Museum education

The museum education (or teaching museum or cultural mediation ) is the doctrine of the mediation of the collection items of a museum. It develops independent methodological and didactic concepts to introduce visitors to museums to exhibit objects and bring them closer.

Term

Terminologically the concept of museum education is not without controversy, as it is often shortened and only applied to the care of children and young museum visitors. However, in reality the Museum Education devotes all groups of museum visitors. In addition to teaching more associated terms such as education and teaching. There are still children are an important target group for the offers of education and communication, but some deals are also aimed at specific groups of adults, such as teachers and seniors.

Anchoring in the museums

Against the background of this debate, the localization of the Museum Education from house to house is very different. Thus, besides museums with a classic museum's educational department, museums only have a communication department that handles the entire outward communications (public relations, mediation work ... ) of the respective museum; as well as museums that offer a Visitor. Elsewhere, we speak only aware of " cultural mediators " and has strayed completely from the term museum educator.

In large cities, there are often next to the "normal" museum education departments of museums nor parent museum educational services that offer together with the museums own mediation offers.

The integration of museum education departments in the exhibition planning is in addition to the "normal " work of mediation is another important field of museum educators. However, it is often neglected in practice.

Comparison of school and museum education

Compared with the School Education results for the museum education (if one understands her more than the carrying of school classes through the museum ) is a fundamentally different approach. If in school education, the long-term knowledge transfer in the context of general education ( visit ) duty in the foreground, the museum education can come from a basically voluntary visit to the museum visitors and so also of a tendency more open-minded audience. The focus is on the current confrontation with the exhibits of the museum, its history and extending therefrom interactions with the personal experience of the visitor. The problem for the museum education is often existing only for short -term contact to visitors. A situation of trying to counteract the museums through various activities for visitors binding. In addition to the approach over the traditional visitor layers addition, children and young people through the museum passes and Funding stronger binding to the respective " home ", the Internet is likely to become one in this context is becoming increasingly important medium.

Examples

As an example of educational offers can apply integrative services for people with intellectual disabilities, such as those offered for example by the museum's educational services at the Ethnological Museum Bremen and Cologne museums. Here, subjects are often developed project like in action-oriented form.

Training

The profession of museum educators can not be acquired by a classical education or vocational training. However, there are several ways to qualify for the profession. Thus, the courses are Museology at the HTW Berlin ( University of Applied Sciences ), Museology at HTWK Leipzig ( FH) and cultural education mentioned. Furthermore, it is possible to qualify with a basic education through continuing education, such as the supplementary course " Museum and Exhibition ( MA) " of the University of Oldenburg.

Arnold Vogt Award for Educational Research

The University of Technology, Economy and Culture of Leipzig, Faculty of Media, awards annually since 2006 with 1,000 euros in prize money Arnold Vogt Award for Museum Education in recognition of practice-relevant, innovative research results in this area. The award is open to all graduates of universities and colleges in the German language, their conclusion or theses deal with museum education - understood as a personal communication, educational work in museums or memorials for different target groups. Diploma, master's, doctoral theses, bachelor's and master's theses are equally acceptable provided to be unpublished.

Institutions and associations

Federal Association of Museum Education with the adjoint state and regional associations (as of August 2013)

Regional Association Museum Education North e.V.

Working Group on Museum Education East Germany eV ( AKMPO )

National Association Museum Education NRW e.V.

National Association Museum Education Rhineland-Palatinate/Saarland eV

Association for Museum Education Baden -Württemberg

National Association Museum Education Bavaria e.V.

Significant museum educators

Adolf Reichwein
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