Creating Meaningful Museum Experiences for K–12 Audiences: How to Connect with Teachers and Engage Students (American Alliance of Museums)

Product Description
Creating Meaningful Museum Experiences for K–12 Audiences: How to Connect with Teachers and Engage Students is the first book in more than a decade to provide a comprehensive look at best practices in working with this crucial segment of museum visitors. With more than 40 contributors from art, history, science, natural history, and specialty museums across the country, the book asks probing questions about museum-school relationships, suggests new paradigms, and offers creative approaches. Fully up-to-date with current issues relevant to museums’ work with schools, including anti-racist teaching approaches and pivoting to virtual programming during the pandemic, this book is essential for both established and emerging museum educators to ensure they are current on best practices in the field.
The book features four parts: Setting the Stage looks at the how museums establish and finance K-12 programs, and how to engage with the youngest audiences. Building Blocks considers the core elements of successful K-12 programming, including mission alignment, educator recruitment and training, working with teacher advisory boards, and anti-racist teaching practices. Questions and New Paradigms presents case studies in which practitioners reconsider established approaches to museums’ work with schools and engage in iterative processes to update and improve them—from evaluating K–12 museum programs to diversifying program content, to prioritizing virtual programming. Solutions and Innovative Models offers examples of programs that have been reimagined for the current landscape of museum-school collaborations, including practicing self-care for teachers and museum educators, investing in extended school relationships over one-time visits, and highlighting the stories of enslaved people who lived at historic sites.
Review
Essential reading for today’s museum education workforce and K-12 teachers alike, Creating Meaningful Museum Experiences for K–12 Audiences: How to Connect with Teachers and Engage Students, assembles thoughtful explorations of contemporary teaching and learning challenges in the K–12 museum education space. The authors share inspiring and innovative solutions based on new programming paradigms and best practices that will undoubtedly facilitate the kinds of motivating dialogues and collaboration needed to push the museum education field forward in support of our nation’s teachers and learners. -- Sandra Annette Toro, PhD, educational psychologist, informal learning expert, and Education Program Specialist in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the US Department of Education
Young’s book upgrades the 'K–12 museum experiences primer' by offering detailed case studies that highlight the breadth of museum-school engagements and the issues and skills museum educators must grapple with to be successful. It will set an honest, inspiring new standard for learning about museum education.
-- Sarah Jencks, director of education and interpretation, Ford’s Theatre Society
About the Author
Tara Young is an experienced museum professional and a professor of museum studies at Tufts University. Currently an independent consultant, she has held positions at several museums on both coasts. Most recently, she served on the founding staff of the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA, which received AAM accreditation in 2015. Tara has degrees in the history of art and architecture from Harvard College and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a certificate in nonprofit management and leadership from Tisch College of Tufts University. She lives in Central Massachusetts.