Wednesday, August 22, 2007

ICOM 2007 Day 4 morning

What am amazing morning of papers ranging from Austria; Mexico; Greece; Italy; Sweden; Taiwan; Scotland; Germany; Australia just to name a few. My challenge will be to post 1-2 major points from each paper (that is if I don't get distracted by that Facebook!!). Wish me luck!

Research Session

  • Science with all Senses – gender and science in the making (ZOOM Museum, Austria)
    • Both males and females are involved in working with the children, and they come from various backgrounds apart from science
  • Learning from the best: success factors for effective audience research (Eva Reussner, Germany)
    • Challenge to use the evaluations findings – responding to and taking notice of them in planning
    • Identified 12 success factors – including integration, acceptance, senior management support, audience orientation, research utility, research quality, communication, responsibility, understanding, readiness to learn, involvement, resources (on a sliding scale – so integration is the most important and then down from there)
    • Success of audience research not only depends on the researcher but needs the commitment and involvement of senior management and staff
  • Using generic learning outcomes (GLO) as a strategic tool to evaluate impact of learning (Jenny Fuchs, Scotland)
    • Beyond the Palace Walls exhibition used with the evaluation to inform the development of new galleries and an evaluation (200 questionnaires, 20 pre- and post-interviews) using the GLO framework
    • One of the questions used "Was there anything in the exhibition that surprised you?" – I like that one!
    • Some learning outcomes difficult to measure in informal settings
    • GLOs provide a common language to talk about learning; help steer projects that focus on the learner; helps focus evaluation
    • Limitations: some GLOs difficult to measure; responses are self-reflective; measures immediate intent; no measure of long-term impact (although I believe that these are all able to be addressed)
    • I'm very interested in the GLO framework – check it out here Inspiring Learning for All
    • Jenny's presentation can be found here
  • Training of museum personnel in Lombardy's museums (Italy)
    • Umm, sorry, this was in French and I forgot to get my headset thing ...
  • Museums, universities and schools (Athens)
    • Working together with teachers shows that learning outcomes are better for the students – teachers can play a very important role in reading, using and enjoying museums of all different types
  • An exploratory study of learning styles of visitors in the Museum of World Religions (Wanchen Liu, Taipei)
    • Used Kolb's theory of learning styles – divergers, accommodators, assimilators, convergers
    • Important to provide different points of access/learning styles to enable visitors learn about religion
  • Education, learning and leisure (Holger Hoge, University of Oldenburg)
    • Talked to visitors about their concepts of learning: first thing they said was acquisition of knowledge
    • After visiting a museum they are relaxed, satisfied, tired...
    • Museums need to be aware of free-choice learning and how it fits with leisure
    • Here's his website IAEA - International Association of Empirical Aesthetics

Papers

  • Pushing the pedagogical boundaries at South Australian Museum (Chris Nobbs)
    • Presented a range of really interesting educational and outreach programs based on different learning principles
  • Do heritage museums preclude visitors' constructing their own narratives (Niza Levavi, Israel)
    • Historical museums presented narratives as closed texts with no opportunities to talk about different points of view – even if the museum says they are doing it needs to be better incorporated into how they plan their programs from the very start
  • Needs and desires, the evaluation of an open-ended exhibit (Silvia and Leticia, Mexico)
    • Talked about the exhibition and the range of methods used to evaluate it – will post the presentation to CECA site (here) when Silvia gives it to me
  • Training for museum education and learning ... (Anne Liden, Sweden)
    • Reported on a range of student projects in areas of diversity and immigration – some of the students were also from these groups
    • Students from immigrant backgrounds have many challenges when studying in universities and schools – this is also a challenge for museums
  • Cultural heritage, lifelong learning and social economy (Henrik Zipsane, Sweden)
    • Problems – what is lifelong learning? Seems to be about employability when defined by groups such as UNESCO
    • Many discussions suggest lifelong learning has its natural end at retirement – he believes (as do I) that it goes from cradle to grave
    • Elderly people are over-represented in museums in areas of genealogy research, visitors and volunteers
    • Focussed on learning to learn in their research – regard the third age as another learning cycle and that heritage institutions have a lot to offer for elderly people and their learning

That's it from me at ICOM/CECA'07 folks. This afternoon is the Market of Ideas and I'll kill myself trying to blog that! Instead, look at the program to see what you missed.

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