Museum programs for working adults in their workplace groups are an interesting and important recent development. These programs have the potential to contribute significantly to the future health of museums. This article shows that these programs link to and build on three important trends in museums--customized experiences, deep engagement, and…

This article features YOUmedia, an innovative learning space that's housed on the ground floor of the Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library Center. A student states that YOUmedia is a great example of what learning can look like in an out-of-school environment. The Windy City's one-of-a-kind program, which attracts young men and women…

New Orleans's collective memory is often long and surprisingly detailed, and it can surface at unexpected moments. In the last few years, a taxi driver taking a fare to the airport has more than once fondly recalled "the librarians" or those "book people" as the first ones to hold a convention in New Orleans after Hurricane…

International exhibitions provide a good arena in which to study the circulation and transfer of educational ideas and practices in the second half of the nineteenth century. Structured around themes of industry, progress, and civilisation, and defined as ephemeral museums of the new world of commodities for the consumption of the masses, they…

In the late Fall of 2012, the Museum of Mathematics ("MoMath") will open in New York City and will be the only museum dedicated solely to mathematics in the United States. The content and design of most of the exhibits are not yet available to the public but some information about how the Museum will use technology has been released. The…

We report on the development and evaluation of an innovative instructional model, which harnesses advanced technologies and local resources (an in-campus museum), to support undergraduate-level art history students in developing the skills required for analyzing artwork. Theory suggests that analyzing artwork requires theoretical knowledge and…

The following dissertation presents findings from a year-long evaluation of informal scientific education programs at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. Science identity, rather than scientific knowledge, was the analytic lens through which the programs' effectiveness was assessed. A goal of the Museum generally, and the…

In her lecture the 2012 NDA Scholar/Artist, Josie Metal-Corbin, chronicles four decades of working with artists, educators, librarians, and scientists. The kinetic language of dance and the visual impact of specific environments provide provocative opportunities for collaboration, wherein the site becomes the framework or map for the dance design.…

Research demonstrates that children have vast potential to expand their knowledge base with simple supports from adults and older children. Children's museums have a heightened awareness of the value in and the need to reach out to support adults accompanying children, thus bringing about an emphasis on family learning. Iterative exhibition…

Technological innovation is sweeping the world into an unimaginable future. These forces are affecting all aspects of how people live and work. What will be the role of museums and museum educators in this future? This article surveys some of the technologies that have profoundly affected museums and museum education and poses some questions: what…

This essay examines the educational practices at the Moderna galerija, a national museum of modern and contemporary art in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the last twenty years. Its aim is to reflect on the museum education in relation to broader historical context, of the former Yugoslavia (the country Slovenia was a part of until 1991) and discuss how…

Educators in informal settings can be a key part of the learning experience, yet they are often poorly supported as professionals. This study followed the professional development of museum educators who participated in iterative implementation of a new school trip program focused on climate change. The learner-centered pedagogy, inquiry format,…

This study was aimed to determine pre-service teachers' views about science centers and museums, as out-of-the-school learning environments, through case study. For that purpose, the pre-service teachers were provided to participate in out-of-the-school learning environments which were designed in a structured way, and their attitudes and views…

This case study research investigated preservice and in-service teachers' (N = 23) experiences and understandings as they participated in a multicultural children and young adults' literature course that incorporates visits to a Holocaust museum. A graduate level course was redesigned within a framework of social justice pedagogy by focusing on…

As teacher educators search for ways to prepare future educators for the challenges of assessment implementation, we suggest that authentic practice by preservice teachers in an informal learning environment promotes assessment implementation. The analysis of 28 volunteer assessment students' reflections revealed that practicing assessment…