Many students — from elementary to college age — sometimes appear intimidated upon entering the “grandeur” of our museum (designed by I.M. Pei), and then fall into bewilderment at the array of objects competing for notice in the galleries. Recognizing this problem, I have developed stories that relate the historical …
As educator at the Early American Museum in central Illinois, I present to many school field trips every year. Most of the students I see are through 5* graders, with few occasions to enjoy the special group of young people known as “junior high” students. So, when the opportunity to …
Every semester with the students in my social studies methods course, I draw a blank time line on the board of the last 10,000 years of human history and ask the students how well they could fill in the major events. A nervous silence immediately permeates the room. My students …
Docents at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, have long had access to copies of The Docent Educator as it arrives throughout the year. However, upon the recent death of my mother, a life-long teacher who clearly understood the role of art education, docents made …
There is a long history of poets and writers who draw inspiration from the visual arts. Master poets John Keats and Percy Shelley crafted great poems like “Ode on a Grecian Urn” and “Ozymandias,” translating the visual world into poetic language. Using creative writing in the galleries can be an …
Baldwin Hills Charter/LEARN Elementary and Magnet School has embarked on an exciting new model project to create ongoing links between Los Angeles’ rich community-based arts programs and classroom learning. The goal of this innovative program, tagged “Arts in the City Improves Literacy,” is to improve student achievement and encourage active …
One method that I’ve found to help me “lead by discovery” in the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY, is an exercise that I call “What If?” The students are given some basic information at the beginning of the tour to acquaint them with the history of glassmaking and …
Docents at the Indiana University Art Museum follow-up on their comradeship and work as educators by publishing a literary magazine. The Docents’ Lunching Society Writes! includes opinions, experiences, images, poetry, and “thoughtful trivia.” This poem, which appeared in that magazine, was submitted to The Docent Educator by its author. N’est-çe …
During the past year, we adapted our Decent Council bylaws to relate to current practices, initiated new docent categories including Docent Emeritus (as we recently celebrated the Museum’s tenth anniversary), and for the first time asked docents to sign an annual agreement. AU of these changes were made following consultations …
At the Hudson River Museum, the three worlds of art, history, and science are tied inexorably together. The museum houses two floors of art exhibits, a planetarium, and Glenview Mansion, an example of life among well-to-do New Yorkers in the late nineteenth century. Are docents able to put this all …
I read the article “Pedagogical Techniques for Being a More Effective Teacher,” which appeared in the previous issue of The Decent Educator, (Autumn 1999) the night before I had my first fall children’s tour with third and fourth graders. The teachers wanted a highlights tour of the museum so I …
“On Being a Docent” We first greet the students. Their tour has begun. “Keep hands at your side, no chewing, don’t run.” I must keep them together — don’t let them stray. Give each one a chance to have his or her say. I have to be sure that I …
The fabric is clearly red and the sign says wool, but as any frequenter of yardage stores knows, seeing is not enough for believing. One must touch the material, feel it, in short, have a hands-on experience. Handling objects invites discussion and encourages questions, the answers to which visitors can …
As a former Head Start teacher, I realize the importance of making learning interesting with hands-on activities. Working at the Lower Sioux Agency Historic Site in conjunction with Head Start allowed me to try some new teaching skills for all levels. Our first project was a Children’s Day Event. Barb …
The North Carolina Docent Symposium 1997, “Under the Oaks — Many Branches,” was held in Raleigh, the “City of Oaks,” September 14 -15. Fulfilling a dream of docents who had attended national docent symposiums, this first statewide symposium was hosted at the North Carolina Museum of History. The 146 docent …
As we move into the 21st Century, interpreters have the obligation of carrying audiences beyond the level of simple awareness. We must communicate the message that this earthly environment nourishes the very bodies we live in and sustains our spirits. We must develop environmental respect and practice what we preach. …
Docents at the Bayly Art Museum of the University of Virginia know that an activity called, “Academy Awards” is a sure winner. The docents distribute cards labeled “Best Actor,” Best Actress,” “Best Costumes,” “Best Set Design,” and “Best Screenplay” to individuals or small groups. After the visitors have made their selections …
The idea of peer review began after the chair of our education council attended the National Docent Symposium in 1995 and realized that the evaluation of volunteers is happening in many museums. After digging through files from past years, v^^e found that about 10 years ago a task force of …
Recently, I came upon a wonderful little book that has been useful in my gallery teaching. It is called The Tao of Leadership. Its author is John Heider. When this book was first recommended to me, I did not make the connection between leadership and teaching. After reading the text, …
The last two years have brought a dramatic increase in Educational Outreach programs at the Pensacola Museum of Art. The following tips helped us develop outreach trunks. Start with what you already have. Trunks can be developed on any theme — historical, cultural, scientific. The trick is to keep it …
Underlining important points from The Docent Educator seemed like a good idea until I noticed that every sentence of every issue was underlined. Every sentence contains a good idea. I just mailed the issue with your ’94 article on Imagining to my daughter who has our 15 month old grandson. …
In a previous issue of The Docent Educator, a docent invited readers to contribute humorous interpretive JL. experiences. I would like to share an incident that happened at Colonial National Historical Park, where I am an interpretive park ranger at Yorktown Battlefield. Among the programs at our park is the …
Just as newborns innocently enter this world with the capacity for being totally immersed in sensory experiences, so too, do our museum, zoo, and park visitors. Each of them has the potential for sensory involvement waiting to be engaged and fulfilled. After all, how does a newborn learn about his …
Two years ago, a visitor to the National Gallery of Art wrote to the editor of The Washington Post complaining that a tour he had heard interrupted his appreciation of a work by Rembrandt. I felt the need to respond, but by the time my letter was approved by all …
The Bowdoin College Museum of Art, located in Brunswick, Maine, is an integral part of Bowdoin College, a four-year co-educational liberal arts institution established 1794. The Museum’s art collection is encyclopedic in scope ranging from classical antiquities to significant holdings of American and European paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and …
Often, the first spontaneous responses you hear from guests at an aquarium or zoo are “Cool! Can I touch it?” or “Ouuu, what does that animal feel like?” The desire to touch a Hawksbill sea turtle to know how hard its shell is, or to pet a Sea otter to …
Receiving The Docent Educator has encouraged me to write about a special project of mine. I call it “building memories.” It began one day while touring a third grade group. Three of the children recognized me from the previous year and asked if we could go to see the same …
Docents can make humor a work for them, especially with children’s tours. A laugh together early in a tour establishes rapport and friendship between the group and the docent. What are the benefits of humor? Most of all, it makes children (and the adults with them) feel good to laugh. …
Docents may not think of themselves as storytellers, but we tell stories every time we tour. What greater dramas are there than the conflict between native and intruder, whether insect, plant, human, or other animal; between the forces and tensions in the earth; or between how things were and what …
When the Museum of Natural History, in Albuquerque, put out a request for docents I thought, “Why not?” I sure didn’t know anything about natural history, but I could learn. So off I went to begin my training. As soon as they started the overview and people began asking questions …
For nearly 30 years, the Houston Museum of Natural Science has collaborated with the Junior League of Houston, Inc. in a science box outreach program for children with special needs — children for whom it would be difficult to come to the Museum on a field trip. The Junior League …
This handout was submitted by Maris A. Grannell, a docent-field leader at the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation. The teaching device was created by Judy Hensleigh, teacher of a combined 3 and 4 grade at Glenfeliz School in Los Angeles. What a wonderful way to encourage careful, multi-sensory observation and creativity …
In a previous issue of The Docent Educator, you discussed some tough topics. I would like to share with you what works for us when we deal with our own “tough topic,” partial nudity in an exhibition on the Mississippian Indians. Our exhibition consists of several objects, including bowls, scrapers, …
Perhaps you’ve heard of a museum without walls. They do exist! BUT, what would you say about a museum without walls, roof, or even a floor? We’ve had just such a situation here in Santa Cruz, California, for several years now. Back in 1981, The Art Museum of Santa Cruz …
Being thorough works for me. I find that the better acquainted I am with a school, the teachers, and the students, the better my teaching and their experiences will be. At the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation, docents (which we call field leaders) take turns being “Leader of the Day” for …
I was just recently introduced to your magazine and find it not only interesting but helpful. I am always on the alert for new or unproved information and techniques. In that spirit, I would like to share a few that I have found useful. The simple change of a word …
Children often arrive at an historic house museum with little idea of what to expect. Time doesn’t mean a great deal to them, therefore the age of the house has little impact. It is not until we discuss the differences between then and now, as they walk from room to …
A child peers under the brim of my bonnet, looks into my eyes, and gasps as I gently smile and greet him with “Hello, traveller.” The revelation that the figure he approached is real is quickly borne to the rest of the group as they gather around me. History … …
People visiting museums can be intimidated by the art, artifacts, and traditions of unfamiliar cultures. As a decent, 1 try to ease their discomfort by relating the cultures examined to our own, building a bridge between the unknown and the known. African art and customs may seem exotic and inaccessible …
In a gallery where a number of portraits and genre scenes can be viewed, I instruct students to choose a painting in which the focus is a person or persons. I hand each student a sheet of paper entitled. “I Have a Story to Tell.” The sheet has a space …