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History exhibit from a museum

MUSEUM SCHOOLS

Definition

The museum schools are defined as an urban education model designed to provide quality education without extra investment or infrastructure for children belonging to economically and academically backward sections from urban slums. These types of schools use museums exhibits as teaching and learning aids and students teachers as facilitators to provide underprivileged students to get the opportunity of receiving high-quality education at no expense.

Museums schools are the product of innovation that aims to provide quality education to children from urban slums without having to spend anything extra on the infrastructure or teaching aids. Many large cities have museums that facilities subject focussed learning aids to enhance knowledge for students of any age. This model identifies these museums in different cities and collaborates with them to creating learning spaces or “ schools” for the students who are taught using various already existing working models and exhibits of the museum that aligns with their academic syllabus. Here the pre-service teachers from teacher training institutes take classes for the children as a form of their practice teaching. So the children are provided with excellent infrastructure which has been already set up by the government, removing barriers of disparity in providing quality education to all without much expense. These exhibits enhance understanding of concepts.

Curriculum

The curriculum serves to give all-round education that covers a wide range of qualities like physical education, adolescence education, vocational education, literacy skills, entrepreneurship skills, etc., apart from this the B.Ed teachers with various skills train the children and share their competencies with them. This model aims to create a new learning environment where children allowed to explore possibilities and deviate from conventional modes of teaching and learning practices.

Benefits

1. Children are motivated through stories, games and curriculum-driven activities.

2. Museum exhibits develop curiosity.

3. It offers holistic skills similar to privileged children.

3. It increases the confidence to demonstrate love for the subject.

4. It brings together students, teachers museums and schools for purposeful collaboration.

5. It creates engagement with the community.

6. It provides a suitable environment for experiential learning.

7. Increases active participation of youth with local heritage.

8. Students are made aware of the various possible career options as well.

Disadvantages

Most underdeveloped areas do not have museums in the locality. Students have to travel long distances to reach the museums. In rural areas, there are no museums at all. This issue is addressed by the museum schools by using virtual technology. Lessons are videotaped in the museum in 3D to give an engaging experience for the children. There are virtual museum schools that run using funds and support of various resources from agencies and communities that look to invest in such an innovative project to give quality education for all.

Awards

1.UNESCO’s ‘The Wenhui Award for Educational Innovation in Asia and the Pacific 2016’.

2. The project of Museum school is also part of the “My primary school is at the Museum” project, created by the Cultural Institute at King’s College London. (Ghosh, 2018)