THE WITCH NEXT DOOR

episode 24

Previously:-

“On the other hand, Some people argued that museums should focus on education because its a huge source of knowledge which they did not previously know.Usually this means history behind the museum exhibits need to explained and this can be done in various ways. Some museums employ special guides to give information, while

other museums offer headsets so that people can listen to detailed commentary about the exhibition. In this way, museums play an important role in teaching people about history,culture, science and many other aspects of life.

In an ultimate analysis, the above argument would indicate that museum must be utilize for both purposes entertainment and education. These both aspects beneficial in different ways. However,a good museum should be able to offer an interesting, enjoyable and educational experience. So that people have fun and learn something at the same time. Museums are designs for learning. Whether intentionally or not, museums embody views about what's worth learning, and the way that artworks, objects, and historical material are presented — from exhibitions to architecture to wall texts — embody views about how learning happens. This in itself is nothing new: museums have always been designed with edification in mind. But historically, museum education departments have been the only place where visitor learning is explicitly considered — and often only after exhibitions have been fully designed — despite the fact that beliefs about learning are present in all aspects of museum offerings and at all stages of exhibition design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For the last decade or so, there has been a change afoot. As museums broaden their missions and search for new constituencies, learning is becoming a fresh and central concern for institutions as a whole, from curators to designers to directors. Across all departments, museums are increasingly seeing themselves as settings of learning theory in action.

As museums broaden their missions and search for new constituencies, learning is becoming a fresh and central concern for institutions as a whole, from curators to designers to directors. Across all departments, museums are increasingly seeing themselves as settings of learning theory in action.

Why mention learning theory? As a field of study, learning theory draws from such areas as cognitive science, education, and philosophy. Its goal is to help us understand how learning happens and how it can happen better. As museums bring a focus on learning to the fore, they become more aware of, and thoughtful about, their views — or theories — about how visitors learn. Learning theory provides a lens for examining how learning unfolds in all educational settings, formal and informal, and it can provide suggestions for how to design learning experiences effectively.

What does learning theory have to say about museums? One message is that museums are especially well suited to design visitor experiences that emphasize two general features of effective learning. One feature is active learning, which concerns the manner in which people engage with a learning experience. Another feature is personal agency, which considers the ways in which learners take charge of their own learning experiences. Here are a few words about each.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Active learning occurs when people stretch their minds to interact with the information and experiences at hand. In art museums, visitors are learning actively when they do such things as: formulate their own questions about works of art, reflect on their own ideas and impressions, make their own discerning judgments, construct their own interpretations, and seek their own personal connections. These sorts of behaviors are called active learning because they involve acting on available information—including information from one's own thoughts, feelings, and impressions — in order to form new ideas. Of course, not every moment of learning in a museum is, or even should be, active. There are times when passive learning can be wonderful, for instance, when a viewer stands in front of a painting and gloriously lets it wash over him or her, immersed in a flow of sensations. But in extended learning experiences, research shows that active learning is important: people learn more deeply and retain knowledge longer when they have opportunities to engage actively with the information and experiences at hand, even if these opportunities are punctuated with moments of passive receptivity. This is a general fact about cognition, as true in museums as it is in schools. As theaters of active learning, museums are distinct from schools and other formal educational settings in that they make their educational offerings quietly and without demand. In museums, visitors are free to move about at their own pace and to set their own agendas. They are free to choose whether to read wall text or take audio tours, free to follow a recommended trail through an exhibition or choose their own path. To be sure, freedom of choice in museums is not unlimited, and nor should it be. There are plenty of rules to follow, plenty of guiding information about what to look at and how to respond. But, by and large, museums invite learning rather than require it, which is why they are often called "free choice" or informal learning environments. This discretionary quality of experience is a signature feature of learning in museums. It is also a feature of good learning more generally. Research demonstrates that when people have some degree of personal agency — some range of choice about the shape and direction of their own learning activities — learning tends to be more meaningful and robust The visit to the museum was thrilling as well as an enriching experience for me. It was one of the richest experiences of my life to have seen and experienced all of that in the museum. It was deeply moving to see the vast storehouse of our country's ancient glory.

In art museums, visitors are learning actively when they do such things as: formulate their own questions about works of art, reflect on their own ideas and impressions, make their own discerning judgments, construct their own interpretations, and seek their own personal connection. There is no doubt that a primary role of museums is to engage and educate the community. Museum exhibits inspire interest in an area of study, item, time period, or an idea – but there’s more going on in museums in regard to education than one might think. Schools rely heavily on museums to enhance the their curriculum. The New York Museum Education Act, for example, aims to create a partnership between schools and cultural institutions to prepare students for the 21st century. Galleries are becoming classrooms, and not just for kids. Even the museums themselves have interesting histories to inspire and educate visitors. It becomes nearly impossible to exit a museum without having gained any information or insight during your visit. Museums are examples of informal learning environments, which means they are devoted primarily to informal education — a lifelong process whereby individuals acquire attitudes, values, skills, and knowledge from daily experience and the educative influences and resources in his or her environment. Even outside of museums, informal learning plays a pivotal role in how we take in the world around us. In fact, The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 70% or more of work-related learning occurs outside formal training. A single visit to a museum can expose visitors to in-depth information on a subject, and the nature of the museum environment is one in which you can spend as much or as little time as you like exploring exhibits. The environment allows you to form your own unique experiences and take away information that interests you. Despite the success that museums have already had in educating visitors, there continue to be ongoing discussions among institutions in regard to increasing museums’ ability to connect through informal learning.

After all of them thought that this much is enough for the museum we should now to our next visiting place that is the zoo so after that they all left for the zoo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .