Educational Activities in Museums
Ayşe Çakır İlhan, Assoc. Prof.*
While the museums served to obtain, conserve, store, research and exhibit the objects
and artworks that enable us to recognize the ancient cultures in the past, they, today, have
undertaken the task to teach the meaning and value of exhibited objects to the visitors besides
the foregoing services.
In this respect, it has attained importance to inform about the identity of work
exhibited in the museum (date, location, who and which civilization it belongs to and which
materials it is made from). Books, leaflets, postcards, museum guides etc. that introduce the
museums aim at introducing the museum better. The visitors are both educated and informed
with these services. Success of educational and instructional functionalities of museums is
proportional to the joyful experiences. Museums are increasingly allocating further room for
educational activities to enhance the aesthetical pleasures of visitors and especially the newgrown people.
The ideal museum according to the museologists, who are the museum – scientists, is
an institution that serves to the development of society and that is not commercial, and that
searches for material evidences to educate and introduce the people and environment and that
deliver and exhibit the information, documents and arts papers (İnel, 2002. P: 56).
Elez who adopts a new conception of museum says, “We would like rather to hold
programs for education. For instance, students from primary and high schools will visit the
museum and learn the concept of museum. Today, you will meet a group of students sitting
on the floor and drawing in whatever museum that you may visit. Because one of the most
important functions of the museums is education. Interest in artworks develops from the
infancy in this manner” (2002. P: 43).
One of the most important topics discussed today is who will perform the educational
activities in museums recently. We can categorize the tasks of museums under three main
topics according to Atagök: conservation, research and communication. It is required that
there are experts from different fields in the museums which undertake such tasks. Educators
such as arts historians, conservators and restorers as well as public relation experts and
designers should be included in the staff (2002. P: 39).
However, it is necessary that the educators who will provide educations in the
museums must be informed and the museum officials must get the awareness of education in
order to enable the education to be provided in museums to be successful.
There are some studies in Turkey though not so common in this subject. For instance,
it is mentioned in curriculums of primary and high schools of organized education that it is
necessary to hold visits to museums. In the new teacher education model, 4 hours of
compulsory course called “Museum and Education” is incorporated in the programs towards
Drawing – Working Teachers. A Division was founded under the title of “Museum
Education” under the body of Institute for Social Sciences in Ankara University and education
is provided at the level of Undergraduate.
* Lecturer in Faculty of Educational Sciences, Ankara University.
In addition, many associations founded in the field of museum including the
Association of Contemporary Drama (Ankara) and Association for Conservation of Child
Museums are interested in education in museums and provide educations on national and
international levels in this subject. These limited examples in certain metropolitan cities
indicate that it is on the agenda to benefit from museums as a medium for learning.
Nevertheless, it has not become definite who will provide the education and which
methods will be used for such educations in museums as well as the viewpoints of museums
to educational activities have not become clear yet. It is necessary that the museum activities
that are performed by means of personal efforts and attempts for the time being are
institutionalized and the essential infrastructure is developed in as shortest time as possible.
Because it is impossible to restrict the education – teaching activities to the classroom. Today,
it has become inevitable to enable museums to serve as mediums for education.
Some educational activities performed in museums are described below:
Antalya Archeology Museum:
Leader
Place
Date
Participants
: Ayşe Çakır İlhan, Assoc. Prof.
: Antalya Archeology Museum
: February 4th, 1998
: Drawing Teachers of TED Ankara College
This museum was founded by Süleyman Fikri Erten in 1922. The museum that served
in Mosque Alaaddin in Kaleiçi and then Yivli Minare (Screwed Minaret) consists of 13
exhibition halls, the garden and open exhibition galleries. The uninterrupted story of
thousands of years from the first human being of fertile lands of Antalya up to date can be
viewed from chronological and didactic exhibitions. A great part of works in the collections
was obtained during systematic excavations in the region and the ethnographic works were
compiled from the region again by specialists. It has a significant position among the world
museums with sculpturing works of Roman Era as well as the interesting and unique findings
from the museum rescue excavations recently. Various excavations and researches are
performed by Turkish, German, American, French, Austrian, British archeologists and
scientific committees in Antalya which is a unique open air museum and international
excavation center with archeological richness. Furthermore, many rescue activities in the
region as well as Örenyeri landscaping works are performed by the specialists of Antalya
Museum. The museum was granted the Special Award of European Council in 1988. There
are totally 11 halls and sections where the works of the era are included in the museum. These
halls and sections are as follows: Child Section, Prehistory Hall, Museum Rescue Excavations
Hall, Gods Hall, Small Works Hall, Emperors Hall, Grave Hall, Mosaic Hall, Coin and
Jewelry Hall, Ethnography Halls.
Educational activity performed in Antalya Archeology Museum on February 4th, 1998
A meeting was held with the group before visiting the museum. The group was
informed about how the museum must be visited and the task distribution was made. The
museum was visited in two groups of 4 persons.
Group I – Group of Living Beings:
1 Person: Examined the heads of statues.
1 Person: Examined the hands and feet of statues.
1 Person: Examined the whole of statues.
1 Person: Examined the postures of statues.
Group II – Participants in Group of Non-Living Beings:
2 Persons: Examined the earthenware.
2 Persons: Examined the jewelry.
Everyone drew the respective topic using a pencil after visiting the museum. Posture
of statue drawn was animated by participants. All groups met in front of “Perge Belly
Dancer” later. Because Perge Belly Dancer was selected as the chief work. The participants
danced like Perge Belly Dancer with their own music in the place of Perge Belly Dancer.
Then, the empathy activity was carried out. Qualification in seeing versus looking as well as
the existing situation was discussed. Evaluation was made.
February 5th, 1998:
Institutional information was delivered to the group about the drama method and
slights of previous international drama activities were displayed.
Lavvy study was adopted on the qualified figures drawn in the museum following
warming-up and concentration. Slight of Perge Belly Dancer was displayed to the participants
and the life story of the dancer was edited according to “the rule of five Ns and one K”. All
participants prepared the costume for Perge Belly Dancer and danced as accompanied by
music. Slight of Perge Belly Dancer was constantly reflected on the wall. After the statue was
observed well and realized, lavvy study was initiated. Lavvy studies were conducted on
packaging paper sized to 70 x 100 cm. The works were exhibited.
Natural History Museum
The activity performed in the museum medium in MTA (Natural History Museum) by
Ayşe Çakır İlhan, Assoc. Prof. with preschool children (6 years-old and 20 children) in 1999
and 2000 longed for two hours:
(MTA) Natural History Museum: The Natural History Museum that was founded in 1935
upon the order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk under the body of General Directorate of Mine
Study and Research (MTA) was opened to serve the world of science and public on February
7th, 1968. Samples of more than 60,000 fossils, rocks, minerals etc. in stores as well as more
than 10,000 fossils, rocks, minerals etc. in exhibition hall of the museum of 4000 square
meters are the materials as a result of geological, mineralogical and paleontological researches
and studies performed up to date following the foundation of General Directorate of MTA as
well as the scientific and technical studies performed / currently performed by Faculty of
Geologies. These materials all of which are important and valuable have been conserved and
stored meticulously since the foundation of museum. This is a unit where all types of
materials for all cycles of geologies are stored, conserved and the distinctive samples are
introduced according to international standards in scientific and educational manner.
Natural History Museum located in the building of General Directorate of MTA
consists of five sections in 3 floors. The entrance floor was completely allocated for
Paleontology. Approximately 6400 fossil materials in this floor and the fossil skeleton
mounting pattern, one of first actual representatives of historical geologic – zoological –
botanic animal – plant species of 15 million years ago in a systematic way of animal – plant
species, was granted to the museum by French Natural History Museum. The first floor of the
museum was allocated for mineralogy. More than 33,000 samples of rocks and minerals as
well as approximately 200 materials that enlighten the Turkish mining history are located in
this floor. The floor beneath the entrance of museum is the section where the dioramas are
located. Approximately 100 samples of fauna and flora in Turkey which is in the course of
extinction or which has already extinct are introduced in a way close to their natural
environment. The partition where the conference hall is located incorporates a section where
the equipment and materials used by MTA are exhibited. This museum which is under the
scope of special museums is supervised regularly by the Ministry of Culture every year. The
museum also contributes to the scientific and technical studies of universities and all
organizations related to geology as well as the secondary schools by providing any geological
material.
Study Conducted: After permission was obtained from the relevant authorities for
visit to the museum, the visit was announced to the children before a week. Information was
given to the children about what they may encounter in the museum and the animals they will
see (dinosaur, elephant, whale, lion, birds, snakes etc.). The photos of these animals were
displayed. Animations were performed with regard to walks and the sounds of these animals.
Two preschool teachers, kindergarten principal and drama – drawing teacher
participated in the visit besides the children. Information was given about the museum again
to the students for visiting the museum and songs were sung about the animals.
The museum official met the participants of the visit to museum. The museum
education was commenced with the museum official. Elephants, dinosaurs, whales and
various animals in the sub-floor were introduced to the animals. Role playing was performed
following each introduction (e.g. how the elephants walk, how many children are
accommodated in the mouth of whale, how the owl looks etc.). The drawing activity was
initiated following this activity.
The educational approach of conventional teaching based upon information transfer at
the beginning of 1950s in particular has been replaced by a learner – oriented educational
approach in which the learner learns the ways to access to information and perform
researches, studies and add his / her knowledge and comment. This approach has made it
inevitable for the student to meet new mediums. In this context, museums have become the
mediums for education. The museums are not only the places visited, but also the mediums
for education which introduce the ancient civilizations to the visitors and also give the
possibility to perform, experience, learn and compare with the present of these civilizations.
Bibliography
Atagök, Tomur (2002), “Devlet Resim Heykel Müzeleri Sorgulanması (Investigation on State
Statue Museums)”. Türkiye’de Plastik Sanatlar Dergisi (Magazine of Plastic Arts in Turkey),
Issue: 53, p. 38.
Eliz, Can (2002). “Farklı Bir Müze Anlayışı (A Different Concept of Museum)”. Türkiye’de
Plastik Sanatlar Dergisi (Magazine of Plastic Arts in Turkey), Issue: 52, p. 47 Istanbul.
İnel Berke (2002). “Çağdaş Müzemiz Üzerine Düşünceler (Remarks on Our Contemporary
Museum)”. Türkiye’de Plastik Sanatlar Dergisi (Magazine of Plastic Arts in Turkey), Issue:
52, p. 56 Istanbul.
İlhan, Ayşe Çakır, Okvuran, Ayşe (2000). “Bir Eğitim Ortamı Olarak Müzeler (Museums as a
Medium for Education)”. Anadolu Sanat Dergisi (Anatolian Arts Magazine), Anadolu
University Publications – Eskişehir.