Docent Educator, Page 4

As docents, we have the privilege and responsibility of teaching viewers how to “read” works of art, and then urging them to construct their own meanings. But, how often have you heard the complaint, “How do we know if our interpretation is really what the artist intended? Aren’t we reading …

Beware the Jabberwocky! Did you happen to read the article appearing on the front page of The Week in Review section, in the Sunday, October 23, 1994, edition of the New York Times? The article, which was. entitled “The Jabberwocky of Art Criticism,” serves as a warning to art educators …

“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; AH mimsy were the borogroves, And the mome raths outgrabe.” If this selection from Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” seems gibberish to you, imagine how confusing it must be to someone who doesn’t read English. For, as nonsensical as …

Before visitors, especially students, can be expected to “read” museum objects on a tour, they should be given an example for practice. Whether during a pre-touring visit to a classroom, or as an introduction before entering the galleries, docents can conduct a simple “object lesson” as preparation. Using ajar of …

As interpreters, we may wish to convey an image of the past. But how can we know what the past was like when we weren’t there? You’ re more likely to have a sense of the past when you’re surrounded by objects of the past. These were the things that …

“A word means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” — Humpty Dumpty to Alice As an educator working in ail museums, I often introduced young people to art. Of the many tours I conducted, I recall one most clearly. It involved a group of …

At first glance, these three article titles—Making the Multicultural Connection: Multicultural Education: Development, Dimensions, and Challenges: American Pie, A Multicultural Snapshot – – all taken from recent educational journals, might indicate that multicultural education is simply the latest buzzword in a field well-known for leaping from trend to trend with …

The use of a word or phrase unique to a historical period can add a memorable touch to a tour. Visitors are always interested to hear a word that is no longer in modem usage but reveals an aspect of early American culture. It not only brings visitors one step …

Curators are educators, too. Every decision we make during the exhibit planning process is made with educational goals in mind. Like each word in a Poe short story, each object and illustration is selected for its contribution to the whole and for its ability to tell a story larger than …

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 …

References about the Full Spectrum of American History While the English immigrants and their descendants require and deserve attention, for they possessed inordinate power to define American culture and make public policy, learning about a range of other cultures can fill out understandings and help to explain general patterns and …

The paintings are in muted browns, greens, and beige. Asian eyes — eyes like mine – – stare back at me from behind barbed wire and in barracks. They were my parents and my relatives and all their friends. In this case, art imitated life — the life of over …

Incorporating multicultural perspectives into exhibit interpretation encourages visitors to gain an appreciation for the longevity and diversity of native cultures. At the Brookfield Zoo. a team of docents has developed a “touch cart” demonstration that introduces visitors to the lifestyles of the Gabbra people, who live in the Chalbi Desert …

Multiculturalism is a term that perplexes me. I have attended conference sessions and museum-sponsored seminars, read articles, and participated in many informal discussions on the term. It seems the term ‘multiculturalism’ is one of those enormous concepts that holds a variety of meanings. I’m a little uncomfortable with this because …

Regardless of whether you read The Docent Educator in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Panama, or the United States, you reside in a multicultural environment. All modern nations are composed of a variety of cultures — indigenous, dominant, and minority; and all societies are characterized by diversity — including …

The Docent as Teacher Autumn 1991, Vol. 1, No. 1 (download pdf of entire issue) Subjectivity and Inquiry Teaching, Alan Gartenhaus Teachers have Great Expectations, Jackie Littleton Questioning Strategies: For Adults Only, Barbara Henry Blind People Can See Your Collections With a Little Help From You, Janice Majewski For Your Consideration It Works for Me: …

To use this online archive, search the issues using the search bar on the top right side of the screen under The Docent Educator Menu, or browse the index of issues using the link below the search bar. About The Docent Educator Online Archive Between 1991 and 2003 museum educator …

Museum-Ed used a Kickstarter Campaign to create a searchable archive of The Docent Educator. This archive would not be possible without all of the generous support by the people below. Full Series Support: J. Marshall Adams Marianna Adams Christina Alderman Anonymous Autry National Center Education Department Birmingham Museum of Art Mary Ann …

What value does the art gallery experience have in an already crowded school curriculum? From my view, it is that art is one of the most powerful forms of self-expression available to the human mind. Art can explore anything, from the literal to the spiritual. The very existence of a …

Can we talk? Some of my teaching colleagues have only two requirements for a successful field trip — their kids don’t embarrass them and nothing (animal, vegetable, or mineral) gets broken. Some of the docents in your museum also have only two requirements for a successful tour— the class gets …

This fail marks the fourth year of an innovative “high school docent program” at The Friends of Photography in San Francisco that empowers young adults by making them leaders in a public setting. Bringing in high school students to serve as an integral part of a museum changes the institutional …

To take children’s knowledge where you want it to be, start with what children already know. That’s the concept and basis for the Museum of the Cape Fear’s “Now & Then” tour for students in grades K – 3. The Museum of the Cape Fear, located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, …

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. …

Survival Skills for Student Discipline Though successful strategies for control of student discipline problems (and for maintaining order) will differ from one situation or student to the next, the following are some suggestions for influencing students toward appropriate behaviors. Communicate institutional rules for behavior, such as “objects should not be …

Every art museum has its share of portraits, but sometimes it’s hard to get school visitors engaged in looking carefully at this genre. We want them to move beyond the cheap thrill of noticing “how the eyes follow you when you move around the room!” We want them to work …

Although the fireworks explode on January 1st, for most of us it is Labor Day and the opening of school that truly signal a new beginning each year. Museum education departments are beehives of activity in September. School teachers are calling or writing, anxious to make sure their students don’t …

For those of us in museums, “back-to-school” means yellow school buses moving into formation in our parking lots with battalions of enthusiastic young passengers mounting a benevolent assault on our institutional “front line” – – the docents. The following thoughts are just a few ideas with which to prepare for …

The immediacy of objects in museums, parks, gardens, and I historic sites can clearly demonstrate the compelling and satisfying experience that comes from learning. Their potential to stimulate curiosity and hold interest is inherently great. This is one reason why the brief encounters that volunteer or staff educators have with …

History museum docents, like those in other types of museums, are increasingly offering participatory tours that encourage visitors to think creatively about the objects they encounter. Docents challenge their groups to look closely at objects, accurately describe what they see, answer open-ended questions that allow information to be interpreted meaningfully, …

Think of it — the overwhelming majority of students you tour on school visits were born since 1980!! So what? So everything! We are all products of our time, and this generation of young people cannot be expected to be an exception. For those who are now in grades nine …

When I was a very little girl, the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus came to my town. I went with my family to the railroad station at the break of dawn to watch the circus train disgorge its menagerie of exotic animals. We stood with throngs of awestruck citizens …

HOW do you interest a diverse audience, community, and volunteer corps in an exhibition entitled Classical Taste in America, 1800-1840? The Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, N.C., successfully drew upon the theme and spirit of the Olympic Games. Following the archaeological excavation of the ancient Olympic stadium in 1878, …

Your museum is hosting a Blockbuster exhibition. Attendance numbers are more crucial than ever. There is a need to foster public awareness, and a strong desire to prepare visitors and school groups for what they will see. The most viable and successful route may be an alliance with your local …

The Henry Gallery at the University of Washington enjoys a location that many museums, on campus or otherwise, would be delighted to have. Over 2,000 students, faculty, and staff pass by the front door of the Henry everyday. Located on the western edge of the campus, it is, so far, …

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 …

A New Resource for Volunteer Program Administration The American Council for the Arts in association with the American Association for Museum Volunteers has produced a comprehensive text on administering volunteer programs that should of assistance to anyone organizing or supervising volunteers. Volunteer Program Administration: A Handbook for Museums and Other …

There they are — what seems like hundreds upon hundreds of people, totally bereft of any fashion sense whatever, impatient, hot (or cold; it’s always one or the other), gazing skeptically down on you as you prepare to transport them to new heights of consciousness. Sound intimidating? It doesn’t have …

Recently, as part of a larger project, I had the opportunity to observe 27 docents at two large West Coast art museums while they conducted tours with third through sixth grade children. As an educational researcher, it was my aim to find out the kinds of questions docents typically ask …

Blockbusters — mention the very word and a universal groan can be heard throughout “docent land.” Hearts beat fast and palms grow clammy, as thoughts of learning about hundreds of unfamiliar objects in three hours race through the minds of volunteers. Well, fear no longer, for there are ways to …

An incomprehensible number of images and sounds compete for our attention everyday. From traffic signs to product labels, from freeway noises to elevator music, from television commercials to store window displays, the happenings of contemporary life constantly bombard us with stimuli. The cumulative effect of all this dissonance teaches us …

“Pay attention: there’ll be a test later!” “Did you study for your biology exam?” “I can’t believe I failed the driver’s test … again!” Educators have tried to soften the blow by re-naming them — evaluations, assessments, portfolio reviews — but, a test by any other name is still a …

The Brookfield Zoo’s 270 docents contribute around 43,000 hours each year. Docents work every day of the year interpreting the collections, teaching classes to thousands of students, assisting with animal observations and special events, and attending refresher courses. We have no difficulty recruiting enough qualified enthusiastic candidates for the annual …

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 …

Most staff members think of docents as teachers because they educate the visiting public about our collections and exhibitions. The very word “docent” is derived from a Greek word meaning “to teach.” But those of us privileged to provide docent training must also consider their needs as learners. Museum education …

The Docent Educator sent surveys concerning docent programming to a variety of institutions and individual docents throughout the United States. The results are presented to edify, as well as to stimulate discussion about docent programming, needs, and service. We invite our readers to send us their observations, comments, concerns, and …

As part of my recently Completed dissertation, I conducted an international survey of the role of voluntary gallery guides in art museums. The results are discussed in this article. Who Are We? Of the twenty-nine respondents to the international questionnaire, all indicated that the vast majority of their voluntary guides …

At some time in our lives We’ve all been customers, and have had a positive or negative customer service experience. In our culture, the customer is always right . . . right? In the museum culture, especially in a science center, the customer may not be right, especially in areas …

Staff and volunteers often wonder about attrition among docent staffs. Who might drop out? Who plans to come back in the fall? Will there be enough docents? What new program initiatives will require the museum to add more docents for the next year? Over the years, museum educators have developed …

A recent declaration by the American Association of Museums stating that “there is an educational purpose in every museum activity” {Excellence and Equity. 192. Washington. DC: American Association of Museums) could be considered true … at least conceptually. However, this view is not consistent with reality. In practice, the purpose …

Your class or tour is finished and you look back wondering, “What did they take away from our time together? Will they remember any of it tomorrow? Will they recall this lesson in connection with a future experience?” As a docent or interpreter, you studied your collection and practiced touring. …

He was quite interested in his child’s welfare. As a matter of fact, the young father of one of our kindergarten children had taken a day off from his job in order to come to school to discuss a trip he was planning. As he explained his desire to take his daughter …

It’s opening day of a new, costly exhibition on natural disasters. Adults meander through the displays, reading copy, pushing buttons, discussing information with their companions, and drawing conclusions about what they’ve seen. In one corner of the exhibition, however, a couple struggles with their four-year-old daughter. She has discovered a …

When youngsters handle artifacts in a historical museum, the past comes alive and becomes accessible. To turn kids on at our museum, the Tippecanoe County Historical Association (TCHA) uses an expendable collection and reproductions for its handling materials. The collection includes such items as: fossils, projectile points, stone tools, bone …

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 …

Teaching Tips In their brochure Sharing Science with Children: A Survival Guide for Scientists and Engineers, the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C., offers the following noteworthy tips for those who teach youngsters. Make eye contact with the students because they love the personal contact. Smile …

Right from the Start is the title Of the National Association of State Boards of Education report on Early Childhood Education, and is one of those wonderful phrases that expresses multiple meanings simultaneously. (Everybody Counts, the title of a report on the future of mathematics education by the National Council …

While our youngest visitors Mc not any more difficult to teach than older students and adults, they do require a different approach. The youngest visitors toured by docents at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are at the prekindergarten and kindergarten levels (4 to 6-year-olds). They arrive as part of a school …

In The Arctic Museum by William Logan, Mildred Jones, and Judy Higbea Pre-schoolers who visit The Peary- MacMillan Arctic Museum for guided tours are 3-year-olds (in groups of six to eight) and 4- and 5-year-olds (in groups up to ten or twelve). All have adults chaperoning them on their half-hour …

How can I get and keep their attention on the exhibits?” and “How can I make this meaningful?” are questions that confront docents, teachers, and parents as they participate in museum visits with young children. Good answers to these two questions mean you won’t find yourself asking “How can I …

Whether teaching little ones is your preference or not, one can hardly dispute our responsibility as educators to these, our youngest visitors. It is aphoristic that the greater the dependency of the learner, the greater the importance of the educator. This may be one reason why classroom instructors who teach …

In one of my favorite “Peanuts” cartoons, Charlie Brown explains his reaction to a class field trip, I’ve seen one field, you’ve seen them all.” Teachers often encounter museum tours that leave us with the same reaction! On the brighter side, however, are an increasing number of museums, zoos, historic …

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 …

There are times when a decent has a certain degree of latitude in teaching about the objects or artifacts on a guided tour. In other situations, however, a docent’s choices can be more limited. This may occur for many reasons, including the audience’s level of awareness, the docent’s own comfort …

In its series ‘‘Sharing Science with Children: A Survival Guide for Scientists and Engineers, ” the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science offers the following as potential themes for teaching elementary aged students:   Kindergarten First & Second Third & Fourth Fifth & Sixth Animals Many kindsHave different coverings …

Interdisciplinary Approach to Contemporary Art For 16 years the Whitney Museum of American Art has put together an annual symposium where graduate students present papers on art history before a public audience. This year the symposium had a new twist — none of the students were in art history programs. …

When Congress established the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities as sister agencies over twenty years ago, the legislation raised questions whose answers remain confusing to this day. Most people are pretty sure they could define “arts,” but they feel less certain about the …

Is an empty house truly empty? Imagine visiting a iiouse museum where all you see is the house — no furniture, no fabrics, no art collection, no memorabilia — no kidding! What is there to see? What could we possibly learn? At Drayton Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, visitors experience …

Because there is little else that one can do with the objects displayed in art museums besides look at them, such museums imply that all objects in their care, regardless of their initial uses, are valuable primarily because of their visual interest. This visual bias, which is at the core …

There is no doubt about it — Shadows-on-the-Teche is a remarkable place because of its setting, because of its history, and because of the resources available for making tours memorable. In telling the story of the Shadows, the museum staff is at a tremendous advantage over the staffs of many …

Art museums are natural laboratories where the ability to see with our eyes, our minds, and our hearts can be cultivated. Works of art issue invitations to each of us to step into the skin of others and see the world through their eyes. Art asks us to reflect upon …

If you’ve listened to a conversation without understanding what was being said, or seen a movie and not been able to figure out the plot, then you know how it feels to take a tour that lacks a theme. It’s confusing! A theme is the glue that holds a tour …

Chances are that every docent will eventually encounter reluctant or skeptical visitors. Docents serving in art museums and galleries have special problems with such viewers since much of the art world seems subjective and mysterious to novice gallery-goers. Because art museums do not have the same straightforward, factual aura found …

In the Autumn 1992 issue of The Docent Educator, we discussed touring with older adults. This article departs from that one by focusing on a specific segment of older adults ╤ residents of long-term care, nursing facilities. In the previous article, one of our main points was that, even though …

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, …

I could feel the air charged with their excitement and anticipation as the small group of thirty children and their teachers approached the museum center. I stood waiting to greet them. Young eyes looked up at me filled with curiosity. The children’s eagerness and enthusiasm engulfed me. I felt myself …

Travel can be entertaining, educational, and … when you don’t speak the language … frustrating. During a recent vacation in Germany and Austria, I encountered a variety of ways museums communicate information about their collections to non-German speaking visitors. I became curious. Do European museums do a better job serving …

A Resource to Help Enfranchise People with Disabilities The N.E.A. guide to making arts programming accessible to people with disabilities is available through the Government Printing Office. The 1992 revised edition of The Arts and 504 is available from the Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402 for …

Imagine that you are leading a group of fourth grade students to the gallery where you will begin your tour. Listen to their comments: “Oh, look! It’s much bigger than I thought it would be! And the blue-green is brighter than the print we saw.” “There’s the picture with “peace’ …

When working with English as a Second Language (E.S.L.) students, there are different techniques that research shows will help these students understand the English language. Of these techniques, three that docents might find useful when touring ESL students are: Total Physical Response (TPR), Roles and Drama, and Fun and Games. …

At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, thousands of adults with special needs participate in educational programs through tours and full-day, hands-on workshops. These visitors come from rehabilitation hospitals and mental health settings, group homes, halfway houses, drug recovery centers, and more recently, community service centers for those who have AIDS. …

Notwithstanding the axiom that all audiences are special, and the truism that every individual deserves your best teaching efforts, there are segments of your community that require special attention. The reasons for this may be related to the purpose of their visit, their level of awareness or understanding, the preparation …

As zoos have evolved from places of recreation to institutions whose primary mission is wildlife conservation, the role of interpreters teaching within zoos has expanded. Today, docents and other educators are frequently called upon to interpret more challenging and complex issues as they share this new vision of the zoo …

It might be the tell-tale giggles you hear rippling through the class as you travel from one point to another on your tour. It could be their quiet gasps as students round a comer and come face-to-face with a Rodin sculpture. Or, you may get a direct question from ;m …

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 …

Twenty years ago, Title IX of the Education Amendments made sex discrimination in education illegal. Although Title IX has improved educational equity for women and girls, recent studies report that gender bias still exists and still limits choices for half of the school population. While not the primary educational institution …

Answering Tough Questions in Science George F. Smoot III, an astrophysicist at the University of California’s Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, recently made one of this century’s most important scientific discoveries. He and his research team uncovered the first evidence of the formation of primordial structures from the universe’s creation. Essentially, Smoot …

What do “Animal Rights,” “Bigfoot,” “Cannibalism Controversy,” “Genetic Engineering,” “Infanticide,” “Nazis, Evolutionary Program of,” “Social Darwinism,” and “Spiritualism” have in common? They are all entries in The Encyclopedia of Evolution by Richard Milner (New York: Facts on File, hic, 1990. p. 481). When people associate so many varied and inflammatory …

In preparing to write about I the interpretation of A slavery in museums, I came across a news clipping entitled, “Slavery: Museums Reveal Uncomfortable Truth of the Past.” The title alone struck several familiar chords associated with my own experience and that of the Museum’s staff in interpreting the sensitive …

Did Governor Tryon have slaves?” “What was the African-American experience in colonial North Carolina?” As recently as 1990, visitors to Tryon Palace, the reconstructed colonial capitol of North Carolina, learned only sketchy answers to these questions. The original Palace was completed in 1770 for William Tryon, colonial governor of North …

To avoid controversy in education is to avoid active, meaningful learning; it reduces education to propaganda or indoctrination. The process of coming to terms with tough issues allows youth to drop assumptions and look beneath the surface of things. Practice in making choices and forming reasoned opinions allows youth to …

Tough topics lie in wait. They are an inherent and ever-present risk when teaching with any institutional collection. Some can be anticipated; others just happen ╤ a combustible combination of issues, personalities, and happenstance. Tough topics by their very nature can prompt visitor reactions ranging from mild discomfort to outright …

“What do shotgun houses, Creole-speaking Cajuns, and vodun rituals in Louisiana have in common with Haiti? Everything!” Students, teachers, museum visitors, and docents all made this discovery through an innovative cross-cultural, interdisciplinary exhibition, Haitian Cultural Legacy: From the Caribbean to Louisiana. Developed and presented by the Meadows Museum of Art …

by John Marshall Harris WANTED: Docents. Must be able to point, herd, communicate in one syllable words, and clean dirt from under fingernails (Ex-mud pie makers are perfect!). This seemingly whimsical wording is the product of hours of careful planning and coordination that also signals the beginning of the final …

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 …

We know that young children learn by exploring, observing, manipulating objects, and imitating what they perceive of the world around them. When properly used, museums can be fun and exciting places providing experiences that encourage young children to learn. At the Kingman Museum we have made several slight changes in …

In 1991, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, began a four-year curriculum development project called “Learning Through Art.” The purpose of this project was to establish the museum’s permanent collection as a major resource for elementary teachers. The project was funded initially by an NEA challenge grant. A group of …

Museum Objects as Springboards for Interdisciplinary Studies The concept of interdisciplinary studies is actually quite simple, based on the premise that children do not learn concepts and facts in isolation from one another. Parents know this. Teachers know this. Yet, ironically, schools tend to divide the day into forty-three minute …

Ask most first graders what they’ll find in a museum and they’ll say with assurance, “Dinosaurs!” I used to wonder why “museum” equaled “dinosaur” for our youngest visitors until I chanced upon a small, very bright, and infinitely mischievous monkey named George. “Curious George” is the principal character in a …

Regardless of suitability or circumstance, the traditional modes of teaching forged within schools tend to dominate education in museums, zoos, and other auxiliary educational institutions. For instance, many docents and staff educators instruct by lecturing. This form of teaching transferred to museums in spite of the profound differences (and considerable …

Successful tours for older adults, as with any group, are largely a matter of understanding the audience and reshaping one’s perceptions and techniques accordingly. The media, which strongly influences many of our commonly held perceptions, abounds with negative stereotypes of older people. Consider the advertisement for an emergency response system …