Once upon a time, my husband and I and three friends visited Sunnyside, Washington Irving’s home on the banks of the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York. Like many historic homes, Sunnyside offers particular challenges to a docent that wants to allow visitors to “participate” in the experience. The home’s …
Would tour guides like it if a group of just-toured visitors slipped onto their knees and exclaimed, with tears pouring from their eyes, that the tour was the best, most life-altering experience they had ever had? Of course! While that may be pushing the envelope, tour guides do want our …
A special challenge for docents at the Walker Art Center is a schedule of rapidly changing exhibitions. This emphasis on a changing exhibition schedule means that our docents need to not only learn the basic information about the works on view, but also arrive at some effective ways of incorporating …
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 …
They say you can’t go home again, but I’m not entirely sure it’s true. When I became a docent at the National Gallery of Art after a long career as a nurse educator, I discovered that some of the tools I had used in that former life were quite useful …
Museums in the Caribbean Planning an island getaway? Well, you don’t have to leave your museum orientation and interests at home. The islands ot the Caribbean are rich in cultural, historic, and scientific institutions that can further your understanding of, and appreciation for, these exotic locations. Dominican Republic The Museo …
What am I hoping to accomplish by asking a question? I sometimes begin my “Minds in Motion” workshop about developing interaction skills by asking this question. If you will, take a moment or two to answer it yourself before you read any further. I’ll wait, (la, la, la . . …
Unless you are reading The Docent Educator for the first time, you probably know that I advocate teaching methods that use active learning strategies. It is my strongly held belief that object-based learning is best accomplished by placing visitors in the active roles of seekers and contemplators, rather than putting …