ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC

SOCIAL SCIENCE

MUSEUM

Submitted to: Anupama Miss Submitted by: Ligin Lopez

Lr. in Social Science Social Science

INDEXSL NO CONTENT PAGE NO

1INTRODUCTION 4-5

2DEFINITION 5-6

3

STEPS OF MUSEUM EDUCATION

6-7

4MUSEUM EDUCATION WITH REGARDS

TO SOCIAL STUDIES

7

5 MUSEUM TO PEOPLE8-9

6CONCLUSION 9

7REFERENCE 10

1.INTRODUCTION

Museum- the temple of the Muse, as the word implies, is intended to be a place for study. For

ages, the museum has been regarded as the reference file of real objects by which to verify and

amplify knowledge acquired and preserved in other forms. It is described as the centre of a

three dimensional documentation of the world and the history of man which no publications can

replace. It provides information, education and enjoyment. In 42nd amendment of the Indian

Constitution, out of 10 fundamental duties, 3 deals with the peoples concern for their past,

present and future environment.

These are:-

1. To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.

2. To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and

wild life and to have compassion for living creatures.

3. To develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry and reform.

Museums are the competent enough to help in fulfilling all the above goals. Museums

can help people in acquiring perfection in life.

Instruction through visits to museums is becoming increasingly popular in all progressive

countries. It is being generally recognized that museums, especially those which preserve

historical and cultural objects, impart wholesome education at all levels. They give new impetus

to teaching methods. In most progressive countries, museum is being recognized as an

instrument of public education with vast potentialities. In Canada, a well organized modern

museum is considered essential to the educational system of the community. In Sweden, visits

to the museums are connected with curriculum. Museum collections are a valuable aid to

teachers in giving life and reality to school courses, at every stage of formal education.

DEFINITION OF MUSEUM

A museum is defined as “a non - profit making permanent institution, in the service of

the society and its development and open to the public, which acquires, conserves,

communicates and exhibits, researches for the purpose of study, education and enjoyment,

material evidence of men and his environment". This declaration made in the Copenhegen

10th General Assembly of the International Council of Museums held in 1974 which is fairly

comprehensive.American Association of Museums defines a museum as “An organised and

permanent,non-profit institution essentially educational or aesthetic in purpose, with professional

staffwhich owns and utilizes tangible objects, earns for them and exhibits them to the public on

some regular schedule.” This author define a museum as a service provider for the spread

of knowledge.“Unless the hearts and minds of the people are exposed to works of art and

elevated to a higher creative plane, they generally tend to remain at the animal level below the

teaching of civilization.”

M.S Randhawa

There are many more definitions of museums that lay most emphasis on their role on

education. The educational activities within the museums must be ready to provide a great

variety of methods through which people can receive insights into and enjoyment of

collections. The presence of objects that do not know the boundaries of Ianguage and literacy

helps museums to be on advantageous position compared to other public service agencies,

to serve as socially relevant agency for the education and development of the community.

STEPS OF MUSEUM EDUCATION

Educations must be conducted in a planned way. Museum planning is divided into three

as before museum, during museum and after museum. Studies before museum are processes of

planning people and conditions. The trainer that conducts the study will decide on the group he

will work with. He gets necessary permissions and dates and prepares the trip plan based on the

group’s characteristic. He informs the group about the study and provides them with the

necessary materials. He informs the officials in museum about the day, time and the

characteristics of the group. Studies in the museum are pre-planned but open to necessary

changes based on the conditions, addressing to different perceptions and emotions, educational,

fun, creative and available for open thinking applications. It is not necessary to see the whole

museum in this study. Most of the time this study includes creative drama and workshops, which

are focusing on an object, an idea, a thought that are supporting new acquisitions. In museum

education studies, studies towards handcrafting, writing, creative drama, studies on voice, smell

and taste, studies on living history or oral history etc. can be used as a method. The results of the

museum studies are evaluated in the museum or in school. The products of the activity (painting,

fabric, mask, sculpture etc.) that are created in workshops can be displayed as an exhibit. The

intellectual outcomes of the studies are put forward in forms of applications, such as

composition, debate, letter and report. In social studies lesson there can be different activities in a

planned museum trip. Within the culture and heritage learning sphere, prior to museum trip

architectural exploration, photography animation, clock tower, our traditions: ancestor sports and

games, during the museum trip young archeologists, ritual organization, design hunt in carpet

and rugs, slabs; after the museum trip mutual culture heritage project, museum presentation

posters and brochures, costume designing in the museum and time capsule activities can be done.

MUSEUM EDUCATION WITH REGARDS TO SOCIAL STUDIES

Museums are ideal learning and practice centers where people learn while having fun and

where they enjoy learning. “Discovery rooms” that are aiming to learn through discovery and

full with materials that encourage the visitor to discover, “artificial or historical structures or

even settlements” where past is revived, “science museums” that are interactive exhibits where

details of technology and science take place concretely, give their visitors more than a learning

done in a classical classroom atmosphere (Ýlhan et al, 2006:20).School has lost its priority and

qualification being first to be remembered when learning and education are mentioned.

Understanding of addition of differences to education today is considered together with many

factors that can contribute to children’s learning and education. It is clear that museums are

indispensable parts of the education. When the educational characteristic of museums is taken

into consideration, the results of children’s benefits from them can be listed as below:

· Children learn to develop their knowledge and they gain the habit of comparing them with the

knowledge in the books. Children have the chance to see the real life objects that were used in

historical periods. They try to make connection between historical events and the life objects of

that period. This situation helps them gain true history awareness. In their minds they compare

the differences and similarities between the objects today and objects in museum.

Children develop their sense of observation, logic, creativity and taste.

They develop their sense of aesthetics.

They learn creative thinking.

Museums show children that development and change is unavoidable.

It teaches to think and to evaluate the events in all aspects (thinking with multiple

perspectives)

In addition, children learn different cultures.

They obtain consciousness to protect cultural values they own

Museums are not only places where old artifacts are protected and displayed but also active

learning places where one can have fun walking around and much knowledge can be attained in

this trip. Learning today is not only through teachers’ lectures but also with the abilities and

research instinct of the learners. Learning in a museum is a composite of activities where the

individual’s research and learning curiosity is awakened and this curiosity is met through

teacher’s guidance. Because museums are not demanding a certain certificate or grade, and most

of the time voluntariness is of essence, they provide a wider place compared with the traditional

school boundaries to their participants or free learning area for their visitors. Some of the ability

and values that are aimed through museum education in social studies are like this: Gathering,

recording, organizing and presenting data from cultural heritage themed activities, creating a

sense of protection and sustentation of old artifacts, creating toleration and awareness towards

different civilization and cultures, evaluating cultural heritage with aesthetics and beauty

concepts. As a result of these activities students gain a lot of ability and values related with daily

lives. Some of them are like this: He can differentiate between local and universal, thinking and

imagination develop through games and animations, researching abilities develop, respects

different ideas and compares modern day life with the past.

In social studies education there are many outdoor activities (land works, community services)

and one of the important of these is museums. As a part of social studies, the students must be

taken to museums. Especially in teaching history or gaining national consciousness, museums

are effective classrooms. When museums are compared with schools, universities and libraries,

they provide different learning options for the learner. One of the advantages of museums is that

they have wider visitor potential. Museums provide opportunities for the identity development.

While the visitors are interested in the objects and information in a museum, they discover

themselves and reflections of their culture. This phase helps the learner make new connections,

make sense and learn. Museums had some educational purposes. Museums can be defined as

free-optioned or informal learning environments. Free-optioned concept; can be used for the

learning situations where the individual guides himself, encouraged by voluntariness, personal

need and interests, and aiming towards widening the life. According to the theory of multiple

intelligences and constructivist approach, learning ways of the learners may vary. Because the

museums create their own learning environment, the date the students receive will be more. The

gains coming from the teacher or guide’s leadership will achieve their purpose. There are many

benefits of the usage of museums in social studies lesson.

Museums help students understand the values of historical artifacts and cultural properties of the

past protect the cultural heritage and internalize multiculturalism by tolerating different cultures.

The collections displayed in the museums contribute their critical thinking abilities on the past

and history discipline through helping them to see how past is evaluated. Collected and displayed

objects or collections in the museums also help the protection of national identity, culture and

memory, and help them handing down the historical and cultural heritage to next generations.

Apart from these benefits, museums help the formation and development of abilities like

observation, using imagination and creativity, and emotions like aesthetics or like. It concretizes

the lesson like social studies, in which there are many abstract concepts and a lot of object

teaching. Due to these reasons, museums have the potential to enable the realization of the goals

stated by the social studies curriculum as well as history education curriculum in an effective

way. Due to these contributions of museums to social studies and history education, it is

emphasized that museums should be used for educational purposes and it is advised for social

studies learning methods class in undergraduate programs must include museum education.

MUSEUM TO PEOPLE

Due to lack of awareness and transport facilities a large number of people could not able

to see even the near by museum. To overcome this problem, museum should organize mobile

exhibitions on bus, truck, jeep and special vehicles. Replicas, fascimiles and few original objects,

film units lectures illustrated with slides are arranged in this van, which moves from place to

place. The periodical exhibitions organized on different aspects of Indian art, culture, flora and

fauna and applied sciences may be circulated from time to time for the benefit of the students as

well as the general public. The other vital areas like the health, hygiene, agriculture etc. should

also be covered. The museums must undertake the socio-economic and cultural surveys to

identify the Public of their respective areas in order to formulate their educational programmes

for the community.

MUSEUM TO SCHOOLS

Every school should aim at developing a small school museum by taking aid and advice

from the museum personal. It should contain collection of specimens made by students, pictures,

charts, and models relevant to school curriculum. School children are excellent collectors and if a

call will be given by their teachers, they can assemble such valuable collections of natural history

objects, photographs, objects of art and so on. The museums also should supply selected replicas,

objects, miniatures and painting. It will take the message of the museum to the doorsteps of the

children. It will highly be useful both to the students and teachers. In the process of learning

through observation and discovery, museums are adjuncts to school education. The potential of

museums as institution that could implement and supplement School education has been

organized all over the world. Programmes for School children have always been among the most

frequent educational offerings of museums. The frequent visits of young pupils to museums, not

only supplement their classroom teachings, but also create a love of beauty in many forms;

which if properly absorbed in this formative stage of mind, will lead to a wider understanding

and sometimes create specialized interest for the future. Museums could contribute to School

education in many ways, the most important being, visual communication through objects and

materials. Subjects like History, Geography, Art, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Health and

Hygiene, Natural Sciences and even Mathematics could come alive more vividly and effectively

through exhibits in museums representing the disciplines. Educational experiences obtainable in

museums for school children may fall into two categories, experiences directly relevant to the

school curriculum and experiences that provide a broader perspective for improving the general

knowledge of students in different areas of humanities and sciences. To achieve these objectives

of museum education relevant to school children, museum authorities should make conscious

efforts in providing these required medium of communication.

CONCLUSION

A good history museum is not merely a collection of items , it should be a collection of

useful items. A museum is also not a curious show. It must have a dynamic image and role to

play in the diverse needs of the peoples of different classes.

REFERENCES

1. Hooper-Greenhill (Ed.) The Educational Role of the Museums, London, 1996.

2. Sud P.D. Museums- Media of Mass Education with special reference to India. Journal of

Indian Museum, vol. 37,1981, P.P.48-55.

3. Venugopal, Museum Education.

4. Biswas, T.K. Museum and Education, New Age International (P.)Ltd., New Delhi, 1996

5. Pant G.N., Museums, their Educational potential. Journal of Indian Museums, vol. XXXIX,

1983,New Delhi, P.P. 5-9.

6. ICOM, 1974, Definition by the International Council of Museum, adopted in its status of

1974.This also forms the basis of ICOM code of professional Ethics, approved in 1986.

7. Nigam, M.L., Fundamentals of Museology, Hyderabad, 1985, P.P.127-139.

8. Nigam, M.L., Museum Research and Education in Indian context. Journal of Indian Museums,

vol.XXXVIII, 1982, New Delhi. P.P.1-7.

9. Khanna, S.L., Use of Museums for education, Journal of Indian Museums, vol.XXXVIII,

1982,New Delhi, P.P.40-41.

10. Harison Molly, Education in Museums, The organisation of museum, practical advice,

UNESCO,Paris, 1960, P.P.81-92.

Corrected by

Anupama M R

Lr. in Social Science