Museums hold collections and present them to the public through a variety
of interpretive efforts, including educational programming geared primarily
to K12 audiences. These educational programs should be carefully integrated
with exhibits, on-line interpretation, and other interpretive programs,
including those aimed for other target audiences (e.g., adults).
Education Program Considerations
As with other forms of museum interpretation, education programs should concentrate on the meaning and significance of the museum's thematic focus and collections. However, educational programming is often distinct from other interpretive efforts in that it must take into account the differences in learning approaches between children and adults, and also it usually needs to be consistent with the formal educational curriculum used in public and private schools. In addition, the museum usually needs to provide a great deal more contextual information for children, because in most cases they lack the extensive background experience that adults bring with them to the museum.
Many museums have a dedicated museum educator on staff (sometimes known as a education curator), but in smaller museums this function may be combined with other interpretive responsibilities (e.g., exhibits) and even with collection management. This can be a difficult role, in that it usually involves not only educational responsibilities per se, but also logistical concerns such as dealing with large numbers of children, coordinating with their teachers and accompanying escorts--often on a scale that strains the physical facilities of the museum.
Museum educators often try to provide a more interactive and "hands on" learning environment for K12 visitors than would be appropriate for an exclusively adult audience. From this need arises a potential conflict with collection conservation policies, so the museum may find it necessary to establish special collections for educational programs or to use only reproductions in "hands on" activities.
In most cases museum education programs will benefit greatly by close cooperation with school curricula that relate to the museum's thematic focus. School teachers are often willing to work museum information into their classes, perhaps to prepare their students for a field trip to the museum or as a follow-up activity to help students absorb their museum experiences. In some cases it may be useful for the museum educator to visit the school classroom as part of this enrichment process.
In establishing educational programs at the museum, it is best to follow
a systematic development process. The initial planning step should define
the educational goal and articulate the various constraints that must be
considered. Then the museum educator designs the education program, which
may take the form of lesson plans with strong interactive content. The
actual end product is the education program as conducted at a given time
at the museum site, thus constituting a performance that is somewhat more
open-ended than other forms of interpretation such as exhibitry.