The work of science museum educators

Abstract

This paper reports the findings from an interview study with 24 educators from 10 museums in England. The investigation looked at how educators characterise their work and how their work is organised. The analytical framework of this investigation draws on sociological discussions on professionalism. The findings show that there is shared conception of what museum educators do and that a technical language to talk about their work is emerging. However, further development may be effected by the diversity in educators' educational backgrounds. Furthermore, the way work is divided in some (large) institutions directly challenges the integrity and expert knowledge of the practitioners, which may ultimately impede the occupation from truly becoming a profession. The findings have implications for researchers and practitioners interested in science teaching in museum environments, and to the professionalisation of museum education.

Informal Science Educators' Pedagogical Choices and Goals for Learners: The Case of Planetarium Professionals

“…ISE professionals share a technical language around their practice that enables them to effectively converse about their work and develop a shared identity. As part of this, museum educators often prefer terms such as "presenting," "facilitating," or "delivering," over a more formal use of the word "teaching" (Tran 2008). Tran (2008) suggests that the prevalence of the use of the term "deliver" over "teach" may reflect their beliefs in a knowledge-transfer model over a constructivist model of learning.…”

“…As part of this, museum educators often prefer terms such as "presenting," "facilitating," or "delivering," over a more formal use of the word "teaching" (Tran 2008). Tran (2008) suggests that the prevalence of the use of the term "deliver" over "teach" may reflect their beliefs in a knowledge-transfer model over a constructivist model of learning. ISE practitioners often develop pedagogical skills through practice because they came to their jobs without specific education training (Bailey 2006).…”

“…By examining planetarium professionals, as a unique group of educators with specific pedagogical philosophies and goals for their learning environment, we may better understand how to improve the planetarium's role in astronomy and space science education. This may also help address gaps in the research literature on how ISE professionals develop and deliver educational programming (Tran 2008). …”

Clarifying the complexities of school–museum interactions: Perspectives from two communities

“…Nor do all aquariums, science centers, or zoos have shared educational procedures. Tran () noted such differences in her analysis of informal educators' practices at ten different science museums in the UK; her analysis revealed four distinct organizational patterns for the distribution of educational responsibilities. Plummer and Small () saw that the perspectives of informal science educators might even differ depending on the type of institution where they work (e.g., planetarium vs. zoo vs. science center).…”

The professionalization of educators in science museums and centers

“…Another study exploring educators' conceptions of their professional work revealed that there is common understanding of what is considered educational work in museums that have developed from practice, and there is even a shared sense of occupational identity [32]. However, what became apparent was the lack of a shared body of professional language used by educators to talk about their work and identity.…”