Creating Meaningful Learning at Museums

Creating Learning Experiences
in Museums:
Discussing – Inquiring – Participating
Niki Nikonanou and Alexandra Bounia
Case studies by Alexandra Bennett and Alan Kirwan

Creating Learning Experiences in Museums: Discussing – inquiring – participating
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Creating Learning Experiences in Museums:
Discussing – Inquiring – Participating
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Cover photos: Alexandra Bennett, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Museums

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Contents
Introduction 5
Educational Methods and Museums: Creating Meaningful
Learning Experiences 8
1. STORYTELLING / NARRATION 9
GUIDED TOURS 9
STORYTELLING 11
CASE STUDY 1: The Pearl of Life 12
EXPERT DEMONSTRATIONS 13
2. DISCURSIVE METHODS: dialogue and conversation 14
CASE STUDY 2: Picasso-Giacometti Exhibition Access Tours 15
EDUCATIONAL TOURS - DISCUSSIONS 16
3. EXPLORATION/DISCOVERY 18
CASE STUDY 3: Family spaces inside and in the open spaces of
the National Museum of Qatar 20
CASE STUDY 4: Family backpacks in the National Museum of Qatar 21
4. EXPERIENTIAL – CREATIVE LEARNING 22
ARTS AND CRAFTS ACTIVITIES 23
CASE STUDY 5: Traditional Qatari Crafts 25
CASE STUDY 6: Motion Lab 26
PERFORMING ARTS ACTIVITIES 27
CASE STUDY 7: My Museum – A Participatory Interactive Exhibition 30
LITERACY ACTIVITIES: CREATIVE WRITING 32
CASE STUDY 8: Objects as Experience 33
Further Reading 34

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Niki Nikonanou is Associate Professor of Museum
Education at the University of Thessaly, Greece. Her
research interests include art education, cultural
mediation, participation and inclusion. She is editor and
writer of books and articles on museum-education theory
and praxis.
Alexandra Bounia is Professor of Museology at the
University of the Aegean, Greece. From 2017 until 2020
she was Associate Professor of Museum and Gallery
Practice at UCL in Qatar.
Alexandra Bennett was Deputy Director of Learning and
Outreach at Qatar Children’s Museum between 2015-2020
leading a team to devise and deliver creative programmes
for schools, families and community groups as part of
audience research and prototyping. From 2013-2015 she
was Head of Community Outreach with a focus on access
and inclusion.
Alan Kirwan was Deputy Director of Learning and
Outreach at the National Museum of Qatar from 2017-
2020. In that time, he managed and prepared the
education department for the museum’s grand opening
in 2019 and directed the development of learning
programmes and resources for a diverse range of
audiences.

Creating Learning Experiences in Museums: Discussing – inquiring – participating 5
L
earning and collaboration with
institutions of formal and non-
formal education hold a central role
in the agenda of all museums in Qatar.
Since their very first days, their wider
educational purpose has been promoted
and pursued through various educational
programmes and activities that are offered
for different age groups (adults, children
of different ages, etc.), different relation
groups (families, schools, specialists, etc.),
different occasions (programmes related
to temporary exhibitions, or national and
international celebrations), both inside and
outside the institution’s walls (outreach/
community engagement programmes).
Museum education programmes1
initiate
a flow of information between the
museum and its audiences, provoke
interest and curiosity, and help visitors
make meaning of and through collections.
They inspire and support visitors and
communities at large to engage with the
museums’ narratives and objects, promote
awareness, engagement as well as
knowledge-building.
From another perspective, the
collaboration between museums
and formal education institutions is
particularly important: museums help
learners to develop core skills, such as
critical thinking, ability to be innovative
and creative. In addition, museums
hold artefacts that are instrumental in
facilitating active experiential learning,
encouraging different forms of expression
and intelligence, promote a hands-on,
open-ended, life-long understanding and
pursuing of learning.
However, as the number of institutions
increases and the educational role
of museums becomes more widely
acknowledged, the need for more people
to be involved in designing and leading
museum educational programmes also
increases. On the other hand, teachers,
especially those who do not feel familiar
with, or confident enough to integrate
museums and their resources to their daily
teaching, as well as parents need to be
encouraged, empowered and supported to
make the most of museums and of what
Introduction
1 The term ‘educational programme’ is used to describe a structured visit to a museum or other cultural institution, of a small number of
people that belong to a particular group (usually age related). Educational programmes are usually addressed to school groups. The term
‘museum learning’ has been more recently used to address informal and adult learning strategies.

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they have to offer. This manual
aims to achieve exactly that:
by providing a list of discussion of
methodologies and tools that everyone
interested in creating an educational
programme in a museum can use, as well
as examples from successful and innovative
programmes that have taken place in
different institutions in Qatar using one, or
more often, a combination of these tools
and methods, we aim to contribute to more
extensive and systematic use of the unique
resource museums are for life-long learning.
museums help
learners to develop
core skills

Museum Educational Programmes:
An overview for teachers
What are the main characteristics of an educational programme?
One of the main aims of educational programmes is to avoid an exhausting and tiring visit to an
institution by students. In order to achieve this goal educational programmes have very clear and
specific aims, are very clearly structured, their duration is carefully estimated (usually 1,5 hours, max 3
hours), they focus on only one topic and use specific artefacts. An overarching aim is for the process to
be enjoyable and creative so that students are positively inclined for following visits.
How is an educational programme structured?
An educational programme has usually three steps:
a. Preparation at school (where we are going to go, what are we going to see, why are we going
to go there, any connections with the curriculum, i.e. teaching the relevant parts in class,
discussion about the value of visiting a museum – value of authenticity – how do we behave in
a museum).
b. Visit to the museum.
c. Activities in class after the visit (so that the knowledge acquired in the museum is
consolidated, further discussion of relevant information, art activities, essay writing, etc.)
How is the visit to the museum structured?
The visit to the museum has also various steps. The most common are the following:
a. Introduction: students are introduced into the historical period/era to which the
programme refers.
b. Main part: students are encouraged to approach museum objects and themes through their
participation in various activities.
c. Ending: students transform and enrich their experience through creative activities.
d. Evaluation.
How do we plan an educational programme?
There is no single way of planning a museum educational programme. Programmes can be very different
in terms of their methodologies and aims. Nevertheless, there are some common steps that are
necessary in order for the planning to be complete.
a. Define the theme, which can relate to a specific exhibition, collection or gallery in the museum,
or even some specific objects from the collections.
b. Define the characteristics of the students (or any other) group: special interests and
knowledge level.
c. Make links to the curriculum, if it is possible, and define the aims of the programme.
d. Find resources (relevant bibliography, information in the form of educator’s handbooks or
guides) in order to prepare yourself both for students’ questions, but also for identifying
appropriate activities.
e. Create your programme: define steps and spaces, select artifacts and methods, and provide
materials.

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Educational Methods and
Museums: Creating Meaningful
Learning Experiences
If the museum space is the ‘canvas’ upon which educational activities unfold,
the methods selected for their implementation shape the context within
which visitors act, their type of experience, the level of participation and
engagement, and the opportunities provided for personal decisions,
initiatives, expression and creativity.
A broad range of methods is used in museum educational
practice. In the pages that follow these methods will
be presented and discussed, along with examples and
case studies. It is important to choose the right method
on each occasion that will promote the interaction of visitors
with museum objects and attract their interest, evoking personal
questions and motivating them to find the relevant answers.
Furthermore, the right methodology will provide incentives for further
enquiry and learning, will induce new interests, and offer opportunities to
enhance creativity, inspiration and enjoyment. In addition, the social dimension
of the museum experience can be strengthened through educational processes
that will ensure active participation of all visitors and engagement of the individuals
involved in it – family members, other visitors, and museum educators. Museum
learning is not about a teacher-centred experience, but about the creation of a context
of learning that encourages interaction, exchange of views and ideas, expression of
personal opinions and of personal creativity. It is about encouragement towards self-
actualization. In order to select the methods and activities that are suitable for use
within a specific museum educational program, we need to take into account the
following factors:
a. Visitor group: 1. The characteristics of the group (age, preferences, interests),
2. The type of visit (individual visitors, families, school classes, organised public
groups) and 3. The number of people taking part in the activity, along with the
available space and staff.
b. Implementation space: 1. The elements of the exhibition space – objects
and types of exhibits, spatial layout, interpretation media (printed or digital) 2.
Visitors’ movement in space and possibility to approach specific exhibits/themes
individually or as a group. 3. Availability of auxiliary spaces (workshops, rooms for
educational programmes, etc.).
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1. Storytelling / Narration
Storytelling can be used for a variety of activities, primarily for guided tours and
storytelling sessions, but also as part of other structured learning activities.
GUIDED TOURS
Guided tours are the oldest form of activity in the field of museum education. They
constitute process of sharing information, about the exhibition/museum content, by
taking people around the institution and offering them information in front of selected
exhibits. The goals connected to this kind of activity are primarily cognitive, i.e. aim at
sharing specific pieces of information. Throughout this process, the docent/guide moves
along with a group in the exhibition spaces maintaining the role of the expert with
special knowledge of the subject who conveys information – often of scientific or historical
nature – to visitors who are looking at the exhibits. Visitors are usually passive receivers
of information and are rarely given the opportunity to interrupt the tour guide in order
to voice their personal views, ask questions or interfere with the course of the visit or
its script. Participating visitors are expected to focus on the words of the docent/guide in
order to comprehend the information provided and follow the ‘thread’ of the narration,
while any interaction among members of the group is considered disruptive.
CONTENT/WHAT?
It is important to specify the content of the guided tour according to the
visitor group it is addressed to – the characteristics and circumstances
of the participants’ visit – as well as the goals the tour aims to achieve:
either to provide an overview of the museum and the museums’ highlights
or to focus on a particular subject/topic and analyse it in depth. The exhibits,
content and route are selected according to the subject of the tour, which is based
on a ‘closed’ script with preselected ‘stops/exhibits’. For a guided tour to be
successful, a limited number of exhibits should be included, and a logical
connection should be sought between the information and the content.
The choice of exhibits and information should not only depend on
their academic value, but also follow an educational rationale
in accordance with the specific audience and correspond to
their interests, expectations and experiences. For example,
different content will be selected for a tour addressing
tourists who will be able to visit the museum only
once, and another for a group of adults from the
local community, who have the opportunity to visit the
museum repeatedly, and have a level of familiarity with
the museum space and content, as well as the overall cultural
context of the institution. In the case of school group visits, age
and the school curriculum are the two important factors that need to
be taken into account when planning for such an activity.
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IMPLEMENTATION/HOW TO DO IT?
As with all ‘live interpretation’ processes, the personality and training of the docents/
guides is of primary importance in this methodology. Very good knowledge of the
museum content is an unnegotiable precondition; however, communication skills,
both verbal and non-verbal, are equally important. In addition, a friendly, polite
and confident manner have a positive effect, get visitors’ trust and allow for a better
communication process to develop. The interest of the audience is maintained through
the choice of words, the movements and the intensity, variations and tone of the guides’
voice. However, it is important to take into account that the docent’s/guide’s presence
should not compete with the exhibits.
SPACE/WHERE?
A tour takes place inside the museum or in an outdoor area (as for instance, an
archaeological site, a historical location, or a cultural complex). It is important that the
participants in the tour concentrate on specific exhibits, have visual contact with them
and understand the docent’s/guide’s words, which depends on the volume of his/her voice
and the acoustics of the space. The docent/guide should not hinder the visitors’ contact
with the exhibits, visually or in any other way.
PARTICIPANTS/FOR WHOM?
Guided tours are offered to organised groups of any age, ranging from young children to
senior citizens. Groups should number up to 35 persons, or a number that enables the
participants to have visual contact with the exhibits and the docent/guide and listen to
his/her presentation. The number of participants depends on the space, but also the aims
of the specific tour.
DURATION/FOR HOW LONG?
The duration of a guided tour should not exceed one hour. Please remember: visitors are
standing and moving, while looking at objects and listening to information. It is therefore
easy for them to become tired and, therefore, lose interest. This happens regardless of the
age or commitment of the group.
TIP: Change of roles: A museum tour with visitors as guides
Visitor groups can take part in educational activities with the aim to design a guided tour
and then conduct such tours with other public groups. Such initiatives are usually developed
in collaboration with schools or local communities. This approach is used to attract hard
to reach groups to the museum, while also giving the floor to new perspectives and
interpretations of the museum’s content, as this is understood by the visitors themselves. It
is an empowering exercise and can created strong bonds with local communities.

STORYTELLING
The telling of stories or tales is based on narration. Although it does not involve any social
interaction among participants, there is the possibility for strong emotional involvement
of visitors, since literary discourse (where applied) in combination with the performative
aspects of storytelling can create a strong impression on visitors. In the Middle East,
where storytelling is an important cultural element, the importance of this educational
method is even greater. Regular storytelling sessions may allow for sharing more of
the intangible heritage traditions with different groups of audiences, but also become a
medium for any institution to develop strong relationships with the community.
CONTENT/WHAT?
Narrative themes may vary, and so may their links to the museum’s exhibits. Actual tales/
stories can be used or be specially created for a particular museum/exhibition/exhibit. In
most cases, these are directly connected to the museum’s themes and content, the period
of the exhibits and/or the area the objects originate from. As stories are an integral part of
the intangible cultural heritage of the Gulf, sessions of storytelling could be also considered
‘exhibits’ as they allow the museum to share more of its collection with the visitors.
Storytelling is often part of the initial stage of an educational programme, particularly
when this is addressed to children. However, it can be the starting point for any programme
aiming to discuss or present specific museum exhibits/themes, with the aim to provide
information to the group, emotionally engage them and encourage them be more involved
in the process. Storytelling is a complex and demanding process, that brings together
speech, movement and rhythm. It may be accompanied by music and it may also include
some interactive elements, like a small performance, depending on the chosen narrative
style. Thus, the narrator may even interrupt his/her narration in order to address the
audience and ask for their opinion.
SPACE/WHERE?
This activity can take place anywhere inside or outside the museum. Any space where
visitors can sit down and allow themselves to listen to the narration undisturbed, as much
as possible.
PARTICIPANTS/ FOR WHOM?
Storytelling is not only for children, families and school groups. Storytelling sessions
can be arranged on a regular basis and be a medium for sharing cultural insights with
visitors belonging to different groups. They can be advertised in advance, or be impromptu
happenings in the museum, offering an extra excitement to visitors who may not be
familiar enough to book and actively pursue participation in such an event.
DURATION/ FOR HOW LONG?
The duration of storytelling session may vary; however, it does not usually exceed 30
minutes, when it is part of an educational programme, or one hour, when it forms an
independent activity.

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CASE STUDY 1: The Pearl of Life
Methodologies: Storytelling/Narration and
Experiential Creative Learning – Performing Arts
Title: The Pearl of Life
Location: Galleries of the National Museum of Qatar
Audience: Families and general public
In November 2019, the National Museum of
Qatar devised and hosted a series of innovative
dramatic performances that took place within
the galleries of the museum. This was the first
time that storytelling and drama had been
combined in such an immersive manner within
the Qatari museum sector. Inspired by local
oral tradition and folklore (intangible heritage),
the performances were an outstanding success
enjoyed by hundreds of visitors.
All dramatic performances need core content
and the foundations for this event were the
exhibits and narratives at the Museum that link
to Qatar and its relationship to the sea,
in particular the historic importance of
the pearling industry. To bring a ‘human
face’ to this maritime history, museum
educators worked with world renowned
children’s theatre company Polka
Theatre to devise characters, scripts,
costumes and fantastical puppets.
Numerous creative conversations
finally led to the development of the
promenade play ‘The Pearl of Life’. At
the heart of the play was the story of
Salem, a pearl diver, and his pregnant
wife Nila and how their lives depend
on the sea and are at the same time threatened
by it. Interwoven into this plot were two popular
Qatari folktales,
the story of Abu
Derya (Guardian
of the Sea) and Hamda and Fisaikra (The Magical
Fish).
Auditions for local actors and musicians were held
and the play was greatly enhanced by the use of
traditional naham (songs sung on dhows) singers,
drummers and a talented oud player. Rehearsals
were held at the museum in the weeks leading up
to the performances with full ‘test-runs’ conducted
after museum closing hours in the days before the
events took place.
The promenade drama was delivered in Arabic
and English with each performance lasting 60
minutes. Attending families and members of the
public followed and interacted with the cast as
the story unfolded across the Museum.
The combination of drama, storytelling and music
captivated audiences in a multi-sensory manner
facilitating emotional experiences outside of the
usual cognitive modes of engagement employed
at museums.
Alan Kirwan
Photos:
©
Qatar
Museums

EXPERT DEMONSTRATIONS
The term ‘expert demonstrations’ refers to activities where specialised members of the
museum staff or invited specialists present a subject or a technique to visitors. This
presentation can take the form of an interactive informal talk, a display, a lecture, or
even a performance.
CONTENT/WHAT?
The goal of these demonstrations usually is to bring techniques of the past, such as
calligraphy, making of ceramics, stone carving, mosaic-making, glass blowing, coin
crafting, lithography, to life, or to present/explain to the public natural phenomena
and scientific concepts by conducting experiments in physics, through experimental
archaeology, or other academic and scientific methods.
The audience usually attends the presentation by the expert having no opportunity
to intervene. However, in certain cases such performances may be combined with
opportunities for visitors to become creatively involved in the presentations. Quite
often, these presentations are accompanied by workshops that take place the same
or another day.
SPACE/WHERE?
Expert demonstrations are usually carried out in museum workshop
spaces, learning galleries, family spaces or multi-purpose rooms
of the museum; in some cases, and depending on the nature
of the display, it can take place in the reception area or
even outdoors. The space for this activity depends on its
focus, as well as the collection of the museum.
For everybody! They may be carried out as part of an educational
programme for school groups, or as an independent leisure time
activity for children, families and adults.
A demonstration by an expert may last from 10 to 30 minutes; however, if the
audience is also encouraged to practise the relevant technique, then the
duration of the activity may increase significantly (1 to 1½ hour).
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2.
DISCURSIVE METHODS:
dialogue and conversation
The discursive method is the most common one used in museum learning, since
objects provide the opportunity for a wide range of discussions that lead to open
up opportunities for the acquisition of different skills, while encouraging critical
thinking and knowledge production. The discursive method introduces elements of
dialogue into the educational practice aiming to highlight the communicative role
of the exhibits and of museum spaces, and encourage their active engagement with
visitors, and the interaction amongst those taking part in the educational activity.
Using questions to look at objects and explore the exhibits of a gallery facilitates the
acquisition of multiple skills, such as observation, language, personal expression,
critical inquiry, assumption making, comparison, taxonomy, assumption testing, and so
on. Furthermore, it allows for careful observation of the artefacts,2
and the acquisition
of information on different techniques and materials, their uses and the vocabulary
associated with them, patterns and tools, colours and design, the social, historical
and economic context of objects’ creation, cultural values and perceptions of value.
In addition, discussion about objects can be used to explore issues of continuity and
disruption, typologies, aesthetic quality, fashion, authenticity, presentations and time.
Furthermore, discussions allow for mental as well as emotional engagement with
artefacts and exhibits and leave space for visitors to express their views, to share their
knowledge and to interact with other participants. It is an empowering exercise.
2 The terms ‘artefact’ or ‘object’ are used here to include: a. authentic museum exhibits, b. interactive con-
structed exhibits, and c. elements of the information systems – labels, photographs, signage – found in the
exhibition areas or d. which are specially designed for the educational activity, such as teaching materials,
hands-on exhibits etc.
Photo:
Alexandra
Bennett

CASE STUDY 2: Picasso-Giacometti Exhibition Access Tours
Methodologies: Discursive Methods – Dialogue and Conversation /
Experiential – Creative Learning
Title: Picasso-Giacometti Exhibition Access Tours
Space: Fire Station
Audience: Young people and adults with special educational
needs and/or disabilities
Exhibitions of valuable artworks and artefacts by
their very nature privilege sight over other senses.
Tours and hand-held devices can provide an
audio experience, but this is often offered in one
standard format. In order to increase access to the
Picasso-Giacometti Exhibition at the Fire Station,
Doha, in 2017, educators from Qatar Children’s
Museum (QCM) collaborated with organisations in
Doha to develop a series of workshops using four
handleable replicas of Giacometti’s works that
accompanied the loaned artworks as a starting-
point. The educators aimed to design a multi-
modal experience of the exhibition, incorporating
opportunities for listening, touch and making,
in order to connect participants effectively with
key concepts, including the difference between
naturalistic and abstract portrait representations
found in Giacometti’s work, and how clay can be
modelled to express individuality.
One programme, for young people from Sunbeam
Center for Children with Special Needs, provided a
brief 10-minute tour of the exhibition, followed in a
separate workshop space by a 15-minute handling
session with the replicas and 30-minute clay
workshop for the children to model their own self-
portraits. This session, involving some participants
who were non-verbal, focused on what a portrait is
and how to model clay to create a portrait head.
Another, more extensive programme involved
collaboration with students from Hamad Bin Khalifa
University (HBKU) MA in Audio-Visual Translation,
and members of Qatar Social and Cultural Center
for the Blind (QSCCB). A session led by the QCM
educators worked first with the students at
HBKU providing a tour
of the exhibition space,
information about the
exhibition, followed
by time to explore the
replicas in discursive
activity in a workshop
space.
The students then
went away and spent time
analysing the works in the exhibition,
researching further, and selecting, under the
guidance of their tutor, which they thought
would work particularly successfully as audio
descriptions for blind and partially sighted people.
The students scripted a walk-through of the
exhibition, and at the same time, HBKU and QCM
liaised with the leader of the group at QSCCB for
advice and input on designing a wrap-around tour
experience, taking all needs into consideration,
including parking, breaks and refreshments.
The tour explored the historical context
surrounding the creation of the artworks, the
correspondences and contrasts between Picasso
and Giacometti’s works, and what was driving
their stylistic features, for example Giacometti’s
increasingly elongated and attenuated figures
as an attempt to reflect a sensation of life and
the immediacy of reality. On the day, 20 QSCCB
members participated in a 30-minute audio-
description guided tour of selected artworks in
the exhibition led by 8 HBKU students, followed
by refreshments in a workshop space, then a
40-minute discursive handling session with the
replicas and 40-minute creative making session
to create portraits through touch. One participant
remarked that after learning about the works
and handling the replicas, what he most felt like
doing now was making something out of clay
himself, so he was very glad this was included in
the programme. There were far more participants
who wanted to do the tour than were available
on the day, so museums need to bear in mind that
this form of programming should be regular in
order to substantially increase access. However,
collaborating successfully in partnerships such as
these over the long term can be a key means to
developing sustainable accessible practice.
Alexandra Bennett
Photos:
Alexandra
Bennett

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EDUCATIONAL TOURS - DISCUSSIONS
‘Educational tours/discussions’ differ from traditional tours, with regard to the number
of museum objects and the content they involve, the social interaction and the role of the
docent/guide.
CONTENT/WHAT?
During these tours a smaller number of museum exhibits are discussed, since the goal
of this kind of activity is not only to convey information, but also to secure the emotional
involvement of visitors, and their active engagement. Participants in these events are
acknowledged as sources of information on an equal footing to the experts of the museum.
The process of talking about museum exhibits becomes a starting point for a deeper
discussion around visitors’ views of the subject matter of the exhibition or the museum
in general.There is also the possibility of an ‘open-ended’ discussion stemming from the
museum exhibits, during which the participants can co-write the ‘script’ of this or other
learning activities, in accordance with their preferences and interests.
Ask Questions! A vital starting point for approaching any object is to ask questions about
it.You can begin studying an object by examining its characteristics, which are perceptible
through the senses.Therefore, this activity can start with questions that will take
participants through close observation of the object in order to identify its visible, physical
characteristics. Next come questions that prompt the participants to bring forth their
knowledge, experiences and views, in order to formulate assumptions and interpretations,
express their views regarding the materials and methods used to construct the artefact,
as well as its design, function and value. Furthermore, participants can be encouraged
to connect the artefacts with the cultural, social and economic framework in which this
object was created and the society that produced it, and finally connect the present to the
past and the future. It is important for participants to find their personal channels that will
enable them to mentally and emotionally access the object, through observation, reflection,
expression of personal opinions, interpretations and ideas. For this reason, guides/museum
educators need to:
a.
Take into account the particular characteristics and interests of the group,
b.
Take advantage of the opportunity for communication and motivate participants to
express themselves and exchange views,
c.
Bring together the individual views of visitors and support the discussion by adding
suitable information that will encourage interaction, attract curiosity and allow for a
change of perspective,
d.
Coordinate the discussion and make sure that it maintains its cohesion,
e.
Create the preconditions that will create a ‘safe space’ for visitors to express
themselves, and will allow for different views, expectations and types of behaviour
to be expressed, always with respect for others, and by promoting intercultural
exchange,
f.
Facilitate critical reflection, and make the results of the joint action understood by all
participants.

SPACE/WHERE?
Inside the exhibition space: visitors should be able to move freely around the museum
exhibition and congregate in front of specific exhibits. It is important to pay attention to
the comfort of the participants by giving them the possibility to sit near the exhibits they
visit, both because approaching an exhibit through discussion and dialogue requires time,
but also in order to create a positive atmosphere among the participants.
This method can be used with homogeneous groups of any age. It will be more effective
with a smaller group, since the aim is to create the sense of belonging to a group and to
encourage participants to express their views and ideas openly. Discussions are a very
effective method to use for small groups of children and teenagers.
You need time! Time to observe, talk and gain insight! Allow for enough time for everybody
to be engaged in the discussion and make sure that the number of chosen objects is right
for the group and the duration of the tour.
Photo:
Alexandra
Bennett

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3. EXPLORATION/DISCOVERY
The methods that involve exploration or discovery mainly evolve around exploration
games/trails inside the museum space. They aim to familiarise visitors with the
museum space and often to provide guidance for them, without the intervention of a
guide/museum educator. Discovery learning requires an active learning process, during
which visitors take the initiative for their learning. For this method, it is important
to set up ‘open-ended’ processes, so that visitors can actually make a discovery. The
implementation of this method is usually based on the design and use of educational
resources (e.g. activity sheets, photographs, copies of objects). It promotes the exhibition
and museum space as an active learning environment, for self-exploration, independent
and family or group-oriented learning.
CONTENT/WHAT?
The aim of exploration is to empower an active behaviour by visitors, during their visit and
to allow them to familiarise themselves with the exhibition space. It also provides
a structure for their visit, as it encourages them to find selected objects and
stories and explore them on their own, or with their group – usually family.
A.
Exploration games/trails are often used as a stage of an
educational programme with school groups. Following an
educational tour or discussion, the students are split into
smaller groups, and they are invited to locate exhibits
within a specific exhibition space and interact with
them (by looking if they are original objects, or
handling them if copies are provided), while
answering the questions on the activity sheets
they have been given and discussing them with the
other members of their group. Each subgroup approaches
different exhibits, and then presents the results of its
research to all participants in the programme. The presentation
part is considered an essential component for this method to have
an educational effect. Students may also undertake the role of a guide
and present the results of their research to the rest of the class, as they
take them to ‘their objects’. During the exploration phase, guides/museum
educators are available to answer any questions by the participants,
motivate them to study the objects in depth, provide support, settle
collaboration issues and coordinate the presentations.
B.
Exploration games/trails are also a common, independent-
learning activity: visitors, mostly families organise their tour
in the museum space themselves, according to the instructions
provided on activity sheets provided from them usually at the
entrance, and/or on their personal preferences. The material can be
printed or be more elaborate and include leaflets, photographs, copies
of objects, exploration aids (such as glasses, magnifying glasses, measuring
tape etc.). More recently these trails become available on the museums’ digital
applications.
P
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:
©
Q
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M
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The implementation of the discovery method requires – in most cases – the design of
activity sheets/exploration games. These are used to support and guide the whole learning
process. They provide incentives to visitors to identify exhibits, observe, describe and
analyse them, comment on them, make assumptions, interpret them, find out facts
about them using the various interpretation media of the museum, structure their own
meanings, express their ideas, understandings and emotions, recall their own experiences
and connect the relevant content to their own reality. Attention should be given to the
variety and type of activities recommended to visitors through the educational resources/
online applications, so that they respond to diverse intellectual abilities and promote
knowledge and understanding, skills development, pleasure-inspiration-creativity, along with
changes in behaviours/mentalities and values. Thus, by using the activity sheets, participants
are invited to design, represent, imagine and creatively express themselves.
The content, level of language, form and graphics of the resources should correspond to
the individual characteristics of the group they are addressed to and to their interests and
preferences. Therefore, for example, if they are aimed at pre-schoolers, the identification of
the exhibits can be carried out by using photographs or photographed details of an exhibit,
and their further processing can be based on hands-on activities that do not require a good
knowledge of reading and writing. Colours, design, images, etc. should also be appropriate
to the visitor group.
It is important to note that the activity sheets/resources should not reproduce patterns and
processes of learning from the school environment inside the museum; they cannot convey
a pressure to perform, or be tests for acquired information. Students should be offered
an enjoyable and positive cultural experience that resembles a game and not a classroom
activity. It is therefore preferable to avoid knowledge questions, crosswords, acrostics,
multiple-choice questions, and sentence or gap filling exercises, all usually associated with
school practices and assessments.
SPACE/WHERE?
Inside and outside the museum! The museum space itself, its layout, its exhibits, the
atmosphere, the interpretation media and the opportunities offered to visitors for a
mental and physical ‘transportation to another space’ are viewed as yet another form of
educational resources for visitors. In certain cases, museums set up specially arranged
areas or ‘discovery rooms’, where they offer access to collections of objects, copies or
specially made exhibits – often tactile and interactive. In such spaces, visitors are able
to touch and interact with the objects. These spaces help to satisfy visitors’ curiosity,
encourage self-motivation, create experiences through tactile processing and interaction
with materials and objects, and provide stimuli for the senses and critical thinking.
Exploration activities are usually addressed either to organised, mainly school groups, as
part of an educational programme, or to individual visitors, usually families or children
accompanied by adults, that visit the museum as part of their leisure activities. Team work
can be motivating and fun!
The time for this type of activity depends on the visitor group and the context of the visit.

20
When families visit the National Museum of
Qatar they discover specially designed internal
and external interactive spaces that have been
created just for them. These engagement and
play areas are not simply an afterthought but
were conceived from the outset as key inter-
generational resources within the building that
support and enhance the public’s understanding
of the exhibits. As families move through the
main galleries of the Museum they come across a
series of six interactive areas containing activities
that link to broad themes such as ‘Natural
History’, ‘Archaeology’, ‘Navigation and Movement’,
‘Life on the Land’, ‘Life on the Coast’ and ‘The
Coming of Oil and Gas’.
However, these large themes are then further
broken down in a more accessible manner for
children, so that within the Natural History
discovery area, for instance, children are invited
to ‘Become a Biologist’ where they get to study
insect species up-close, discover all about animal
adaptation techniques and make their own
pledges about environmental protection.
In a similar manner in the discovery area linked
to the Archaeology Gallery, children ‘Become
an Archaeologist’ and get to digitally unearth
historical artefacts revealing clues about past
lives, date replica objects within
stratigraphic layers and re-assemble large
ancient urns!
The fun and exploration continues when families
step outside into the museum grounds where they
encounter a large-scale reproduction of a historic
dhow (Arabian sailing boat) and a mysterious
cavernous dahl (cave). Each of these playground
features involves full body immersion through
sight, sound, touch and smell. The creation of
such complex yet highly engaging spaces for
families entailed in-depth collaboration between
museum education, interpretation and curatorial
staff along with expert international design
companies. Partnership working in such a manner
ensured that target audiences were identified,
appropriate content was utilised and clear
interpretative goals were achieved.
Visitor feedback on the discovery spaces reveals
that families make repeat visits to the Museum
to specifically use these resources as either
weekend or holiday activities or to support
school assignments.
Alan Kirwan
CASE STUDY 3: Family spaces inside and in the open spaces
of the National Museum of Qatar
Methodologies: Exploration/Discovery
Title: Family Discovery Spaces
Location: Galleries and outdoor areas at the National Museum of Qatar
Audience: Family groups
Photos:
©
Qatar
Museums

CASE STUDY 4: Family backpacks in the National Museum of Qatar
Methodologies: Exploration/Discovery
Title: Family Backpacks
Location: Galleries of the National Museum of Qatar
Audience: Families with children 6-9 years old
The concept of inter-generational learning
is a cornerstone of educational practice at
the National Museum of Qatar. The desire to
motivate children, parents and grandparents to
engage with each other and explore the museum
collections together is a primary objective of
the Learning and Outreach Department. To this
end, museum educators designed and produced
a series of family backpacks that specifically
encourages self-directed family exploration and
discovery within the museum galleries.
In devising the content and ideas for the
backpack titled ‘Our Natural World’ museum
educators concentrated on the exhibits within
the galleries showcasing Qatar’s flora and
fauna. Five different activities were chosen for
the pack with titles such as ‘Fossil Fish’, ‘Build
a Desert Rose’, ‘Creepy Crawlies’, ‘Dig Deep’ and
‘Construct a Crocodile’. Each activity consists
of three dimensional objects that must either
be constructed or used to initiate discussion
by families. For example, ‘Fossil Fish’ contains
a wooden replica of a prehistoric fish from the
Devonian era that once swam in the shallow
waters from which the peninsula of Qatar would
eventually emerge. Children can handle the
replica fish from their pack in the gallery that
discusses this ancient creature and answer
questions
with an
accompanying
prompt card.
The objects
in the packs
are either
bespoke
designs
created with the
assistance of external companies or
alternatively are items sourced from the museum
retailer which have been re-purposed as
educational resources.
A critical element for the packs is the use of
supporting written information for children and
adults. Each pack has an introductory text
explaining the purpose of the pack and its
contents, and each activity has instruction cards
that assist children in completing the activity.
Accompanying adults are also supplied with
‘Additional Information’ cards about each object
so that they are provided with further historical
context. This accessible contextual information
is vital in making adults feel confident that they
can assist their children and answer any difficult
questions asked.
Public feedback on the backpacks has been
enormously positive with comments such as ‘the
activities helped our family understand and learn
more about the exhibits’; ‘I liked doing this with
my granddaughter without having to ask for
assistance’; ‘my children have found a whole new
appreciation for insects!’.
The backpacks are picked up at the museum
reception with families leaving their ID card or
passport as a deposit. Packs are then returned
whenever the activities are completed.
Alan Kirwan
Photos:
©
Qatar
Museums

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4. EXPERIENTIAL –
CREATIVE LEARNING
Experiential learning is deeply rooted in the philosophy of pedagogical practice in
museums and is connected to the development of museum education. John Dewey, one
of the main supporters of progressive education, introduced in the early 20th
century
the learning-by-doing theory, recognizing the potential of museums for a different and
more in-depth, life-long learning. His views were based on the role of objects and the
opportunities for learning that the interaction with them offers, such as using the senses,
combining thinking, emotions and practice. The museum space is understood as a space
for holistic experiences of learning. Experience as a concept that focuses on learning
through the senses offers broad possibilities for the perception of reality. It complements
learning through language and vision and it is connected to the role of museums as hubs
of non-formal learning and acknowledges the fact that learning can be also fun and
happen at the same time that people enjoy themselves.
Experiential, often also called creative learning promotes creativity and individual and/or
collective creative expression, offering alternative ways of approaching museum content. It
is not about conveying information and getting pieces of information out of the experience,
but about museums being spaces where people can experience the arts and express
themselves through them. It is about creatively incorporating the arts in the museum
experience, make the arts not something people see, or learn about in the museum, but
as something that people experience with all their senses when they visit. Therefore,
this is also about active participation of the audience as a co-creator of the interpretation
and meaning-making processes of museums that aims towards what has been called a
“participatory museum”.
Creative activities serve two main aims when it comes to museum learning experiences:
a. They are means of approaching and understanding museum exhibits through
personal experiences;
b. They provide an opportunity and a challenge, as they invite participants to become
acquainted with personal skills, and creative expression and, thus, enhance self-
awareness.
Museum-educators are there to motivate, encourage and coordinate the actions of visitors
by offering to them inspiration and help them enjoy the experience and have fun, while
indulging their creative ‘imagination’.
It is important to notice that activities should be ‘hands-on and minds-on‘ (Hein 1998: 31);
for this reason, usually they are not self-contained, and independent from the museum’s
content. On the contrary, they encourage interaction with specific museum objects/
themes and form part of the broader educational policy of the institution. Furthermore, it
is important to encourage collaboration and interaction through team work, as it enriches
visitors’ social experience.

ARTS AND CRAFTS ACTIVITIES
CONTENT/WHAT?
The term arts and crafts activities is used here to outline activities that involve personal
creativity and expression mainly through the use of visual and plastic arts. Although
in the past, these creative activities were mostly used in art museums and galleries
nowadays they are used in types of museums. After all, almost all museum exhibits have
special material and aesthetic qualities; many are indeed works of art, whereas all are
material witnesses of temporally and spatially distant cultures. Art education is therefore
not connected to high culture only, but it includes all material expressions of human
reality. Arts and crafts activities may include a large number of different projects, such
as calligraphy, painting (with tempera, oil paints, watercolours, etc.), various engraving
techniques, sculpture and so on. The works produced in these workshops do not to aim at
imitating the objects or artworks exhibited in the galleries, but to draw inspiration from
them and nurture personal creative expression.
Arts and crafts activities in archaeological, historical and cultural museums deal with
techniques of the past, e.g. ceramics, cookery and experimental archaeology activities.
Similarly, ethnographic museums or collections concentrate on traditional artistic
practices of diverse cultures (e.g. calligraphy, bookbinding, weaving, etc.). These activities
have a dual learning outcome: they offer opportunities for, provoke and stimulate personal
creative expression, while at the same time they contribute to a better understanding of
exhibits and the development of a closer relationship with the museum.
Museum objects activate the creative imagination of visitors; they function as a trigger
and offer them inspiration to use materials and different media to make something visible
and creative though the encounter of these objects. Creativity leads to the production of
individual expressions and interpretations, which in their turn lead to efforts to transform
the environment and themselves.
Arts and crafts activities may form part – usually the final one – of an educational
programme. This means that visitors, after interacting with the museum exhibits,
move from viewing and listening, to expressing themselves through various
creative forms. In some cases, the creative activity can be part of the
‘educational tour’, as visitors may be asked to design an object in-situ, or
while somebody takes them through the objects/collections.
It is not uncommon though for these creative activities to be
stand-alone workshops that take place in weekends or
evenings, as one-of activities or as parts of a series of
interactions with the museum and its educational
offerings.

24
SPACE/WHERE?
These activities mainly take place in special areas that resemble studios, as it is
necessary to use a variety of materials and techniques that often cannot be used
inside the museum’s exhibition areas. However, spaces inside the exhibition can also
be used, as long as there is no risk of damage to the exhibits. Alternatively, reception
areas or other open spaces of the museum can be used for this purpose. It depends
on the activity and mostly on the materials that will be used, as well as the age of the
participants.
For everybody! Age, prior knowledge and experiences are not an obstacle to
implementing creative programmes!
Creativity takes time! It also requires space, and materials; therefore, make sure that
you have the budget required!
Photo:
M.E
Alkhulaifi

CASE STUDY 5: Traditional Qatari Crafts
Methodologies: Expert demonstrations Experiential/
Creative Learning – Arts and Crafts Activities
Title: Traditional Qatari Crafts
Location: Galleries and Learning Studio at the National
Museum of Qatar
Audience: Young people and adults
Information gathering focus groups held
with young people (16 years upwards) prior
to the opening of the National Museum of
Qatar revealed that they were keen to attend
workshops at the museum that utilised art and
craft to engage with the historic collections.
With this in mind the Museum’s Learning and
Outreach Department hosted a series of courses
over the summer of 2019 titled ‘Traditional Qatari
Crafts at the National Museum’. Inspiration for
the courses was drawn from the art and craft
objects displayed in the various galleries at the
Museum. A range of courses was developed
with titles such as ‘Creating Net Sculptures’, ‘The
World of the Goldsmith’, ‘Crafting with Al Khous’
(palm leaves), ‘Gypsum Carving and Decoration’
amongst others. Museum educators worked with
a range of freelance artists and craftspeople to
devise the course content and decide on what
materials were required for the workshops.
Course duration consisted of two hour workshops
over four days. Such time duration was vital as
it allowed course participants to fully immerse
themselves in the craft and gave them space
to create final objects. All courses consisted
of time spent in front of the exhibits in the
galleries so that issues
of style, technique,
colour and object
use could be
explained by the
course facilitators.
Participants
on the course were
encouraged to bring their own
individual artistic flair to their creations and
make contemporary counterparts to the artefacts
they took inspiration from. Many participants
noted how they enjoyed discovering more about
the ethnographical nature and skills required for
many of the crafts, a prime example being the
art of Al Khous, which as a traditional Qatari
industry, has almost ceased today.
At the end of the courses, the museum hosted a
large display and sale of the finished products for
the visiting public. Many participants, however,
were so proud of their work they either kept them
for display in their own homes or gave them as
presents to family and friends.
Alan Kirwan
Photos:
©
Qatar
Museums

26
CASE STUDY 6: Motion Lab
Methodologies: Exploration/Discovery / Experiential – Creative
Learning
Title: Motion Lab
Space: Fire Station Artist Residency
Audience: Families with young children 2-7 years old and schools
As a museum in development with no building
yet, Qatar Children’s Museum has, for several
years, been working in spaces in the community
to engage audiences, introduce the concept of
the museum, and test and develop experiences.
Since the concept of a children’s museum is still
new to many families in Qatar, it has been vital for
local communities to be part of the development
process in order for the museum to ensure exhibits
are relevant, engaging and contemporary, and for
‘learning through play’ to be experienced as part
of audience research.
Motion Lab, based in a workshop space at the
Fire Station Artist Residency Doha, aimed to
provide opportunities for young children and
families to experience making art through
movement and movement through art. The target
age range was children from 2 to 7 years old,
based on understanding that a family visiting to
play together may wish to bring children across
this age range and would welcome scaffolded
activities to support the whole family experience.
The under 4’s audience in particular in Qatar is
still often underserved in terms of age-appropriate
creative activities.
It was important to think about how the workshop
space could be optimally used for a suite of
interactive activities and how families would move
around through discovery. It was installed with a
range of mark-making stations requiring physical
movement, providing opportunities for children to
explore their co-ordination, balance and creativity,
as well as develop fine and gross motor skills.
The programme, promoted as bookable hour-long
sessions for up to 15 children at a time, was semi-
facilitated providing a ‘warm up’ and ‘cool down’,
opportunities for children to explore stations in
sequence and then free time and choice to return
to their favourites.
Activities included spinning on the floor holding
crayons to make circles, ‘drawing’ with yarn
reaching up and down to wind around buttons,
painting up and down with rollers on paper
stretched across a
whole wall, printing
through jumping with
bubble-wrap ‘shoes’
and exploring movement in coloured
shadows projected onto a wall. Children were
able to test and explore their physical abilities
in unconventional ways and enjoy witnessing the
visual impact of their own movements, engaging in
personal creative expression and a collaborative
social experience with their peers and family.
The installation offered multiple entry-points
providing platforms for expression for children
whether motivated by movement or by art. It was
inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach and the
principle of ‘The Hundred Languages of Children’,
the provision of multiple ways for children to
express, explore and connect their thoughts and
feelings.
The museum team evaluated the programme
based on who wanted to attend such a
programme, how family members engaged
together, what role parents and caregivers took in
the learning experience and how active parents/
caregivers were prepared to be. Although families
were the principal target audience the team were
also interested in how schools would respond and
the curriculum links that could be made.
The team discovered that creative learning
through play was highly valued by local families.
Many reported such experiences were hard to
find. The programme revealed the huge need there
is for provision for under-4’s in cultural spaces
in Qatar – many families came back more than
four times during the three-week programme.
Initially publicised through social media, it was
soon fully-booked with a waiting list, promoted
swiftly through word of mouth. The programme
highlighted the value of listening and responding
to audiences in museum development, and of
including active, observable, experiences with a
target audience as part of audience research.
Alexandra Bennett
Photo:
Alexandra
Bennett

PERFORMING ARTS ACTIVITIES
Experiential-creative methods go beyond the fine arts. Performing arts, such as theatre,
music, and dance, or other forms of performances, are frequently also used in museums
for learning purposes. They require participation and involvement, and they can engage
professionals and/or visitors themselves.
Theatre and the Museum
Theatrical activities have traditionally attracted the greatest interest amongst performing
arts at museums, resulting in the recent introduction of the term “museum theatre” or
“heritage performance” in order to speak about all the different ways of using theatrical
techniques in a museum environment. This method has been first practiced at the open-
air ethnographic museums of Scandinavia, and more specifically Skansen, but it has
developed greatly at certain historical “living museums” in the USA, through what is known
as “‘living history” activities.
In this case, the exhibition space is used as the “setting”, which comes to life through the
participation of the staff and the public in performances involving two different types of
action:
a. the museum educator, or an artist/performer plays a “role” and delivers a performance
at regular intervals; and
b. museum educators and/or artists/performers play the “leading” role and the public is
asked to participate in different roles, or by interacting with the historical character.
In each case, the emotional impact of such practices on the visitor experience
is significant. The existence of at least some basic dress-up items, either for the
docents or for the public, can encourage them further and help them immerse
themselves more easily in the activity’s theme and/or the museum’s collection.
CONTENT/WHAT?
Museum theatre is used for learning and interpretation purposes in a variety of museums.
One necessary pre-condition for the use of this method is the preparation of a theatrical
script based on the museum exhibits/content. The script may refer to an actual or
imaginary event, may recount events that take place in the historical period the museum
focuses on or in the present time. Its use may complement the exhibition’s narrative, while
also providing alternative or additional stories and perspectives, and it may stimulate
questions regarding the exhibition’s content. Such events create a context for discussion
and promote critical thinking, especially on contentious or controversial issues. Museum
performances can be used for discussing social issues and/or social perspectives on the
past, question dominant narratives and provoke debates on contemporary issues. They
may also help make more “visible” or comprehensible ideas and perspectives that are
difficult to explain or require depth of understanding and/or emotional involvement.
The script for the performance should be thoroughly checked in order to fulfil all academic
criteria of accuracy and precision. It should rely on extensive and thorough research of the
museum’s exhibits and their overall context, and stimulate critical thinking among visitors.
Museum performances often incorporate principles from the fields of educational drama/
theatre, puppet theatre, narration, active role-playing, performing in the second or first
person, improvisation, mime and so on.

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It is important to highlight that the presentation of the past needs to be balanced; it cannot
be presented in an overly positive light, or through a folkloric nostalgic lens.
A. The museum educator or a performer “in role”
Role-playing can be part of an educational discussion, a guided tour, a storytelling session,
or an expert demonstration. A member of the museum staff or a performer can play a
role, a character dressed according to the historical period or the location represented by
the museum objects, and perform a short piece that will provide contexts for the exhibits
helping the visitors better understand them. They may either tell a story (closed script) or
“have a discussion” “in role” and interact with the public (open script).
Performers engaging with visitors may have to deal with unexpected questions and efforts
to make them go “out of role”. It is therefore important for them to be well prepared
and experienced. Furthermore, there is always the risk of anachronisms or cultural
inconsistencies that may cause misunderstanding among visitors. This is the reasons that
research and very good training on the museum’s collections and themes is very important.
B. The public “in role”
Theatrical activities in which visitors are asked to play a role and become the “lead actors”
are a popular methodological choice in museum learning. Their implementation is mainly
based on educational drama/theatre or even on simple performative actions.
Visitors can play different roles in various settings:
a. “Moments” of theatre included in other educational methods. Short role-playing
activities, mime and puppet theatre may be introduced as part of an educational
programme. These are primarily based on improvisation and aim at an experiential
approach of the exhibits and the programme’s topic. For example, during an
educational discussion, museum educators may invite participants to represent a work
of art with their body, and take part in a “tableau vivante” or a still image that will
come to life through their improvisation.
b. Theatrical workshop: The term “theatrical workshop” is used to describe the use
of theatre techniques for independent educational activities (i.e. not parts of another
programme or another methodology). Often, educational programmes completely
based on the philosophy of educational drama are developed if specific aims call for it:
for instance, in cases the museum wants to focus on historical dilemmas, or it aims for
participants to present arguments, make decisions, debate and reflect. Intellectual and
emotional engagement are usually enhanced if people participate in situations that
require them to “act”. Therefore, the museum education team may create a context for
experiential learning and use museum drama to stimulate an emotional link to the
museum’s objects and their various interpretations.
c. Performance: “Staging” a performance is often the final phase of an educational
programme and includes everything that has been discussed and presented within the
museum space during this programme. It usually consists of an ‘open’ script, in the
form of a basic, rough description of roles for participants to improvise on. In the case
of school groups, the process may require the students to use their experience of the
museum in order to prepare a “closed” script (and thus develop linguistic and creative
skills), which will be presented later in class. In some cases, a closer collaboration
between the museum and the school can develop, if the students undertake this
task as part of their annual creative curriculum; in this case they can write their own
scripts-roles, produce sets and costumes and present their performance at a school
event, or even at the museum at a later date.

Museum theatre activities of the first category presented above (i.e. with museum staff or performers
playing a role) can be addressed both to organised public groups, and to individual visitors. Role-playing
activities involving visitors (that is of the second and third category presented above) are primarily
addressed to school groups, without excluding the possibility of organising similar programmes for other
audiences (for instance families).
SPACE/WHERE?
Depending on the goals and the characteristics of the theatrical activities at the museum, these can take
place inside the exhibition spaces, in other parts of the museum (such as the auditorium), or even in the
open spaces around it.
DURATION/HOW LONG?
The duration depends on the theatrical techniques used. If part of a programme, then the duration will be
shorter. If it is part of a longer-term collaboration with a school of other groups, then this kind of activity
can last around one or one and half hours.
Music
Musical activities provide a direct opposite to the traditional “silence” of museums and are often used as
parts of educational activities that aim to enrich the experience of audiences and to encourage creativity.
In art museums, for example, works of art can be connected to sounds, or musical pieces can be used
as a starting point for various activities. Traditional music can also be incorporated in the activities of
ethnographic and cultural museums. Visitors create sound/music themselves, as a way of enhancing
their relationship with selected exhibits, themes and concepts, and a different type of dialogue can be
encouraged between the visitor and the exhibit that will provide a different sensory experience with a
focus on improvisation.
Visitors can also make their own musical instruments and then use them to play music, and relate to their
intangible heritage through sounds. These activities however need to take place in a part of the museum
where other visitors will not be annoyed or distracted.
Dance/Performance
Dance/performance has been gaining recognition in recent years as a method of approaching art and
culture, since it offers the opportunity to physically experience the exhibits and the museum space.
A performative approach to museum objects can support individual expression, foster creativity and
interest in culture, and enhance self-confidence. Basic principles of contemporary dance– such as
breathing, relaxation, touch and improvisation, concentration, silence and movement – are utilised along
with dialogical techniques in order to promote the exchange of views and impressions, to encourage
spontaneous movement of visitors, collaboration in small groups, and the creation of new choreographies.
Photo:
©
Qatar
Museums

30
CASE STUDY 7: My Museum – A Participatory Interactive Exhibition
Methodologies: Discursive Methods – Dialogue and Conversation / Experiential – Creative
Learning
Title: My Museum – A Participatory Interactive Exhibition
Space: Library of the Museum of Islamic Art
Audience: School-children 7-11 years old
In 2014 Qatar Children’s Museum worked in
partnership with the Museum of Islamic Art, Sheikh
Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum and Qatar
Academy Doha to produce an interactive exhibition
exploring identity and what it means to be a young
person in Qatar today. The final exhibition was
installed in the Museum of Islamic Art Library. The
My Museum project comprised more than twenty
in-depth workshops, activity sessions and museum
visits over a three-month period during school
hours, after school and on weekends. It aimed
to support children to explore their own identity
and the role that museums can play in identity
formation. It was designed to give a team of ten
students a participatory, real-life experience of the
activities that go on behind the scenes of a large
museum.
The project was presented to the children in the
form of a challenge: ‘An opportunity to create
a public exhibition for the community, working
alongside museum and other professionals, that
explores what museums can be’. The overall
project theme was ‘Identity’, which was broken
down into three sections: ‘Individual’, ‘Group’ and
‘Community’, in order to structure the project and,
finally, structure the exhibition. The group of ten
students, ranging from seven to eleven years old,
worked as a team through the process of exploring
museum collections to find resonances with their
own experiences.
Tours of museums
The students participated in tours of the Museum
of Islamic Art and Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim
Al Thani Museum to explore and discuss the
collections and buildings with museum staff. It was
important that the students had the opportunity
to fully experience museum environments at the
beginning of the project to inform their reflection
process on how museum visits could connect
to personal experience, how they could impact
emotionally and what they could do could
contribute towards developing a sense of self.
Creative activities to
encourage reflection and develop content
This process involved considering how the
students themselves assign values to special
objects, creating artworks – memory drawings,
sculptures and emotions collages – and developing
drama sequences that expressed associations with
special objects and how they remembered special
experiences. For example, one student created
a rollercoaster sculpture using pipe cleaners and
paper clips based on a precious photograph of
her and her mother enjoying a rollercoaster ride.
Another group of students re-enacted through
drama the memory they had of the visit that they
made to the Museum of Islamic Art’s ‘The Tiger’s
Dream: Tipu Sultan’ exhibition. Another student
made a collage of all the emotions that he felt
during the course of going on a particular holiday.
Participatory development of an exhibition
The students then decided on interactive ways
that could be used in a display to develop a
similar kind of understanding in their audiences.
The students worked with the museum team as
co-curators to design the exhibition, including
selecting the location, selecting content, and
devising the interpretive approach, as well as
considering how audiences of different ages
would move through the exhibition. They also
participated in workshops with a designer and

installation company to advise on all stages of
developing and presenting an exhibition for the
public.
Students taking the role of guides
The final exhibition was launched in January
2015, and guided tours were given by children
on the opening day. Interactive components
designed by the children based on their
experience of the project included: a box
with movable blocks to design a museum,
a magnetic board with coloured strips to
describe an emotional response to a memory, a
map for visitors to mark where they come from,
and a Sidra tree (a local tree that is an iconic
symbol of Qatar’s heritage) on which to hang
a wish for the future. The exhibition was on
view for five weeks, during which time school
visits and family visits were also facilitated by
museum and library staff.
Legacy
The project proved the value of being in
regular dialogue with children throughout
the process of developing interpretation and
exhibitions for children and families. Moreover,
it demonstrated the innate appeal there can
be to children of having other children as
facilitators in their experiences. The project
took the Qatar Children’s Museum’s team’s
participatory work a significant step further
towards the goal of children initiating their
own projects, developing a significant amount
of organizational knowledge in the process,
including developing a cross-departmental
approach to delivering learning projects. As a
result an expanded and re-designed children’s
area was also created in the Museum of Islamic
Art Library. It was a project that involved
‘learning about learning’. The museum team
wished to gain an insight into the children’s
thinking as they moved through the project,
with the children’s reflections documented
throughout in their own sketchbooks, to learn
how children might understand concepts, such
as what is a museum or what could a museum
experience be, in order to develop an exhibition
that communicated these concepts to other
children. At the centre of the project were a
set of ideas around experiencing museums,
and what takes place during the process of
‘learning’, which the staff team were able to
explore in depth with the children.
Alexandra Bennett
Photos:
Alexandra
Bennett
Photo:
Qatar
Foundation

32
LITERACY ACTIVITIES: CREATIVE WRITING
Visitors can practise their oral skills through various activities that aim to encourage
active engagement, such as discussions, group presentations, role-playing and so on, as
already discussed in previous sections. When it comes to written expression, creative
writing is fast gaining ground in the museum setting. Its goal is not to discover the
best-selling authors of the future, but to help cultivate personal experience and creative
personal expression, thus contributing to creating a connection between visual and
linguistic literacy, offering practice and experience in different writing styles and helping
towards the acquisition of new knowledge.
CONTENT/WHAT?
Museum collections serve as a starting point and can be used to encourage personal
associations and creative written expression. Using the museum objects as a basis, visitors
are invited to create an imaginary, to a greater or lesser extent, story or even a theatre play
or a poem connecting the objects with one another, or with experiences that the visitors
had outside the museum. For instance, when looking at a painting, visitors may be asked to
write a story about the painting, create dialogues (speech bubbles) among the people in the
painting, or describe the events that occurred prior to, during and after the scene depicted
therein. The same approach can be used to teach a foreign language inside the museum
setting.
IMPLEMENTATION/ HOW TO DO IT?
Creative writing can be one part of an educational programme that consists of more
activities. It aims visitors to express themselves creatively before and/or after interacting
with an object, by using didactic tools practised in creative writing. The participants in such
a programme may be asked, individually or in a group, to write a story or verses (free verse,
Limericks, Japanese Haiku or Calligrams-Shape poems).
Preparatory activities are usually required to motivate the participants and persuade them
of the ease and the joy in the activity. It is also important to have a discussion at the end,
so that participants may talk about their individual projects and exchange views and
ideas. Finally, creative writing can be combined with illustration of stories and/or their
dramatization by the participants.
Creative writing activities are suitable for all visitors who know how to write. Preschool
children can be encouraged to recite their stories or verses.
SPACE/WHERE?
It is recommended that such activities take place in the exhibition galleries, so that visitors
are in direct contact with the exhibits and the overall museum environment.
The duration depends on how this activity relates to other parts of the educational
programme: its duration usually ranges from 10 to 30 minutes.

CASE STUDY 8: Objects as Experience
Methodologies: Discursive Methods – Dialogue and Conversation
Experiential Creative Learning – Creative Writing
Title: Objects as Experience
Location: WISE Summit 2017
Audience: Educators
As part of the WISE Summit 2017, QCM staff ran
a workshop for educators to demonstrate how
object engagement can be used as a spur for
creativity and story-building.
The workshop began with a series of sensory
engagement exercises to spark creative thinking
and encourage teamwork. Based on the idea
that people use objects all the time in their
everyday lives to articulate identity, participants
were first encouraged to choose an object they
had with them, either in their bag, pocket or
something they were wearing and tell their
team why it was special to them. Following
this, working in pairs, one partner had to feel
a mystery object hidden in a box and describe
it while the other partner drew what was
described. Then the other partner felt the object
to compare it with what had been drawn and
both worked together to make a list of ten key
descriptive words. The object was then revealed,
each partner shared any personal associations
or memories or questions prompted by
the object and then
extended
this slow looking
by exploring from different angles,
moving around the object using a small view-
finder to focus on details and to find different
perspectives. Each pair was then encouraged
to build a story inspired by the object with
the option of including further objects, instant
photography, label writing, drawing, clay to
model with and lighting. Participants wrote their
stories and performed them to the wider group.
The workshop aimed to demonstrate how we all,
children in particular, learn using our senses and
bodies, as well as our minds, and how objects
can be used effectively to make connections
between different environments, different time
frames, to build relationships and develop new
stories.
Alexandra Bennett
Photos:
Alexandra
Bennett

34
Further Reading
Falk, J.H. and Dierking, L.D. 2000. Learning from Museums. Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning,
Lanham MD: Altamira Press.
Falk, J.H., and Dierking, L.D. 2012. The Museum Experience Revisited. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press.
Hein, G. 1998. Learning in the Museum, London: Routledge.
Hein, G. 2012. Progressive Museum Practice. John Dewey and Democracy, Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press.
Hennigar Shuh, H.J. 1999. “Teaching Yourself to Teach with Objects”. In Hooper-Greenhill, E. (ed.),
The Educational Role of the Museum (2nd ed.), London: Routledge, 80-91.
Hooper-Greenhill, E. 2007. Museums and Education. Purpose, Pedagogy, Performance, London: Routledge.
Hughes, C. 1998. Museum Theatre. Communication with Visitors through Drama, Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Jackson, A and Kidd, J. (eds.) 2011. Performing Heritage, Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Kunz-Ott, H., Kudorfer, S., Weber, T. (eds.) 2009. Kulturelle Bildung im Museum. Aneignungsprozesse,
Vermittlungsformen, Praxisbeispiele, Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag.
Paris, S. G. (ed.) 2002. Perspectives on Object-Centered Learning in Museums, New Jersey London:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Schrübbers, Ch. (ed.) 2013. Moderieren im Museum. Theorie und Praxis der dialogischen Besucherführung,
Bielefled: Transcript Verlag.
Simon, N. 2010. The Participatory Museum. Santa Cruz, California: Museum 2.0.
http://www.participatorymuseum.org/read (Last access 8/7/2020).
Stiller, J. (ed.) 2007. Bildräume-Bildungsräume. Kulturvermittlung und Kommunikation im Museum,
Norderstedt: Dortmunder Schriften zur Kunst.
Talboys, G. K. 2016. Museum Educator’s Handbook (3rd
ed.), Oxon, New York: Routledge.

Images included in main text:
Cover Page images - Case Studies: Family Discovery Spaces, Traditional Qatari Crafts,Family Backpacks,
NMoQ Picasso-Giacometti Exhibition Access Tours, QCM
Image on page 2 - Case Study: My Museum, QCM
Image on page 6 - Case Study: Traditional Qatari Crafts, NMoQ
Image on page 8 - Case Study: Picasso-Giacometti Exhibition Access Tours, QCM
Image on page 13 - Case Study: Traditional Qatari Crafts, NMoQ
Image on page 17 - Case Study: Motion Lab, QCM
Image on page 18 - Case Study: Family Backpacks, NMoQ
Image on page 24 - Case Study: Motion Lab, QCM
Image on page 29 - Case Study: The Pearl of Life, NMoQ
Back cover page images - Case Studies: Family Discovery Spaces, Traditional Qatari Crafts, Family
Backpacks, NMoQ Picasso-Giacometti Exhibition Access Tours, QCM
Arabic translation provided by Metalingual Translations

Creating Meaningful Learning at Museums

Creating Meaningful Learning at Museums

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