More Than Just a Field Trip: Reunderstanding Museum Education:
Most people think of museum educators as people that run programs for children. Lightweight offerings for that beloved field trip of school groups, and a day away from the monotony of the daily class schedule. Perhaps I thought the same until discovering how deep, diverse, and dynamic the field of museum education is in reality. As I have learned through our readings and coursework, the museum education department is so much mor than child’s play. It is a mission that connects the museum visitors to the institution every day. I will explore how museum education is defined, the complex roles of the educators, how the ever-evolving technology and DEAI converge with the work, and how all of this will contribute to my own professional journey.
What is Museum Education?
I define museum education as the facilitation of interpretive experiences that support learning, reflection, and connection between museums and the institutions communities. It not only encourages critical thinking but creates experiences one can carry with them thereafter. It’s rooted in visitor-centered practices and draws from fields like psychology, curriculum theory, and the learning sciences (Wood, 2023). As George Hein (1998) argues, learning in the museum is never just about content—it’s about experience, constructed meaning, and choice.
Museum educators work to create a connection between the content, audience, and context of the institutions collections. They are more than teachers, they work as facilitators, collaborators, and as the people who shape the ways the museum engages the public.
What do Museum Educators Do?
The main responsibility of museum educators that is key to their success is the conception, design, and proctoring of interpretive programs and exhibitions that are not just entertaining, but meaningful, inclusive, and assessable. As Ambrose and Paine (2018) and Talboys (2018) explain, this might include everything from interactive tours to public programming, curriculum design, and co-curated exhibits.
In her wonderful article, Why Not a Temple and a Forum?, Sarah Junk Hatcher (2023) calls on museum educators to help museums function simultaneously as temples (trusted spaces of knowledge) and forums (open spaces for dialogue), synthesizing these two for the optimal experience for the public. That means educators aren’t just interpreters of objects—they are interpreters of relevance.
Technology in Museum Education
The evolution of technology in museum education has added the ability to use digital technologies to create both exciting possibilities and difficult decisions in their programming. The ability to balance fresh ideas with potential digital fatigue is a tight line to walk. Dumont et al. (2024) show how digital tools can extend access, personalize learning, and deepen engagement—but they also require new skills, new pedagogies, and thoughtful reflection on equity. Digital innovation is essential, but it’s not the cure all inclusivity. I liked that the study was worried about leaving behind those without the technology or know-how for being a digital visitor.
DEAI
Education is not neural, just as museums are not neutral. The definition of museums made by Elizabeth Wood (2023) and the ICOM (2022) make clear that civic participation, inclusion, and shared authority are no longer optional—they are essential to our purpose.
I was particularly struck by the example of #MuseumsAreNotNeutral and #MuseumsRespondToFerguson, and the call to action by Aleia Brown and Adrianne Russell to address structural racism within museum education. (Brown, 2015; Murawski & Autry, 2019) These movements remind us that museum educators have a responsibility to dismantle exclusion—not just in content, but in process. Museum educators can influence the mindset of the community, and they should take that responsibility seriously.
Why It Matters to Me
Personally, I came to museum education because I love art and believe in its power to connect people across different perspectives. But I’ve stayed with it because of the transformative potential it holds—not just for visitors, but for the institutions themselves.
Final Thoughts
Where it once lagged, museum education is evolving, as we as a community are as well. As institutions deal with shifting social landscapes, museum educators are up front—navigating complexity, embracing discomfort, and shaping what museums can and need to become. If we embrace the synthesis of temple and forum, as Cameron (1971) and Hatcher (2023) suggest, we won’t just be teaching—we’ll be transforming.
Ambrose, T., & Paine, C. (2018). Museum basics (4th ed.). Routledge.
Brown, A. (2015). Museums respond to Ferguson. Museum, 94(6).
Cameron, D. F. (1971). The museum, a temple or the forum. Curator, 14(1), 11–24.
Dumont, C., De Backer, F., Dewinter, H., & Vandermeersche, G. (2024). Museum educators’ views on digital museum education: Opportunities and challenges. Cultural Trends, 33(1), 1–16.
Hatcher, S. (2023). Why not a temple and a forum? In E. J. Wood (Ed.), A new role for museum educators: Purpose, approach, and mindset (pp. 42–51). Routledge.
Hein, G. E. (1998). Learning in the museum. Routledge.
Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1999). The educational role of the museum (2nd ed.). Routledge.
International Council of Museums. (2022). New museum definition. https://icom.museum/en/resources/standards-guidelines/museum-definition/
Kristinsdóttir, A. (2017). Toward sustainable museum education practices: Confronting challenges and uncertainties. Museum Management and Curatorship, 32(5), 424–439.
Merritt, E. (2023). National standards and best practices for U.S. museums. Rowman & Littlefield.
Talboys, G. K. (2018). Museum educator’s handbook (1st ed.). Routledge.
Wood, E. J. (Ed.). (2023). A new role for museum educators: Purpose, approach, and mindset. Routledge.
Kathryn E. Jacob 