La aportación educativa de Los museos a La ... - Fundación Typa

the educative contribution of museums to society
because at least in the U.S., for reasons only partially known, not all families
use museums to meet their free-choice learning needs. Fortunately, my recent
and on-going research suggests that once families who have not traditionally
used such settings have the opportunity to participate in and feel comfortable
with museum-based programs, they begin to see such settings as a prime
resource for free-choice learning.
As museums increasingly attempt to attract families from new audiences
though, it is also important not to make assumptions about whether or not
these families attend museums or are/are not involved in other aspects of freechoice
learning. Data collected for Tripod—a collaboration between the Miami
Museum of Science and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Miami, designed
to nurture adult involvement in children’s science, math, and technology
education—indicated that many children and adults had visited the museum
previously; and a few were frequent users. 12 Many families also visited the
library regularly or had ways, not necessarily at home, to access the Internet.
The adults knew their children were interested in learning and were looking
for innovative ways to support that interest. Similarly in another program, we
found that many families were museum-goers and perceived that the museum
offered them a resource for learning together.
The greatest challenge is helping families from new audiences to recognize
that these programs (and the museums associated with them) can provide a
fun and comfortable way to share quality time together. The most effective
recruitment strategies for many of these efforts involve tapping into the community
early on and using an existing communication infrastructure —such
as a parent involvement committee or an existing family program at a community-based
organization—to get the word out. 13 Project staff also have found
it useful to identify key members of the target community who could serve as
spokespeople for the program.
Increasingly, many museum programs are focusing on building long-term
relationships with families, particularly those from new communities since
research suggests that repeat, sustained participation in museum programs
significantly enhances the learning potential and positive influences of these
experiences on peoples’ lives. 14 However, the fact that such participation is
even possible, needs to be clearly communicated to families. For example, initially
girls and significant adults were not making repeat visits to a program
called Girls at the Center (G.A.C.). Interviews and observations indicated that
participants did not realize it was a year-long program, rather than a series of
one-day sessions like many others they had attended. Staff worked to create a
12 Luke, J., and L. Dierking, Interim Year One Report: Tripod Formative Evaluation, Miami Museum
of Science and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, Miami, FL, technical report (Annapolis,
Md.: Institute for Learning Innovation, 1999). Tripod Preliminary Summative Evaluation
Findings, Year Two, Miami Museum of Science and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami,
Miami, FL, technical report (Annapolis, Md.: Institute for Learning Innovation, 2000).
13 Adelman, Dierking, & Adams.
14 Adelman, Dierking, & Adams; Luke & Dierking, Girls at the Center, 2000.
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