1. Understanding Learning in the Museum Who’s afraid of Informal Learning? StedelijkMuseum Amsterdam second conference day Friday 15 October 2010
2. Understanding Learning in the Museum ing. Ruben Smit MA (ruben.smit@ahk.nl) Lecturer Audience Development Reinwardt Academy - Cultural Heritage / Museology The Amsterdam School of the Arts
25. Constructivist learning We useournaturalproblem-solvingcapacities. Intrinsicmotivation is key in learning. We learnactively
26. Constructivist learning: We need a knowledge base forfurtherlearning. New knowledge must relateto prior knowledgeandearlierlearningexperiences. Learning is a social activity.
27. Constructivist learning: Children use other thinking strategies than adults use. Learning is both concrete and abstract. Cognition and emotion are at a par in the learning process.
28. We assimilate new learningexperiences in existingmentalschemata. We must accept that new knowledge does not simply replace existing knowledge. We therefore acknowledge that new frames of knowledge rather lead to new associations and concepts (new tracks and roads in the ‘old landscape’) than to a brand new ‘Eureka’ insight. Constructivist learning:
29. Constructivist learning: “Constructivist educational theory argues that in any discussion of teaching and learning the focus needs to be on the learner, not on the subject to be learned. For museums, this translates into the dictum that we need to focus on the visitor, not the content of the museum.” George Hein
30. Constructivist learning: “Constructivism permits us to allow visitors to expand or rebuild their view of the world in their own way - to experience the exhibition socially, emotionally, spiritually and imaginatively, as well as intellectually and esthetically.” Marlene Chambers
33. “Museums and Education – purpose, pedagogy, performance” E. Hooper-Greenhill What is the essence of learning? Expierentiallearning is the process of creatingandtransformingexperienceintoknowledge, skills, attitudes, values, emotions, beliefs andsenses. It is the processthroughwhichindividualsbecomethemselves. Jarvis, 1998
34. “Museums and Education – purpose, pedagogy, performance” E. Hooper-Greenhill What is the essence of learning? Learning is whatyou do whenyoudon’tknow whattodo. Claxton, 1999
35. “Museums and Education – purpose, pedagogy, performance” E. Hooper-Greenhill Museums, Archives and Libraries Council (UK): Learning is a process of active engagement with experience. It is what people do when they want to make sense of the world. It may involve increase in or deepening of skills, knowledge, understanding, values, feelings, attitudes and the capacity to reflect. Effective learning leads to change, development and the desire to learn more.
36. Not necessarily positivist: “Not that the gallery was bad because I am sure boring people love to pine over things like that all day. I have better things to do than ask questions about a picture. It’s very boring – also I think a lot of the so called art in this museum is over-pretentious and hence depresses me, this art gallery has given me an insight into other peoples boring and drab lives, and it will make my life feel a lot more fulfilling.” Vincent 18 years old “Museums and Education – purpose, pedagogy, performance” E. Hooper-Greenhill
37. “Museums and Education – purpose, pedagogy, performance” E. Hooper-Greenhill Guy Claxton (Bristol University) suggests that people use a personal toolkit when they learn. Immersion in experience – exploration, investigation, experimentation, use of space and resources. Imagination – fantasy, visualisation, storytelling, to create and explore hypothetical worlds. Intellectual skills – language, reasoning, analyses, communication. Intuition – creativity, germination of ideas.
41. “Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning ” J,Falk and L.Dierink (2000) Emotion is the coreforeffective non-formallearning..
42. “Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning ” J,Falk and L.Dierink (2000) Evolutionaryseen, one of the oldest parts of our brains is the so-calledlimbic system.
43. “Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning ” J,Falk and L.Dierink (2000) The limbic system filters at lightning speed all sensory information (safe smells). Amongst other things it regulates our emotional and geographical memory.
44. “Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning ” J,Falk and L.Dierink (2000) The limbic system is also central to our capacity to remember vital information. ‘Memory’Daniel Chester French (1917-19)
45. “Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning ” J,Falk and L.Dierink (2000) Essentially, all new impressions are being filtered and emotionally tagged through the limbic system. Launch Pad, Science Museum, Londen
46. “Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning ” J,Falk and L.Dierink (2000) So memorable experiences are emotionally ‘ear-marked’. Höller – Slides in Tate Modern, London
47.
48. Guy Claxton, ‘Thinking at the edge: developing soft creativity’’, Cambridge Journal of Education(September 2006) p. 351-362
49. Claxton hereoffers the concept of intuitivelyknowing. The corehere is ‘focusing’. Youaskyourself a general question; now focus on yourthroat, torso andstomach. Trytobecomeaware of the slightestsensationsthatyou feel. Suchemotional ‘knowing’ canbesimilartothatuneasysensationyou feel whenthingsbetweenyouand a verydearfriend are temporarily out of tune.
50. Focus on thisintuitive feeling. On this‘feltanswer’ youcanask the question ‘Is this correct’? Again focus and sense yourfeelings. (Trytopostponeany direct rationalistation) New neuro-physiological studies refertowhatnowoften is calledEmbodiedCognition. Recognizingthat mind and body are actuallyonecognitive system.
51. Does yourheart misses a beat whenyouseeyourbelovedone? Are your hands sweatywhenyou are over-anxious? Does fearfor failure lead to nausea? Anddon’tyou feel your hair raise, whenyourfrightened?
52. Claxton discerns four types of Embodied Cognition: Gene-scape– this is a genetically locked knowledge-based residue. How high can you jump? Which sounds can you differentiate? And why are we frightened by the sight of snakes and not of bananas…
53. Claxton discerns four types of Embodied Cognition: 2. Net-scape– this is the mass of captured experiences loaded with emotional and evaluative content. Some are still conscious, others are sunken deeper in to sub-consciousness, but can be triggered by certain images.
54. Claxton discerns four types of Embodied Cognition: 3. Skill-scape– here comparison are made. New challenges are similar to old ones. This saves a lot of energy. New situations can be handled with more ease.
55. Claxton discerns four types of Embodied Cognition: 4. Word-scape– with our spoken and written language we can share our experiences, impressions and interpretations. Language also frees us from what we ‘know’, it liberates us from the material and allows us the unbelievably imaginary…
56. Embodied Cognition allows us, through the four ‘scapes’, to address new situations, to find new words, to deconstruct old meanings and to critically reflect – step by step – on new concepts.
57. Museum space is a great stimulus here. It offers this special immersive surrounding. The visitor walks through, dwells in, and negotiates with an enchanting space. He or she decides to linger, ponder, think, feel, reflect or ignore. Let us allow current and future visitors to do so at their own pace and liking.
