitors make of the message.
– Tour guides and visitors must share an
understanding of the communication system in
order to exchange information efficiently and
effectively with one another (Winner, 1984).
 Sentence structure
• Tour guides should think carefully about
sentence structure. They might practice using
complete, reasonably brief sentences that
make their point precisely.
• Visitors fine it more difficult to listen and
translate words into meaning than to read and
translate them into meaning.
• Practice is the best method for improving
one’s verbal communication skills.
• The best sentences are short.
• The presentation is likely to be more
spontaneous.
• Rehearsal of the tour outline is essential in
improving sentence structure.
 The right words
• Although the tour outline may be carefully planned,
guides should be as spontaneous as possible when
speaking to visitors.
• Guides cannot know everything, and should not be
afraid to say ‘I don’t know’.
• When a loss of words occurs, guides should admit it
forthrightly in a normal, conversational manner.
• Fortunately, effective coping with the questions and
comments of visitors increases with touring
experience.
 Speaking in public
• Almost any voice can be developed and strengthened
into a public speaking voice through practice in
projection and enunciation.
• It is essential for guides to project (make the voice
heard at a distance without yelling or changing its
quality) so that the people in the back of a group can
hear them.
• Nothing is more discouraging to visitors than to have
to struggle to hear an interesting presentation.
• This problem is the primary reason that tour groups
break up and drift away from their guides.
• An appropriate voice level not only helps visitors stay
interested; it can also help in controlling large or restless
groups.
• Along with the quality of projection, however, tour
guides need as well to change the quality of pitch of
their voices throughout their tour.
• Changing the tonal quality of the voice offers interesting
variation, and prevents falling into a monotone, or
speaking on the same ‘note’, or level, all of the time.
 Posture and voices
• When standing in a relaxed posture, one’s feet
should be slightly apart (aligned with the pelvic
bones), knees relaxed, and weight slightly forward on
the balls of the feet.
• Weight should be evenly distributed on both feet.
Weight distribution can be tested by ‘bouncing’
lightly on the balls of the feet, keeping the knees
flexed
• One’s rib cage should be elevated slightly, with
shoulders back, but not strained, and arms hanging
loosely at one’s sides
• This posture will improve voice quality, allow
for better projection, and also will build self-
confidence.
• Those who practice it can concentrate on the
tour and forget how they ‘look’ for good
posture projects a positive image of
personality.
 Breathing
• While breathing the diaphragm (Near the upper
abdomen, just under the rib cage) should go in and
out.
• One’s chest should not go up and down.
• A good test of proper breathing is to lie down, relax
and breathe normally.
• By placing one’s hand just below the rib cage, one
can practice breathing with the diaphragm.
 Speaking
• While breathing with the diaphragm and standing
correctly, one should speak a sentence in a normal,
conversational tone.
• Next practice the same sentence by consciously
lowering the voice and projecting it forcefully.
• We may think of this technique as ‘pushing’ the
voice, without shouting, toward either the back wall
of the room or speaking to someone who is at a
distance.
• One should imagine that words are coming from the
diaphragm rather than the mouth and that they are
being ‘pushed’ upward and outward.
• This exercise will produce a stronger, louder voice
that can still fluctuate up and down in tone.
• This exercise should be practiced frequently in a
variety of locations and surroundings – large open
rooms or galleries.
• Acoustics may vary a great deal, even when going
from one area to another in the same building, and
delivery must be adjusted accordingly.
• Most institutions have periods of time which visitors
are not admitted.
• Staff and volunteers usually have access to the
galleries and outside areas during these periods, and
they may provide opportunities for rehearsing
speaking skills.
 Enunciation
• In addition to sentence structure, guides should
concentrate on enunciation (the art of pronouncing
words clearly).
• Enunciation is important for two reasons: visitors
need to hear what the guide is saying and to
understand what the guide is saying.
• Hearing sound and hearing words is not the same
thing. The voice may carry well, but it doesn’t` help if
enunciation is careless.
• In most instances, we fail to understand words
because they not clearly spoken rather than because
they are not spoken loudly enough.
• Actors, public speakers, teachers and guides all must
remember that clear pronunciation depends upon
energetic use of the tongue and lips.
• Guides who are able to offer tours in another
language may have to speak slowly, unless they are
extremely fluent.
Attitudes required of a professional museum
interpreter.
• Keeping a mature attitude
• Does not reveal personal opinions or personal
problems to the group/audience
• Must make sure to carry out, in a willing
manner, the responsibilities that are assigned.
• Learn the educational philosophy of the
institution for the smooth
operation/conducting tours.
• Should understand how different people learn
• Should understand museum visitors, their general
intellectual, abilities, their limitations, and their
possible physical disabilities.
• Should understand all facets of interpersonal
communication, skills, and adapting bodies and minds
to the task of getting the message across.
• Must know our subject—an overview of art history,
natural history, science, anthropology, or history—
whatever subjects are emphasized in the institution.
• Must have detailed information about the
specific subject or exhibit.
• Should have interpretive strategies that will
enable/to know exactly how to get a point across.
• Should be ready to change direction or react to
an unexpected situation whenever problems
arise.
• We should be gracious, friendly, and warm with
all visitors
 What makes museum specials?
• Museum offer real object.
–tangible examples of ideas, processes,
natural environments, and history
–Looking at the objects, which they had
seeing in the exhibits, children’s minds
become engaged, and the objects become
`learning tools`.
• Informal class setting
–Learning experiences offered by museums and
galleries are designed to be complementary to
those offered in the classroom.
–Besides, going to new places, meeting new
people, experiencing new approaches to
gathering information and encountering real
things can be very stimulating and motivating.
• Interactivity
–Children as to museums are attracted by activities in the
museum where they can interact with peers.
–For this reason most museum have their own activities
which will make children enjoy then visit to museum and
galleries.
–More and more activities such as quizzes, drawing and
painting activities, hand-on activities, seen as much
interesting and from this activities children at the same
time can develop their ability to upgrade their perception
and visual skills.
• Resource of learning associated with school projects
–the visit to the museum could benefit them in so many
ways
–Children sometimes want to visit in connection with school
projects and this certainly has followed the successful of
the school visit.
–Museums on the other hand, are naturally designed to
Exploratorium and school children learn better by
discoveries approach where they are free to map their own
course through the expanse of diverse learning stimuli
• Cultural awareness (multicultural)
–Learning in museum and art gallery
can help students to
• build the multicultural awareness and
understanding of other cultures
• The display of the objects motivate
children to know about other cultures.
 Campbell (2016)outlined attributes that
museum educator must have.
• Curiosity & Passion
– Museums educators must like to learn and love what they do.
– Huge appetite for exploring new places and ideas
– Accumulating rich and varied experiences,
– Love sharing their passions with others.

• Drive & Adaptability

– Museum educators must curious and highly motivated towards knowledge
seeking
– Museum educators constantly determined to improve both their practice
and their programs.
– Respond rapidly to change, adaptability is vital as well as self-reflection is key
to questioning everything and resisting settling into comfortable habits.
• Resilience & Courage Change
– Not easy to give up and stand firm with new ideas and its
implementation and resistance to worry and fear of new ideas.
– Dare to faced challenges with fantastic innovation even there is
resistance by management.
– Have the courage of their convictions to push ideas forward

• Empathy & Listening

– Highly empathetic and value the importance of active listening.
– Genuinely connect with others and understand their perspective,
– This attribute necessary to put ego and preconceptions to one side
THANK YOU