Museums, Universities & Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

Pre-service training for teachers-to-be is a fundamental missing piece of our museum-school partnership puzzle. Our museum practices can easily support common core curriculum and twenty-first century learning skills. 1Research has long validated museums as invaluable places of learning for everyone and teacher advocates are legion. Then why are the precepts of learning from objects and in-museum teaching opportunities not yet standard ingredients in all pre-service teacher training?Research using science-related sites suggests that pre-service candidates experience profound, positive changes in their views on teaching and learning when exposed to learning in informal settings. Pre-service teacher candidates' self-confidence about teaching science improved when informal science settings were added to elementary pre-service education? Out-of-school training in nature centers and science museums showed that pre-service elementary teachers found the experience comfortable. It built confidence and promoted greater science literacy.3 A study with aquarium staff showed that all participat-

Partnerships with Cultural Organisations: A Case for Partnerships Developed by Teacher Educators for Teacher Education

“…In the process, we have scaffolded preservice teachers to be able to evaluate, design, and facilitate curriculum and teaching while highlighting the importance of curriculum for primary school discipline learning. Such partnerships promote a disruption to how pre-service teachers can think about these sites and how they would consider future interactions with them upon their gradation and when they are practicing teachers in the field (Darling-Hammond, 2012;Grossman, Hammerness & McDonald, 2009;Nichols, 2014;Ryan, 2013). The opportunity of pre-service teachers to experience "off campus" education providers as students also promotes possibilities for seeing a career trajectory vision of being an educator in and across multiple sites, as well as opening up access to resources, information and ongoing professional development that contribute to the role of being a primary school teacher (Bamford, 2006;Darling-Hammond, 2012;Nichols, 2014).…”

“…Partnerships between schools and the professional arts sector have been found to play an important role in deepening students' engagement with learning (Bamford, 2006;Lemon & Garvis, 2014a;Nichols, 2014). These partnerships are also often associated with innovation in how they extend and develop processes and products in the instigation of arts education (Lemon & Garvis, 2014b).…”

“…According to Bamford (2006), the innovation impact relates to talent development, the development of new pedagogical techniques, processes or products, and the instigation of debates or new discourses. Innovation can break from the constraints, barriers and dependence on repetition of the normal school year and provide opportunities for students to engage in learning opportunities that promote creativity, critical thinking and learner autonomy (Nichols, 2014). For teachers and schools to do this, they must be purposeful about the learning and thinking culture they create.…”

“…Partnerships with cultural organisations have been under utilised by teacher education (Eckhoff, 2011;Lemon & Garvis, 2014a;Mathewson Mitchell, 2015;Nichols, 2014;Ryan, 2013). With changing expectations within the teacher education context, pressure is now rising to consider new ways of working with partners (Eckhoff, 2011;Nichols, 2014).…”

“…With changing expectations within the teacher education context, pressure is now rising to consider new ways of working with partners (Eckhoff, 2011;Nichols, 2014). One approach is for teacher education to develop arrangements with cultural organisations that can enhance teaching and learning with an advantage present for all participants (Victorian State Education, 2015).…”