Teaching kit (museum)
Encyclopedia
A teaching kit is a teaching resource developed by a museum education
department with the intention of creating cross-curricular learning. Such kits often include many resources, such as an educators' guide, a CD-ROM
with works of art and primary sources (letters, maps, period photographs), overhead transparencies, posters, curricula, and step-by-step lesson plans. The projects are founded on the belief that art and material culture can be a valuable lens through which to study a historical moment.
As N. Elizabeth Schlatter, the author of Museum Careers: A Practical Guide for Students and Novices, explains, the role of museums is to make “a unique contribution to the public by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the things of this world." She goes on to note how the scholar Stephen Weil has said that museums have changed their mission to educating the visitor rather than having a primary mission of object care. Out of this growing trend, Education Departments have become one of the most vital parts of the museum organization. They seek to bring the knowledge of the museum to the community by more public programs and through programs designed to be used in traditional classroom curricula.
The Phillips Collection
in Washington, DC, USA, is an example of a museum with a strong program of creating teaching kits. Their teaching kits focus on works of art and exhibitions at The Phillips Collection. The education department works with mentor teachers and advisors from schools. As they explain on their website, “arts education is a valuable window on subjects such as history, math, English, English as a second language, and geography.”
The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
’s Education Department has also created programs, workshops and printed and electronic resources for teachers to integrate art into their daily curricula.
The Whitney Museum of American Art
in New York City, NY, USA, has an extensive family education program as well. For their recent Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction show, family kits with flowers, colored pencils and a gallery guide were given at the coat check desk. Similarly for the 2010 Biennial a family guide is offered .
The US National Endowment for the Humanities
has also contributed to this trend with a program called Picturing America, a set of forty, carefully selected works of art spanning several centuries—all by American painters, sculptors, photographers, and architects. NEH Chairman Bruce Cole said, “Picturing America helps us understand our democracy by bringing us face to face with the people, places, and events that have shaped our country. It provides an innovative way to experience America's history through our nation's art.” The NEH program includes a resource book, lesson plans, and large, high quality reproductions of these images. It can be used to enhance the study of American history, social studies, language arts, literature, and civics according to their website.
Museum education
Museum education is an important part of the role of museums.- Introduction :A museum's collection can be used to support education in a variety of ways...
department with the intention of creating cross-curricular learning. Such kits often include many resources, such as an educators' guide, a CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
with works of art and primary sources (letters, maps, period photographs), overhead transparencies, posters, curricula, and step-by-step lesson plans. The projects are founded on the belief that art and material culture can be a valuable lens through which to study a historical moment.
As N. Elizabeth Schlatter, the author of Museum Careers: A Practical Guide for Students and Novices, explains, the role of museums is to make “a unique contribution to the public by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the things of this world." She goes on to note how the scholar Stephen Weil has said that museums have changed their mission to educating the visitor rather than having a primary mission of object care. Out of this growing trend, Education Departments have become one of the most vital parts of the museum organization. They seek to bring the knowledge of the museum to the community by more public programs and through programs designed to be used in traditional classroom curricula.
The Phillips Collection
Phillips Collection
The Phillips Collection is an art museum founded by Duncan Phillips in 1921 as the Phillips Memorial Gallery located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Phillips was the grandson of James H...
in Washington, DC, USA, is an example of a museum with a strong program of creating teaching kits. Their teaching kits focus on works of art and exhibitions at The Phillips Collection. The education department works with mentor teachers and advisors from schools. As they explain on their website, “arts education is a valuable window on subjects such as history, math, English, English as a second language, and geography.”
The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
’s Education Department has also created programs, workshops and printed and electronic resources for teachers to integrate art into their daily curricula.
The Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
in New York City, NY, USA, has an extensive family education program as well. For their recent Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction show, family kits with flowers, colored pencils and a gallery guide were given at the coat check desk. Similarly for the 2010 Biennial a family guide is offered .
The US National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
has also contributed to this trend with a program called Picturing America, a set of forty, carefully selected works of art spanning several centuries—all by American painters, sculptors, photographers, and architects. NEH Chairman Bruce Cole said, “Picturing America helps us understand our democracy by bringing us face to face with the people, places, and events that have shaped our country. It provides an innovative way to experience America's history through our nation's art.” The NEH program includes a resource book, lesson plans, and large, high quality reproductions of these images. It can be used to enhance the study of American history, social studies, language arts, literature, and civics according to their website.