2.1 A MUSEUM OF LEARNING?
“Suppose that we were commissioned to
create a museum of learning...” Thus
begins Howard Gardner’s recent polemic
on what is known about learning – and
what remains as yet unknown (Gardner
2004). He concludes that there would be
much of interest on display, but that there
would be several empty rooms. He might
well have added that the digital equivalent,
the virtual museum of learning, would
frustratingly balance myriads of
fascinating hyperlinks with numerous
error messages and unavailable pages.
And, as Falk and Dierking (2002) have
cogently observed, most of what is known
about learning is based on studies from
either classrooms or psychology
laboratories and so may be inappropriate
as a basis for considering learning outside
of these settings. Much has been done in
this area, but much remains to be explored,
particularly in non-school settings.
2.2 FORMAL/INFORMAL LEARNING
In the museum domain, ‘learning’ is used
with a considerable range of meanings.
For some it may simply mean access to
and acquisition of knowledge. For others
its principal focus is the provision of
resources intended for schools. The
approaches to learning may differ. The
subject matter may vary. The audience
may have a different composition. But
whether science centre, art gallery, natural
history museum, local/regional museum
or whatever, every museum has an
apparent desire to put learning high on
its agenda.
In recent years it has been seen as
important to distinguish between formal
education – often perceived as being
equivalent to schools and the curriculum –
and informal learning – as befits adults
and others not tied to the classroom
(many museums renamed their Head of
Education as Director of Learning). Yet it is
far too simplistic to assume that learning
is either formal or informal. At the very
least, both learner affiliations and
teaching/learning activities may each be
divided into formal and informal, providing
a two-by-two matrix. One example of each
of the four categories is shown in Table 2.1.
| |
Activity |
 |
|
formal |
informal |
| formal |
Lectures for groups of students |
Free-choice exploration of exhibits |
| informal |
Adult education courses |
Interactions with gallery characters |
Table 2.1 Simple analysis of
formal/informal learning in museums
There has certainly been much debate
about the relationships between the
informal and formal learning domains.
The US National Science Foundation has
funded the establishment of the Centre
for Informal Learning and Schools, a
collaboration between the Exploratorium,
the University of California Santa Cruz and
King’s College, London. Others, such as
Falk and Dierking (2002) argue
passionately for the use of ‘free-choice’
learning to describe the kinds of
approaches to learning that occur in
museums and elsewhere outside the
school and college system.
At the very least, this increased attention
to and valuing of informal learning helps to
challenge a number |
|
of narrow perceptions about the location, nature and purpose of
learning in general:
• that learning is principally an activity
confined to schools
• that learning, while worthy, is
essentially dull
• that learning requires a defined
curriculum
• that learning requires the acquisition of
a body of factual knowledge, of which
learning names is a primary objective
• that learning involves the transmission
of knowledge from teacher to learner.
At the same time as there is increasing
attention paid to informal learning,
however, it is important to acknowledge
that the meaning, forms and purposes
of ‘formal’ learning are also themselves
undergoing revision, as Resnick
(2002) argues:
“We need to transform curricula so that
they focus less on ‘things to know’ and
more on ‘strategies for learning the things
you don’t know.’ As new technologies
continue to quicken the pace of change in
all parts of our lives, learning to become a
better learner is far more important than
learning to multiply fractions or
memorising the capitals of the world.”
Or, he might have added, knowing the
names of objects in a museum display...
The recent initiative by the Museums,
Archives and Libraries Council has focused
on the ways in which museums can
attempt to measure the learning that takes
place within their galleries – and on their
websites. The essence is that museums
and galleries should not be limited in their
work by their relationship with formal
learning, but should celebrate informal
learning outcomes as being important in
their own right (MLA 2004).
While the state of play of knowledge about
learning may be far from complete, what is
clear is that the present period is
characterised by a re-evaluation of the
scope, nature, location and purposes of
learning, much of which is triggered by
the opportunities or challenges offered
by digital technologies, and by a renewed
interest in learning across institutions,
rather than simply confined to schools.
For example, in recent years we have
witnessed the emergence of the debate
on the role of museums in supporting
lifelong learning. In the UK the political
establishment has increasingly advocated
a wide-ranging agenda for lifelong
learning, much of it linked to employmentrelated
issues, and to the development of
specific vocational skills, principally for
economic motives. Museums can clearly
engage learners in creative and cultural
pursuits as well as more vocational
aspects of learning – and certainly well
beyond improving schoolchildren’s
performances in examinations. Much of
the focus of many lifelong learning
initiatives is on ICT, and this provides an
additional opportunity for museums and
galleries to fully commit themselves to the
learning enterprise, for, as Resnik (2002)
reminds us:
“In the digital age, learning can and must
become a daylong and lifelong experience.
National education initiatives should aim to
improve learning opportunities not only in
... next page |
|
|
|
museums and
galleries should
celebrate
informal learning
outcomes as
being important
in their own right |
