Discursive Interactions Between Museum Educators and Students: A Case Study in a Science Museum Based on the Contributions of Bakhtin and the Circle

This paper investigated the interactions between the museum educator and a class from a public school during a visit to a science museum in the state of São Paulo. The concept of dialogism, proposed by Bakhtin and the Circle, is used as a theoretical reference for analysis. The methodology adopted was the case study. The data were collected in audio and video; the excerpts were selected and transcribed for analysis. In both parts analyzed, the dialogue was centered on and conducted by the museum educators and their knowledge, instead of the students, and there were difficulties in establishing a communication that considered different interpretations of the objects. The results indicate the recurrence of two types of interaction: discourses with the shift of speakers controlled by the museum educator and discourses that silence students, both classified as monologic. In this sense, there are still challenges to be explored in future studies and practices of initial and continued professional qualification of these educators.

Museum Learning Through a Foreign Language

One of the most interesting effects of internationalisation is certainly the increase, in Italy, of museum educational programmes delivered through the means of a foreign language and based on the CLIL methodology. The aim of these programmes is for visitors to practise their foreign language skills in an authentic and stimulating context, while at same time developing their knowledge of science, art or other discipline related contents. Their target is mainly school-students, which is in line with current European policies that encourage member states to bridge the gap between in- and out-of-school language learning. This article will first offer a broad overview of how internationalisation has affected museum educational programmes in Italy. Thus, it will give an overview of museum and CLIL-based pedagogies, discussing the challenges encountered to integrate them through summarising Fazzi’s evaluation of a CLIL museum programme. It will then outline a research project carried out in collaboration with the Civic Museum of Venice, through discussing (i) the steps taken in developing a CLIL museum programme at the Natural History Museum of Venice, (ii) the programme structure and (iii) the challenges encountered. The project, which is currently in its second year, adopts a participatory approach and involves the museum educational staff, the museum educator/researcher, and secondary school teachers and students.

Cultural and Educational Bases of Czech Museums Activities (Based on the Example of the Science Center "Techmania" in City Plzen)

The article discusses the activities of Czech children's museum "Science Center "Teсhmania"" in city Plzen in the Czech Republic, which teaches and develops children with the help of interactive technologies. They influence on the formation of personality competency of the museum educator, helping to carry out efficiently the educational process, promote the effective implementation of education in terms of the museum environment. The article is devoted to a definition of the place and the role of the pedagogy of museum in organization of the cultural and educational process in museum. The role of the children's museum in non-formal education in the Czech Republic is described. There are shown the directions of scientific and technical education in the form of a game, using the latest technological advances (the usage of 3D-cinema, program of children's groups, the development of museum infrastructure). The necessity of introducing such work experience in Ukraine is shown. Borrowing the experience of foreign colleagues is important because the activities of our museums sometimes require radical restructuring. The introduction of close cooperation with such educational institutions like the museum "Teсhmania" is important, and high scientific and technical level remains an important issue as well, worthy of imitation. Prospects for further development of this problem lies in the consideration of other foreign museums that will enable national museums to adopt better and increase efficiency.

Strengths and Challenges of Arts-Based Programming for Individuals With Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias

Through the perspectives of a museum educator, an art educator, and an educational researcher, this article explores the evolution of shared definitions of “well-being” in the development of a museum- and arts-based program for adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). By piecing together the authors’ first-person reflections on pivotal program design moments with images, participant quotes and reflections, and emerging quantitative data, this bricolage inquiry provides insight into the complex and sometimes competing conceptions of wellness and learning that arise in designing programming with and for this population and their caregivers.