lit review: Perspectives on Object-Centered Learning in Museums

I have been looking for ideas and examples of good practice within the museum literature.  I turned to this book, Perspectives on Object-Centered Learning in Museums, edited by Scott Paris and published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates in 2002.  At first I thought the book may not be of much interest due to the focus on children and museums, which is not my user-group for this research.  As usual, I was surprised.  Yes, the child-focused examples are prominent, but the discussions were more broadly based.  I found ideas that can be borrowed/adapted/considered along with words of wisdom from the various articles included in the book.

Here are some of the observations I made:

• suggests that guided exploration works best in the museum context (is this true of archives?).  What is the right balance of guidance and exploration to enhance learning?
• lots of strong arguments about the place of museums in the context of learning.  Objects help researchers understand, challenge, and communicate in a non-traditional, learning environment.
• digital falls far short of the experience with the original.  This is explored in chapter 5.
• interesting concept of a "talk back area" for comments and responses that enhance a museum exhibit.  This is a process that shares the learning and experience of other researchers.
• John H. Falk, of the Institute for Learning Innovation in Annapolis, Maryland, has written a number of articles/books that may be of interest.  He is frequently cited in this book and in others.
• there are three overlapping contexts--personal, sociocultural, and physical--that contribute to and influence the interaction and experience with objects for learning and meaning-making.  These are all exlored in chapter 1.
• the impact of the physical environment on learning is also explored in chapter 8.
• chapter 9 includes an interesting discussion about history museums vs. science museums and the use of objects to enhance understanding.  The role of literacy and interpretation is brought into this discussion.
• first-hand investigation (self-interpreted) vs. second-hand investigation (museums interpreted) of objects is part of chapter 10, which is about inquiry and the use of text.  This is mostly discussed within the context of an exhibit, but may be applicable to archival instruction.

Of course, the book was not entirely relevant to my research, but I liked the small nuggets of ideas that I may be able to consider as the research continues.  Much of what was said supports my own way of thinking about instruction.  As an example, I leave you with a quote from chapter 16:

"Encounters with real things--be they from the natural or cultural environment--ignite curiosity, imagination, memories, and questions.  Encounters with objects provide an opportunity for dialogue, inquiry, and conversation through which individuals find deeper connections not only to the world around them, but to each other as conversations twist around the object, the content, and the thoughts and experience of each individual." (Morrisey, 185)