Objectives
Objectives: Students will be able to
- choose a theme for a museum exhibition
- select appropriate objects and other materials for the exhibition
- devise a plan for laying out and building the exhibition
- write concise interpretive materials for the exhibition
- determine which of the exhibition's elements would attract an audience and compose promotional pieces or brochures for the exhibition
Goals of a Museum
- Motivate Visitors:
Target an audience — the general public and/or specific communities - Focus Content:
Filter content so visitors are not bombarded with information overload - Immersion:
Engage visitors within a “story” - Modularity:
Present smaller themes instead of one larger complex topic - Skimmability:
Information should be easy to take in because visitors are often standing and/or have different levels of education - Capture Curiosity:
Use storytelling techniques to engage visitors - Interaction:
Give visitors a “fun” experience by tapping into their emotion - Integrate Technology:
Technology should enhance visitor’s experience, not detract from it - Layer Content:
Present information in a hierarchical manner
Creating an Essential Question
Working with your group you will need to create an essential question.
Writing Essential Questions· What is your teaching objective (what do you want your guests to learn)?
· Write the objective as a question.
· Do you need smaller key questions?
· Rewrite if necessary to make sure learners understand the question(s).
What Is an Essential Question?
What is an essential question? An essential question is important, vital, at the heart of the matter – the essence of the issue.
Students have to think critically to answer an essential question. Instead of simply looking up answers, they conduct research and create an original answer. An essential question:
* provokes deep thought.
* solicits information-gathering and evaluation of data.
* results in an original answer.
* helps students conduct problem-related research.
* makes students produce original ideas rather than predetermined answers.
* encourages critical thinking not just memorization of facts.
Examples: Mexican grey wolves are nearly extinct in their natural habitat of the Southwest. Many people advocate reintroducing them into the wild, whereas others show concern for livestock and fear that the wolves will be a detriment to their livelihoods. Should Mexican grey wolves be reintroduced into the wild?
Substantiate your answers with facts.
Other examples:
* How have ancient Greeks affected our society? * Why would the Europeans want to come to the colonies?
* How does the economy of a society depend on the geography of the region?
Writing Essential Questions· What is your teaching objective (what do you want your guests to learn)?
· Write the objective as a question.
· Do you need smaller key questions?
· Rewrite if necessary to make sure learners understand the question(s).
What Is an Essential Question?
What is an essential question? An essential question is important, vital, at the heart of the matter – the essence of the issue.
Students have to think critically to answer an essential question. Instead of simply looking up answers, they conduct research and create an original answer. An essential question:
* provokes deep thought.
* solicits information-gathering and evaluation of data.
* results in an original answer.
* helps students conduct problem-related research.
* makes students produce original ideas rather than predetermined answers.
* encourages critical thinking not just memorization of facts.
Examples: Mexican grey wolves are nearly extinct in their natural habitat of the Southwest. Many people advocate reintroducing them into the wild, whereas others show concern for livestock and fear that the wolves will be a detriment to their livelihoods. Should Mexican grey wolves be reintroduced into the wild?
Substantiate your answers with facts.
Other examples:
* How have ancient Greeks affected our society? * Why would the Europeans want to come to the colonies?
* How does the economy of a society depend on the geography of the region?
Museum Object Label/ Exhibit LabelExhibit labels are a blend of exciting words, short sentences, and creative phrasing. You have to grab the visitor’s attention right away, and make them want to keep moving through the gallery. Very few people read every word on every label, so the object is to entice them to read as many words as you can.
Learn all you can about the object in question. In order to describe a piece to a museum goer, you have a duty to understand what it is first. You should have an interesting title followed by an interesting and educational description of the exhibit. Avoid just writing the description of an artifact, they can plainly see themselves. Point out specific aspects they might not notice. Visitors want to learn something about the object they didn’t know before. They want to know when it was made, the name of its pattern, and how it was used, who it is, and why is it significant. Explain that research is often an important part of setting up an exhibition. Curators try to find out as much as they can about the objects they're working with, in part so they can effectively interpret the objects (in the form of written labels, lectures, and so on) to exhibition visitors. The ABCs of Label Design
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Object Label for Art or Object
Object Label Format for Cultural History (decorative arts, anthropological artifacts):
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Introduction Label to the Exhibit RoomEach room within the museum will need to have a brief name that will offer a hint as to what visitors will find in that wing. The introduction label should be a “teaser” and talk about the main sections of your exhibit to encourage people to see the rest. If there is something significant or special of the main exhibit, it should be introduced here.
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These elements are not required but are extension activities
Below are some great sites where you can find various museum activities:
http://www.si.edu/Kids
http://www.show.me.uk/
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/school-visits/gallery-activities.html
Audio Walking TourAs part of the development of your exhibit your group will need to complete two addition tasks. One of the task is to write and record script that a visitor to your exhibit room would listen to in order to receive additional information about the content of the exhibit. The audio tour would take the place of a museum docent who would provide information while serving as a museum guide.
Create and publish a standard script that will be used during guides. Create a Frequently Asked Questions and responses in anticipation of what museum visitors might ask |
Self-Guided Tour BrochureWrites, edits, and illustrates a brochure describing the exhibition's objects and theme. Provides any additional information that isn't included in panels. (Provide students with examples of such brochures, which many museums produce.) Have students put completed brochures in a prominent location near the beginning of the exhibition.
Create a Frequently Asked Questions and responses in anticipation of what museum visitors might ask |
Museum Field TripDevelop a questionnaire for students to fill out while at the museum.
To help students think about how exhibitions impart information to visitors, create a questionnaire that they can fill out while at the museum. Include questions such as the following:
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