Learning in the Museum (Museum Meanings) [Paperback]

George E. Hein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415097762 | ISBN-13: 978-0415097765 | Publication Date: April 23, 1998

Learning in the Museum examines major issues and shows how research in visitor studies and the philosophy of education can be applied to facilitate a meaningful educational experience in museums.

Hein combines a brief history of education in public museums, with a rigorous examination of how the educational theories of Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky and subsequent theorists relate to learning in the museum.

Surveying a wide range of research methods employed in visitor studies is illustrated with examples taken from museums around the world, Hein explores how visitors can best learn from exhibitions which are physically, socially, and intellectually accessible to every single visitor. He shows how museums can adapt to create this kind of environment, to provide what he calls the 'constructivist museum'.

Providing essential theoretical analysis for students, this volume also serves as a practical guide for all museum professionals on how to adapt their museums to maximize the educational experience of every visitor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...this work is an extremely valuable resource. The book is thought-provoking....
–The Public Historian

I recommend Learning in the Museum to anyone directly or indirectly involved in the design of museum exhibitions or programs. Challenging, provocative, and charged throughout with the author's intelligence and enthusiasm, it is both practical and intellectually satisfying.
–Museum News

This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on museum education...Its review of the research literature on visitor studies and consideration of research models and methods make it a very useful guide for professionals engaged in those activities. As well, it offers sound educational principles to develop exhibits that are respectful of visitors' abilities to learn.
–MUSE

Learning in the Museum, by uniting the heretofore separate schools of visitor studies and educational theory, is a valuable and well researched tool for administration and front line staff.
–ALHFAM Bulletin

It should be required reading for any person in the field of museology, though it provides more than the layperson might want to know about the theories of education, however interesting.
–Choice, Feb. 1999

About the Author

George E. Hein is a Professor at Lesley College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is co-author of Active Assessment of Active Science (1991) and a leading authority on museum education.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (April 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415097762
• ISBN-13: 978-0415097765
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential guide to the nature of museum learning., August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Learning in the Museum (Museum Meanings) (Paperback)

This book provides an excellent summary of current museum learning theory. Concise and engaging, it includes a compendium of virtually all of the relevant research and concepts in the hot topic of audience-centered and informal museum learning. This is pursuasively knit together to suggest a powerful approach - the constructivist museum. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding how visitors actually make meaning from their museum experiences.