Learning in a Museum My Learning Diary
Who am I?
My name's Ana Soares and I'm from Mealhada, Portugal. I've been an English teacher for the past 20 years. I currently teach in Escola Secundária D. Dinis, Coimbra. In my opinion, the use of technology and free tools is the challenge most teachers are faced with, since not every school is yet prepared to use them widely and not every student comes from the same tech-savvy background.
THE MOOC
Module 1 - Museums as Learning Agents
Course Aims
- explore the definition of a museum
- reflect on the concept of museums as social learning spaces
- reflect on the concept of museums as constructivist learning spaces
- start planning for a museum learning experience
My very own goals:
Module 1- 1.1: What is a museum?
In this section, we were asked to reflect on what a museum is.
After reflecting on what a museum is, we were invited to watch two videos:
The role of museums today - watching Gary Tinterow's interview and noticing my definition of a museum has a lot in common with the ideas he utters. Looks almost like I watched the interview beforehand :)
Module 1- 1.2: Museums as community centres
Access to – and participation in – culture facilitates the creation of one’s own sense of identity and belonging. It also promotes social inclusion processes and lifelong learning. As cultural institutions, museums play a key role in these processes.
In this section we are invited to watch Nina Simon's TEDx presentation, having in mind the question "how can I generate learning experiences for my students through a visit to a museum?". I must say the idea of PARTICIPATORY CULTURE Nina alludes to is something we have been trying to put into practice at our schools. Sometimes not every invitation to participate is effective and that's maybe the reason why some of our students don't feel motivated to put their best ideas on show. With the right tools and engaging activities, we are on the right track to open up both museums and classrooms. Consequently, we might build opportunities for conversations, effectively connect with others and, hopefully, overcome the divisions that insist on hindering our sense of identity/ belonging. When all of this is triggered by "an object that mediates conversations", it cannot be considered a distractor, but an effective and powerful learning tool.
Module 1- 1.3: Museums as constructors of knowledge
In this section, we look at museum exhibits and how they have changed from fairly passive and static forms of media, such as text and images, to much more interactive forms of media, allowing for a more active process of knowledge creation than before.
We were asked to create a coggle. Questions to be answered in a coggle: What would be the best way to fit a museum visit into your curriculum? And how would you prepare your students to benefit from such interactive experiences? How would you follow up their experience?
I've also checked some of my peers' coggles and commented on them. Here's just one example:
Module 2: Field Trips to Museums
AIMS
- explore how to prepare a field trip to a museum
- exchange tips and tricks for during the field trip
- discuss how to follow up and assess learning on a field trip
- discuss the potential of virtual field trips
Module 2- 2.1: Planning your museum visit
In this section we were asked to watch an interesting video about each of the stages of a museum visit. I learned the meaning of a new word - docent. It looks like the Portuguese word for teacher (docente).
After that, we had to participate in a forum about the topic, to discuss all the different tasks we need to think about as we plan the museum visit. I found this peer's ideas very interesting:
And I commented on it as follows:
Next, we were asked to brainstorm about the types of activities we can do with our students in preparation for the museum visit. We had to add our ideas to the Tricider and comment on those already there:
Module 2- 2.2: During your museum visit
No matter how thoroughly prepared your trip has been, on the day of the visit you should expect to make many on-the-spot decisions. In this section, we were asked to watch a video with tips and tricks for educators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York:
And yet another forum:
And the Tricider:
Module 2- 2.3: After the museum visit
As you watch the video, think about how you could create evaluation and assessment approaches in line with the spirit of the museum visit.
I was in awe with the work this school does. Excellent example of how to make learning meaningful as students are content creators, analysts and presenters.
TASK: Choose a traditional static exhibit in a museum you could visit / have visited with your class – you may search the Internet for photos taken by visitors or use your own experience. Go to this forum thread and briefly describe the exhibit or (if possible) post a picture, then describe the way(s) you could make this exhibit more interactive and explain how this could help facilitate the understanding of the exhibit.
Here's what I've posted in the forum thread: My choice includes a museum that's not in Coimbra, but nearby, in a town called Pampilhosa. It's called Museu Etnográfico da Pampilhosa (the place where I've lived for the first two decades of my life) and it includes ethnographical material that's been collected from the area throughout the years.
It's quite a traditional static exhibit. I've been there with students with a docent but, basically, the students were free to wander around and see whatever they wanted to see. Not every material is labelled and/ or identified and there's no technology involved. I would ask ss to use BOYD technology, focus on one of the sections of the museum (for instance, antique farming utensils), take pictures of their favourite object and then do some online research on the history of it. I'd suggest them prepare an interview with the town's ethnographic group, famous for performing short entertainment sessions that recreate olden times. If scheduled in advance, it's possible to talk with some members after the museum visit. All of them are very good story tellers! They'd also be asked to collaborate and help prepare a short theatre performance which would include the recreation of our ancestors' lives in a traditional/ rural past using the objects.
Here's an example of their work: http://www.cm-mealhada.pt/noticias/2817/gedepa-traz-vivencia-do-seculo-xix-a-mealhada
And my Tricider post, commenting on a like-minded participant:
Module 2- 2.4: Virtual Museum Visits
If you want to “visit” a museum virtually, there are three main formats available:
1. Browse through a digitised museum catalogue such as the one suggested in the course. An amazing interactive catalog for the University of Virginia Art Museum :
2. Wander through a museum via a 360-degree photo tour, like this one.
3. Immerse yourselves in 360-degree virtual reality video, such as the following:
Besides the examples of virtual museum tours given in this module, I also suggest the Vatican Museum, where we can check all the available collections and do a 360 degree virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel.
And then we were challenged to create our own virtual gallery, using the Artsteps tool.
How could you use these examples of virtual museum visits with your students? What opportunities do you see for using these resources in combination with an actual museum visit? What challenges would you anticipate when using such resources? Are you aware of more virtual museum visits?
Published in the course padlet:
Module 2- 2.5: Create a museum learning experience
Create a worksheet or similar lesson resource (e.g. an online quiz, annotated map, etc.) which you could use in your lesson. Post your worksheet or similar lesson resource together with a short description in this forum thread.
I thought about using my virtual gallery about "schools around the world" as a lesson resource. This work by Reuters' photographers is amazing and it's great for letting the students learn about different school realities. Before the visit students can watch videos about different school realities (there are lots available online) and discuss main ideas. After the visit, they should do some research and either find information about a different school not included in the gallery or create their own "ideal school" poster. There are a lot of tools students could use in order to do this, like Glogster or Thinglink.
Module 3: Museum Projects
One important effect that all museums should seek to incite in young visitors is what educators like to refer to as the “aha!” moment – a moment when learners are so amazed by a new idea that they stop in their tracks and realise just how awesome their new understanding is. This is the nature of inspiration and personal growth. Teachers can still use museums to develop engagement, excitement, interaction and deep learning. In this module, we will look at some examples, such as take-over days and sleepovers, which can be organised no matter how traditional or limited a museum is in its exhibits.
AIMS
- explore the idea of developing collaborative classroom projects linked to museums
- explore museum take-over days and sleepovers
- reflect on other creative museum-based projects
- draft the final course product
- review your peers’ final course product
Module 3- 3.1: Twitter Chat
The Twitter chat will be moderated by @DanielaArghir. She is happy to accompany you in our “Learning in a Museum” adventure, with the aim of - in this short period of time - hinting at creating teaching and learning opportunities within museums, which can develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours the young people of today require in order to live, learn and work in the 21st century.
Module 3- 3.2: Classroom collaboration projects with museums
The collaboration does not necessarily need to happen inside of the museum, but with the museum as its focus. The following projects are all examples of good practice in museum-based projects (some of them still running, with potential to develop even further), with eTwinning students connecting, communicating, cooperating, collaborating and learning in, and with the help of, museums.
My contribution to Tricider:
A useful link:
Module 3- 3.3:Museum take-over days and other projects
Take-over days are projects where students run the whole or parts of a museum, thereby experiencing the museums’ collection in an active manner. Take a look at this example from the UK:
Module 3- 3.4: Peer-review activity
In this activity, you will have to write a lesson plan and review the lesson plans of 3 course peers. The lesson plan should cover any part of a museum learning experience: it could cover a preparatory lesson before you visit a museum, a lesson plan to outline the activities during a museum visit, or it could address a follow-up lesson to a museum visit.