Progressive museum practice: John Dewey and democracy

‘Who Thinks this Teaspoon Is Art?’ A Discourse Analysis of Elementary School Students' Negotiation of Meaning During Art Museum Visits

“…Personal experiences and developed understandings were integrated into participants' discourse (Gee 2014). This illustrated students' engagements at MAM as ‘educative’ and meaningful in a constructivist manner (Dewey 1938; Hein 2016). Students from Oakland Elementary School were autonomous learners who used MAM as the epitome of our world to practice the negotiation of various meanings and values.…”

“…MAM served as a democratic site (Hein 2016) for students to develop a discourse that allowed them to reflect upon, express and negotiate meanings in a constructivist manner. Moreover, students were encouraged to allocate different reasoning and critical thinking skills through abstract constructs.…”

“…In Hein's (2016) writing, he addressed the aspects of museum learning that were progressive and emphasised constructivist learning. By addressing different subjects, learning styles and social issues, museums served as a springboard for students to understand their relationships with self, others and society (Dewey 1923; Hein 2006; Falk & Dierking 2016), making Museums serve as a platform for students to make meanings and initiate talks about democracy (Hein 2016).…”

“…Meanwhile, museum educators aligned their practice with the values of progressive education and shifted towards a constructivist learning paradigm (Hein 2016). John Dewey's philosophies, which emphasise democratic teaching and experiential learning (Miettinen 2000; Hein 2016), profoundly impacted the foundations of museum education in learning, teaching and the design of educational programmes (Ebitz 2008). Dewey advocated for the value of democratic principles throughout his educational reforms, emphasising that if treated as a social process to promote learners' civic responsibility, education can serve as a founding force towards a better, more ‘accessible’ and ‘enjoyed’ society (Dewey 1938, p. 34; Hein 2016).…”

“…Museums address different learning styles and encourage interdisciplinary investigations (Simon 2010; Falk & Dierking 2016). Further, they are microcosms of our society where students can learn and address social issues collectively in a safe space (Hein 2016). Educational programmes in constructivist museums attempt to decentralise the curatorial voices and emphasise visitors' participatory experiences (Simon 2010).…”