Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning (American Association for State and Local History)

Why do people go to museums and what do they learn there? What roles can museums serve in a learning community? How can museums facilitate more effective learning experiences? John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking investigate these questions in Learning from Museums. Synthesizing theories and research from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, anthropology, neuroscience and museum research, Falk and Dierking explain the nature and process of learning as it occurs within the museum context and provides advice on how museums can create better learning environments. Visit the authors' web page What roles can museums serve in a learning community? Why do people go to museums and what do they learn there? The answers to these questions are investigated by combining research and theories from such disparate fields as psychology, neuroscience, education and anthropology, as well as museum studies. The authors explain the nature and process of learning while providing advice on how museums can better create learning environments. Foreword by Michael Spock. Why do people go to museums and what do they learn there? What roles can museums serve in a learning community? This text investigates these and other questions, synthesizing theories and research from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, anthropology, and museum research