Integrating Scaffolding Experiences for the Youngest Visitors in Museums

Abstract

Research demonstrates that children have vast potential to expand their knowledge base with simple supports from adults and older children. Children's museums have a heightened awareness of the value in and the need to reach out to support adults accompanying children, thus bringing about an emphasis on family learning. Iterative exhibition studies conducted at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis illustrate the impact of planning for family learning. But for any museum, intentionally applying the strategy of scaffolding by building on simple concepts and working toward mastery of ideas, can inform adults and simultaneously help children stretch to new levels of understanding and achievement. This strategy requires curators, educators and exhibit developers to work collaboratively to determine various levels of accessibility of content and activity moving from entry level ideas through more complex and abstract ones for older children and adults. Early Learning in Children's MuseumsChildren visiting museums of all types is certainly nothing new, but their experience in those spaces has changed over time. From the earliest iterations of children's museums, to contemporary practices in museums of all types, the attention museum professionals place on the needs of this special audience is changing. The idea of hands-on learning, facilitated and mediated learning experiences, and scaled-down environments have

Museums as avenues of learning for children: a decade of research

“…Vygotsky's theory highlights the importance of scaffolding when learning-as the temporal verbal and nonverbal guidance provided by adults when assisting children at tasksin order to help them to move towards understanding, independent learning or task/concept mastery. The importance of guidance was evident in our review (Van Schijndel et al 2010;Wolf and Wood 2012) and was provided in a variety of ways (modeling, posing of questions). Several researchers (DeWitt 2008;Martell 2008;Rahm 2004;Zimmerman et al 2008) who used sociocultural theory focused their analyses on parent-child and school-group conversational interactions.…”

“…Benjamin et al 2010;Puchner et al 2001;Wolf and Wood 2012). For example, Wolf and Wood (2012) present the 'Kindness tree' exhibit in the Indianapolis children's museum as an excellent example of scaffolding use.…”

“…Benjamin et al 2010;Puchner et al 2001;Wolf and Wood 2012). For example, Wolf and Wood (2012) present the 'Kindness tree' exhibit in the Indianapolis children's museum as an excellent example of scaffolding use. The exhibit told the story of prejudice and intolerance through the life stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White while encouraging children to have the power to confront intolerance by using their words, actions and voices.…”

“…Benjamin et al 2010;Freedman 2010). Museum professionals realised that, in using child-centered approaches, they had overlooked the critical role of adults as members of the learning group, and that their integration into the learning process can offer the impetus to expand the learning experience beyond the museum (Wolf and Wood 2012).…”

Field Trips in Pre - School Education

“…In Rebar's (2012) study carried out with teachers, teachers realized that their students learnt the subject more effectively with field trips and when the teachers made the field trip organization better, the students benefitted from that field trip even more. Wolf and Wood (2012) found in their study that field trips to museum with families helped the students gain concrete experiences and these trips fulfilled various learning needs of students. Besides the researchers expressed such trips helped families develop different viewpoints on learning processes of their children.…”