Classrooms and museums have long provided the perfect environment for students to engage information on multiple levels. Some of the information is in the form of worksheets, textbooks, and interpretive panels others in the form of societal conceptions derived from their surroundings. Museums are supposed to be equitable spaces where facts can be…

Rhetorician Kenneth Burke's theory of identification usefully demonstrates how (and where) communities are able to engage with difficult, opposing viewpoints as they develop or maintain a sense of shared identity. Identification, "establishing a shared sense of values, attitudes, and interests with [an audience]," is promoted…

The incorporation of cultural productions and virtual experiences in museum spaces adds to the objects' significance and also turns them into important contributions to adult education. Yet, how far do they trouble, decolonise, revisualise, tell alternative stories, interrogate intolerance and privilege or stimulate critical literacies? This…

This essay provides a theoretical framework for thinking about the role of objects in the 21st-century museum. It explores the interrelationship between experience and objects within museums from their 19th-century origins to the present, and looks at the implications of objects as experience generators. Along the way it considers the ways in…

Teachers are a central factor in student learning in the classroom, but what impact does a teacher have on students' educational experiences in out-ofschool settings, such as the museum? As schools become increasingly open to community resources and partnerships, the teacher's realm of influence reaches beyond the classroom to community and…

This article analyzes an educational initiative between Kew Gardens, Royal Holloway, University of London, and two London primary schools. The schools, located in areas of high ethnic diversity, worked with the members of the Mobile Museum project team -- including the Learning Department at Kew and researchers at both institutions -- to create…

The combination of pedagogy and political aims, a constant theme in the progressive school education literature, is reflected as well in the history of museum education. Museum educators, following the lead of John Dewey, advocated for experiential pedagogy, a natural course for museums since they emphasize learning from objects and experiences…

Imagine if famous artists could help us guide art discussions in the classroom. In "The Second Life Artist Project", digital avatars for three legendary artists: Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, & Vincent Van Gogh. each respond to three pieces of art by living artists., Those artist avatars model the "Visual Thinking…

This paper examines children's and adults' attitudes to virtual representations of museum objects. Drawing on empirical research data gained from two web-based digital learning environments. The paper explores the characteristics of on-line learning activities that move children from a sense of wonder into meaningful engagement with objects and…

Few investigations of museums have examined the potential of varying displays as related to learning outcomes. This study focused on two museum spaces, presenting different historical events and featuring different objects' characteristics and arrangements, as related to seventh- and eighth-graders' learning and experiences during a self-guided…

A preliminary report of a study of primary and middle school children's ability to learn history by reading stories, looking at pictures and handling museum objects and then attempting to infer historical explanations. (BH)

In this technological age, where mind and body are increasingly disconnected in the classroom, object-based learning--along with strong museum-school partnerships--provide many benefits for student learning. In this article, the author first outlines some of the special mind-body connections that object-based learning in museums affords learners…

The purpose of this study is to examine how preservice middle-school mathematics teachers connect mathematics with museum resources in their lesson plans. Nine museum-based mathematics lesson plans developed by preservice teachers were examined, based on the interactive experience model. The findings showed that although the preservice teachers…

In this article, museum literacies are examined. Data collected during a qualitative study of adolescents in out-of-school and in-school groups in a museum demonstrate how participants used museum literacies. Resources for teachers' uses of museum literacies are described and provided, including museum podcasts, virtual museum Internet sites, and…

Discusses the applicability of the machine-readable cataloging format for visual materials (MARC VM) to museum collections. A study is described that tested the utility of the VM format revision for museum objects, particularly as supported by OCLC, and recommendations are suggested for future enhancements. (16 references) (LRW)