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Utilizing the Contextual Learning Model at the Plattsburgh State Art Museum
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Bellinger, Samantha |
| Copyright Year | 2014 |
| Abstract | Inspired by the work of John Falk and Lynn Dierking, this article examines the characteristics of contextual learning at the Plattsburgh State Museum. It investigates the museum visitors' experiences and process of learn ing through the lens of the Contextual Learning Model . vii The purpose of this thesis is twofold: l ) to suggest a method for understanding the museum visitor experience, 2) and to demonstrate that visitor learning is fundamentally a meaning-making activity that involves a constant negotiat ion between the stories given by museums and those brought by visitors. As such, it is emphasized that museums can be effective educators if they recognize and honor the process of mean ing-making. Chapter 1: Introduction Museums in the 20th century were historically rooted in object lessons, often more concerned with collection research than with visitors' education. 1 Over the past few decades, however, museum culture has begun to shift from focusing on their col lections to their vis itors. Museums are transforming themselves from static object displays into interactive learning environments for visitors.2 Today, virtually all museums prioritize visitor experience over artifacts and focus on public education. 3 This transition of priorities allows us to place the P lattsburgh State Art Museum in the context of when it was created and why it has become what it is today. But this paper is not about the transitions, it is about the importance of context in understanding the museum visitor experience. The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, it means to i lluminate how visitor experience the perceptions, feel ings, and reactions an individual has while v isiting a museum4can be understood through the lens of the Contextual Learning Model, a constructivist learning theory that outl ines the learning process in three intersecting contexts. Second, it aims to demonstrate that visitor meaning-making is an ongoing negotiation of information between museums and their visitors. As such, this thesis emphasizes that museums can better educate visitors by understanding the learning process and honoring vis itor meaning-making. To better i l lustrate the use of the Contextual Learning Model, I will examine two galleries at the Plattsburgh State Art Museum. The Rockwel l Kent Gallery and the Joseph C. 1 Michelle Henning, Museums, Media and Cultural Theory, (Maidenhead, UK: McGraw-Hill International Ltd., 2007), p . 2. 2 Eilean Hooper-Greenhill, Museums and their Visitors, (London: Routledge, 1 994), p 1 . 3 Henning, Museums, Media and Cultural Theory, p . 2. 4 National Park Service GMP Dynamic Sourcebook, s.v. "visitor experience," http://planning.nps.gov/GMPSourcebook/Glossary.htm, accessed January 20 1 3 . and Joan T. B urke Gallery both have held exhibitions composed of the M useum's extensive Rockwel l Kent col lection. Both galleries were ideal environments where context influenced the visitor' s experience of the museum. Yet, each gal lery was distinct in its presentation of objects and its manifestation of contextual learning. In order to maintain the intended viewing experience and more fully appreciate the applications of the Contextual Learning Model, I wi l l examine the exhibit spaces as I experienced them. To inform and support the exhibition exploration, professional research findings, such as those reported by the American All iance of Museums, wil l be incorporated. It is my hope that by exploring the juxtaposition of objects and exhibit design as one would experience it, the reader wil l be able to better understand the how the displays of Rockwel l Kent 's artwork i l luminates the Contextual Learning Model and how those complex interactions can be uti l ized in interpretation and audience education. 2 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://creativematter.skidmore.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=mals_stu_schol&httpsredir=1&referer= |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://creativematter.skidmore.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=mals_stu_schol |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
