The Museums Australia Education National Network Blog is now part of the MANEXUS ning.  Over the next few weeks we will migrate the important material from the blog to the MA EDNN ning blog as a record for the future.  So please go along and join the manexus ning and the ed network group.

http://manexus.ning.com/group/maeducationnationalnetwork

Image courtesy of Institute for figuring

Not long ago I wrote about the Museum presenting the Sydney Crochet Coral Reef</a> as part of Ultimo Science Festival in August.

Well the Institches Collective will be in the museum this Sunday March 29 from 3-5pm running a workshop.  Wether you are an experienced crocheter who wants to be part of this global phenomena or an inexperienced crocheter, the workshop will cater for you.

To take part simply turn up at the Powerhouse on Sunday, normal Museum entry applies but this will also let you come back to workshops each month and into the exhibition in August.

All workshop participants will have the opportunity to submit completed coral pieces for possible inclusion in the exhibition.

Future workshops

April 26, May 31, June 29, July 30
3-5pm
Powerhouse Museum
Free with Museum entry

August 8th
Exhibition 10-2pm
Workshop 12-2pm
Powerhouse Discovery Centre
Cost:  TBC

Last chance to see Darwin at the NMA, Canberra

Darwin’s original notebooks used on the Beagle and a reconstruction of his study share the stage with living plants and animals in the Darwin exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra. The exhibition, which is organised by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, will be closing on Sunday 29 March.

The accompanying NMA exhibition, Darwin and Australia, showing Darwin’s experiences and encounters during his visit to Australia, closes on the same day.

Maritime exhibition on Darwin at sea opens in Sydney

Join Charles Darwin aboard the Beagle in Charles Darwin – voyages and ideas that shook the world, at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, opening Friday 20 March. See how Darwin lived aboard the Beagle and examine some of the specimens he collected on the voyage which set him on the path to his theory of evolution.

Coinciding with the opening of the exhibition, a symposium In the wake of the Beagle: Science in the Southern Oceans from the Age of Darwin is being held at the National Maritime Museum on 20-21 March. Internationally acclaimed speakers will explore the work of Darwin and his contemporaries, Joseph Hooker, Thomas Huxley and Alfred Wallace, and their influence on current scientific research.

And also at the ANMM, Happy Birthday Mr Darwin on Thursday 26 March. What were the contributions of artist Conrad Martens, who spent a year on the Beagle, and Joseph Hooker, who classified Darwin’s Galapagos plants and became his greatest friend.

5 March 2009 at 3:45 am On behalf of Amanda Coleman

Learning Oppotunities and Museum Seminar Some time ago, in the deep dark past. I attended a seminar in Melbourne. A fellow college, Gabrielle and myself, were the resipricants of a Bursary funding us to attend the Learning Opportunities and Museum seminar down in Melbourne in September 2008. It was a fantastic opportunity that I am very gratefully for. Thinking back on the seminar I remember many inspiring talks. It is hard to comment on all of them so I will mention a few.

I felt very inspired by many presenters and how they think abstractedly to make museums a appealing, challenging and assessable for all, particularly school learners.

My most lingering thoughts from the seminar (and I have had a bit of time to reflect) were the discussions on how to tackle the vast sea of the World Wide Web, blogs and the internet. How these could be used to enhance the experiences of museum goers. On a personal level I have a great fear of the CYBER world and I am overwhelmed by the enormous possibilities.

Brett McLennan gave an insight into how today we have “Twitchers”. A generation of learners learning in a new way. He talked about how “twitcher” work on many levels at once, with quick responses. In the past we have learned slowly and cumulatively. These two types of learning may be at conflict. Brett mentioned the use of websites to help with continuing learning after the museum experience.

Angelino Russo added that as educator we can be a great help to teacher by using blogs allowing our resources to be accessed before or after the visits to add to the overall experience. Projects like Andy Braid’s from Tasmanian Museum were an inspiring example how blogs are an essential part of his ice.e.mystery program, linking Tasmania to the other side of the world.

Dr Lynda Kelly, from Australian Museum Sydney, spoke passionately about the need for blogs and the internet. She backs this up with survey evidence showing that people who attend museums are also logging on. I personal am trying harder to embrace all the possibilities of these connective mediums.

My only problem now is not the know how, not my fear as I have conquered that (yes I have a face book page!) but my lack of time to explore all the inspiring possibilities. This may explain why it has taken so long to add to a blog! Thanks to the speakers, organisers and to IMAGE for allowing me to attend the seminar.

I am a new educator and have learnt and been inspired. I now am scanning for new seminar possibilities for this year. Amanda

Learning Opportunities and Museum Seminar

Thinking back on the seminar I remember many inspiring talks. It is hard to comment on all of them so I will mention a few. I felt very inspired by many presenters and how they think abstractedly to make museums a appealing, challenging and assessable for all, particularly school learners.

My most lingering thoughts from the seminar (and I have had a bit of time to reflect) were the discussions on how to tackle the vast sea of the World Wide Web, blogs and the internet. How these could be used to enhance the experiences of museum goers. On a personal level I have a great fear of the CYBER world and I am overwhelmed by the enormous possibilities.

Projects like Andy Braid’s from Tasmanian Museum were an inspiring example how blogs are an essential part of his ice.e.mystery program, linking Tasmania to the other side of the world.

I personal am trying harder to embrace all the possibilities of these connective mediums. My only problem now is not the know how, not my fear as I have conquered that (yes I have a face book page!) but my lack of time to explore all the inspiring possibilities. This may explain why it has taken so long to add to a blog!

Thanks to the speakers, organisers and to IMAGE .
Amanda

Invitation to Workshop

Museums and the developing National Curriculum: Making our voice heard

Responding to the National Curriculum Board’s framework papers

for History and Science

The Education SIG of Museums Australia has asked David Arnold, Manager, Education, at the National Museum of Australia, to lead a team of people to investigate how we can engage with the national curriculum development process.  David has been working with Louise Zarmati (Macquarie University) and Marie Wood, (National Office, MA) to establish strong museums sector relations with the NCB. Many of you were at the Melbourne symposium of Museums Australia Victoria on learning in museums and will have heard David and Louise discuss the impact a National Curriculum will have on the museums sector.

Since then, several MA members have taken part in the workshops organised by the NCB to discuss the development of the four key curriculum areas, history, english, mathematics and the sciences.  The revised draft framework documents are due for release in mid November, so we invite you, as museum educators, to help us develop a formal submission to the Board in response to these draft documents. Our aim is to identify how museums can contribute to best practice national curriculum outcomes, especially in the areas of history and the sciences.

To this end, I am excited to invite you to be part of the discussion.  The National Museum will host a forum of educators from cultural institutions and other relevant interested parties in Canberra on December 9^th from 10am to 3pm (program attached). 

I realise this is short notice, and only one location, but hope as many of you as possible will join us.  To register for the day please contact Marie Wood at Museums Australia – details overleaf.  If you are unable to attend, feel free to forward your thoughts on the National Curriculum process and museum involvement in response to the documents to me at derekw@phm.gov.au or David at d.arnold@nma.gov.au

Remember that this is a key point in the development of the curriculum that will be taught to young Australians in the future and will have a significant impact on where they will learn, and the manner in which they learn. 

Museums hold a special place in education – we are the custodians of the collections of significance, the Australian story that underpins so many aspects of curriculum, knowledge, process and skills development in students.  We are also sources of motivation, international context and social connection for many of the outcomes contained within curriculum documents around Australia.

I hope to see you in Canberra

Kindest regards

Derek Williamson

President Museums Australia Education SIG

To register for the Workshop, contact

Marie Wood, MA National Office

02 62732437

networks@museumsaustralia.org.au

For information regarding the release of the draft curriculum documents, see

www.ncb.org.au

The Powerhouse talks After noon series continues this week with a look at learning in museums.

Helen Whitty, Producer Public Programs, Powerhouse Museum
Dr Lynda Kelly, Head of the Australian Museum Audience Research Centre

Someone once said that visitors don’t come to the Museum to look at objects, they come to find themselves. If this is so, how can we best help them find their way amongst the labyrinth that is the Museum? Museums present a different context for learning, often described as free-choice learning environments visited by a range of people. Through access to objects, knowledge and information visitors can see themselves and their culture reflected in ways that encourages new connections, meaning making and learning. Lynda will uncover the results of her thesis where she looked closely at how adult visitors describe learning and how they position this learning in relation to themselves. Her research primarily focused on visitors and exhibitions. Helen meanwhile will look at how public programs have responded to the visitors’ search for themselves, their interests, enjoyment and yes, learning.

Time: 12.30

Date: Wednesday 12 November

Free with Museum entry

Overall observation that format of seminar enabled a clear focus on learning in museums and participants embraced the opportunity to network and share practice. Using a constructivist approach to the summary, participants were invited to share with the person next to them one thing they had gleaned from the two days and one thing they wanted to explore further.

The presenters highlighted the following key concepts that emerged throughout the seminar.

1.  The learner must be at the centre of the experience…

• need to personalise meaning and perspectives so it links to the learner/visitor understanding        and experiences
• provide opportunity in programs/events for a social and/or collaborative interchange between  participants

2. The learning process needs to be…

• authentic
• inclusive of a range of thinking and learning styles and perspectives
• constructivist in design

3. The changing role of learning in museums and organisations….

• the role is shifting more towards a focus on learning process and audience needs…evaluation informing outcomes

• museum educators now play a key role in exhibition design and how museum knowledge and expertise can be accessed
• the need for a learning culture throughout the organisations
• staff are all learners….

4. The importance of developing partnerships…..

• Emphasis on developing learning programs in partnerships between museum educators, teachers, students and communities

• A constructivist approach was considered important and necessary to establish strong links between school experience and excursion in respect to content, process and the curriculum eg VELS

5.   Evidence of a shift in power relation ships with audiences: addressing the needs of students, families, communities and parents……

• Museums partnering with young people in developing their own inquiry-based learning programs

• Discussion about social media and social networking which is now valued in the museum context- the notion of sharing the learning, understandings and experiences at museums, in the classroom and communities including online eg teachers sharing museum lesson plans
• Collaboration with community groups eg festivals or corporate sector, local government departments  and subject associations

• Evidence of a democratisation of information and how its accessed.

6.   There was a strong focus on learning programs delivered using a range of platforms on site and online

• eg web 2 and 3 tools, loan kits, audio mp3, digital storytelling, machinima, and other multimedia

7.   The need for museum educators to be advocates

• In shaping the national curriculum – a rare opportunity for Museums Australia to have input shaping curriculum
• Within their own organisation regarding:
  • what ‘learning’ is and how it translates into positive visitor engagement,
  • youth culture and ensuring museum staff have a positive attitude to young people (particularly in school groups)

8.   Need to work holistically and collaboratively

• Develop partnerships with and relationships with:
  • schools – particularly with teachers and students to develop programs and support pre & post visit learning
  • communities
  • related sites for ongoing or special events
  • other staff & departments in-house

9.   Use a conceptual approach when programming for learning

Plan around the big ideas rather than the ‘topic’ or objects. Start with questions, not answers.

Chris Nobbs, Education Officer SA Museum
Bronwyn Sugars, Manager, Outreach Education, SA Dept of Education and Children’s Services

If you look down the side of the screen you will find a list of pages for this blog.  One of these http://maeg.textdriven.com/?page_id=149 has the presentations from the Melbourne seminar.  Ont he page you will find links to people’s slide presentations, while on attached pages you will find any papers pasted.

Hopefully this will make the process a little easier.

Well what a fantastic conference this proved to be. The wealth of innovative and creative projects going on around the country is truly inspiring. And the research that points out some of the future directions that our ‘industry’ is going in is equally revealing. I think the short sharp nature of the program gave us all great exposure to the plethora of activity around the country. I’d like to reiterate my thanks to the National Museum Australia for the bursary that allowed me to attend from Tassie.

Some thoughts on some aspect of the conference: The challenge that the conveners must have had in allocating the presentation to the four themes was apparent especially in the ‘offsite’ session. I really enjoyed the sessions from the presenters on the day but got to wondering if what we have termed ‘offsite’ is really being sidelined by the ‘on-line’ environment? What has happened to the real offsite programs? What’s the latest on the ‘museum in the box’, the old ‘Musbus’, those outreach programs that museums used to take into the regions? Where are the programs that reach into the community but aren’t on-line? Are they happening, are they successful, what’s new in that world?

Whilst it was really encouraging to see programs such as that run by the Art Gallery of NSW that brought regional students into Sydney after first going to the regions, I wonder how much of this type of activity has gone by the wayside due to costs, and whether museum professionals see anything worrying in such programs’ demise? I think many of us would agree that we can’t replace on-line the benefits of direct experiences with the objects that comes from either visits to the exhibitions or with objects out on loan (usually part of teaching collections). But I truly wonder if we are all taking the easy option in a tight budgetary world when we resort to imagining the on-line environment will meet those same needs as real ‘offsite’ programs do (or did!). Not sure what all this means for a library however –couldn’t get much more off-site than some of the places I’ve taken library books!

Of course I’m not being down on the on-line story, after all my presentation was all about collaborative polar e-books as a tool of engagement (see http: //iem.tmag.tas.gov.au), and I recognize the on-line environment is another avenue for extending the learning spaces of students and all visitors for that matter. On this front the presentation from the ACMI folks, Brett and Vincent got me thinking. As someone who hasn’t play ‘a game’ since triggering all those free credits on the space invaders consoles (remember how you used to be able to use a gas sparker to shock the machine into giving free credit?) I was intrigued by the learning potential of the internet game environment. Watch this space it seems, since only one person in the audience appeared to use such games in their educational programs. See Lynda Kelly’s blog summary of Brett’s presentation on the ‘twitch’ response for some future program design issues.

On another note I enjoyed Lyn Beasley’s comments in her “School students are people too!” presentation and heard the collective groan from the audience as so many of us in the educational field felt the issue’s resonance in our respective organizations. This will only get more significant with the ‘Education revolution’ as museums play a bigger role in formal education, have more school visitors and clash with those in our organisations who would wish to keep the museum/art gallery a hallowed sanctuary of quiet contemplation (and yes we need to maintain this aspect somewhere in our broad charter, but…!). As Lyn said the research shows that what students remember most of their visits are social circumstances rather than content, and getting growled at by staff or other adult visitors isn’t such a great memory to leave with! How about Lyn bundle up her presentation and workshop she runs at the NMA and send out the “Convert your workplace’ training package!

I could ramble on forever, I encourage anyone who didn’t get to Melbourne (and those that did) to down load the papers/ presentations when they come on–line and rekindle your enthusiasm for a profession going places.

Andy Baird, Manager: Centre for Learning and Discovery, Tasmanian Museum and Art gallery