TEN QUESTIONS TO ASK STUDENTS BEFORE A MUSEUM VISIT

1. What is a museum? What is the purpose of a museum? Museums are special places that collect, care for and exhibit objects. They teach the community about those objects. Museums tell us who we are, where we’ve been, what is important to us, and the nature of our world. A museum is a place for exploration and discovery.

2. What is a “collection”? Ask students what things they collect. Relate the collecting function of museums to your students’ own collections. Ask students to bring in one object from their own collections. What is similar about the objects in their collection? Why do they collect those particular objects?

3. Has anyone visited a museum before? Where? What did you see? There are many different kinds of museums (art, history, natural history, science, zoological, etc.). Museums may also focus on a single topic (music, medicine, transportation, outer space, sports, etc.). They might focus on a single person, a specific place or time in history, or a special audience, like children.

4. What kind of things do you expect to see in a museum?

5. What is the difference between something that is “real” or authentic, and something that is a copy? Would you rather see an original or a copy? Why?

6. The range of acceptable behavior differs according to the type of museum. Some museums allow you to touch objects, some do not. Why do some museums ask visitors not to touch the objects? To protect objects from damage so that they can be enjoyed generations from now. Many objects are more fragile than they appear. Objects can be damaged by the oil on our hands, by exposure to light, or careless handling.

7. Why should we be aware of our voices in a museum? We want to be able to hear what the docents, and our fellow students, have to say. We don’t want to disturb other visitors at the museum.

8. Why should we not run in museums? By walking slowly we will not accidentally damage an object or hurt others.

9. Who works at a museum? Directors, Curators, Educators, Docents, Security Officers, Registrars, Gift Store Managers, etc.

10. What jobs do these people do? Here are a few examples: A Curator selects objects, studies them and cares for them. A Docent is a volunteer who guides visitors through a museum. A Security Guard protects the objects and helps museum visitors. An Educator plans programs to help people learn about the objects.

Sources:
Voris, Helen & Sedzielarz, Maija & Blackmon, Carolyn. Teach the Mind, Touch the Spirit: A Guide to Focused Field Trips. Chicago: Department of Education, Field Museum of Natural History, 1986.

Waterfall, Milde & Grusin, Sarah. Where’s the Me in Museum: Going to Museums with Children. Arlington: Vandamere Press, 1989.