Learning from Museums Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning

by Falk, John H.; Dierking, Lynn D.

• ISBN13: 9780742502949
• ISBN10: 0742502945
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-05-17
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

What roles can museums serve in a learning community? Why do people go to museums and what do they learn there? The answers to these questions are investigated by combining research and theories from such disparate fields as psychology, neuroscience, education and anthropology, as well as museum studies. The authors explain the nature and process of learning while providing advice on how museums can better create learning environments. Foreword by Michael Spock.

Author Biography

John H. Falk is currently director of the Institute for Learning Innovation, a nonprofit research and development organization in Annapolis, Maryland Lynn D. Dierking is associate director of the Institute for Learning Innovation, Annapolis, Maryland

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Preface	ix
Learning from Museums: An Introduction	1	(14)
The Personal Context	15	(22)
The Sociocultural Context	37	(16)
The Physical Context	53	(16)
Museums and the Individual	69	(22)
Communities of Learners	91	(22)
A Place for Learning	113	(22)
The Contextual Model of Learning	135	(14)
Documenting Learning from Museums	149	(28)
Making Museums Better Learning Experiences	177	(28)
Museums in the Larger Society	205	(14)
The Future of Museums	219	(18)
References	237	(28)
Index	265	(6)
About the Authors	271