The Museum-Ed Blog

I had hoped to avoid the question of title because frankly I’m tired of talking about what we should call ourselves. But comments following my last post (thanks to everyone who has joined the conversation so far!) seemed to diverge at some point. So it seems there is one discussion about the big theories and philosophy supporting museum education together with the issues of the day and then another about what docents need to know.

But isn’t there more to being a museum educator than teaching?

Matthew notes that there should actually be several “handbooks”:

There should be a series of educator hand books: ONe for educators on exhibit teams, one for non-museum educators who have to be a museum educator at a small museum, one for educators who give traditional tours, one for educators in Discovery Rooms, one for educators who plan special programs, etc etc.

I wonder though if it isn’t important to note all these aspects of being a museum educator in one handbook - with pull-out sections maybe ? It might better reflect the real work that we do. It would probably end up mirroring the sections of a job description, including administrative and other behind-the-scenes tasks.

But is it possible to write a handbook that encompasses the range art, history, and science museums? As several commentators pointed out, the discipline base seems important. Can we separate museum education from the discipline of the museum in which it takes place?

There are a couple of British books that attempt to do this - Moffatt & Woollard’s Gallery & Museum Education: A Manual of Good Practice (2004) and Talboys’ Museum Educator’s Handbook (2005) but no North American examples of which I am aware. There are lots that talk about “museum teaching.” Commentators have mentioned a few - The Good Guide, Great Tours, The Interpreters Training Manual and so on.

Frankly I also liked Matthew’s idea of a Museum Education for Dummies type book - a nice blend of theory and how-to in a neat package (I’m a sucker for good packaging!) The write on/wpe off idea really appealed to me. I agree with him that there’s an important difference between an anthology or a collection of articles and a “handbook.”

What do you think? Look forward to hearing from you.

Just wondering what you look for when buying a “handbook” for museum educators - for yourself or as a guide for staff and volunteers.

I am reviewing one now. I have a few ideas of my own. But since I have been a researcher/consultant for some years I’m looking for the perspective of those of us currently working on a day to day basis as museum or gallery educators.

First, in your opinion, what is a “handbook”? What is it good for? Do you buy them? Why or why not?

If you might possibly buy a handbook for museum educators, what would you look for? What would the “perfect” handbook look like?

Thanks for your help. Look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Chris

M. Christine Castle, Ph.D.
Consultant, Museum Education & Interpretation chris@mccastle.com