This document discusses museums as learning environments. It advocates for active participation during museum visits through observations, conversations, personal reflections and ideas. Key aspects of an effective museum visit include familiarizing students with the content beforehand, encouraging student-led conversations and presentations during the guided tour, and following up after with related schoolwork. An ideal visit incorporates interaction between the artworks, students, guides and environment. The document provides guidance for teachers on structured but flexible museum tours that inspire curiosity and exploration for students.

1. MUSEUMS AS LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Anne Raasakka, MA, Art Educator

2. Museums - Active Visits and Learning
• in addition to doing visual assignments in a workshop, visiting a museum and learning can
also mean making observations, thinking and actively participating
• important outcomes include having conversations around the art, finding new
perspectives, wondering, comprehending and bringing forth your own ideas
• art education includes having conversations about art

3. • active participation in a museum includes the following:
intentional presence, taking part, having the option to
choose and influence, self-imposed participation and the
skills and power to choose your own working method
• the participants are active operators of their own lives
instead of being perceived as an educational target
• contemporary art provides a fruitful learning environment
and the possibility to work without producing material - the
participants' qualities and personalities are essential when
exploring and conversing contemporary art
• there are no right or wrong answers in contemporary art
interpretations, therefore each learner's opinions are
valuable and each member of the conversation brings
additional value

4. Teacher's role on a guided tour
Teachers do not always know what their role is on a guided tour.
Are they the guide's partner or a learner amongst the students?
There is often uncertainty about how much teachers can motivate groups
during the tour without disturbing the guide.
Tools for training have been widely requested.

5. An ideal visit...
...is based on interaction and dialogue between the
artwork, the artist, the museum staff, the guide, the
environment and other factors contributing to the
exhibition.

6. An active visit to the museum
• starts with a familiarization at school
• in order to attract students' attention, the group will
think in advance about the visit (What will they
encounter? What could be surprising? What is there to
find out?)
• in addition to new pieces, the students will also
encounter pieces they are already familiar with - these
will be discussed in groups of students, with the teacher
and the guide
• the guide may be able to answer questions or give the
group new aspects to think about
• the themes that came up during the visit will be worked
on at school afterwords - the visit will be part of an entity
related to something the students are studying at school

7. Wondering is a great way to examine
contemporary art
Before the visit, it is important to get to know the essential contents of the
exhibition by having conversations and wondering. Students have
something to expect from the visit when they are inspired and know what
they will encounter.

8. Form of the guided tour:
MATERIAL FOR THE VISIT
✹ Introduction of the museum (e.g. PDF or PowerPoint)
✹ exhibition-specific introduction, adaptable for different grades and purposes
✹ starting the thinking process already at school (introductions, assignments, making groups)
✹ the teacher will receive a link through email when making a reservation for the visit
AT THE MUSEUM
✹ arriving to the museum with the teacher (the teacher will have clear instructions on how to act in the museum, what are the teacher's responsibilities etc.)
✹ independent tour based on the exhibition material, encountering the piece selected at school (re-encounter), questions to the artwork, reflecting, examining, students
prepare to present the piece they have selected at school
✹ tour with the guide (45-60min.), students present the pieces they have selected to the guide, conversation, the guide presents different approaches and new knowledge of
the pieces, conversation
the visit is closely related to the core curriculum
MATERIAL FOR SCHOOL
✹ assignments, conversation, guidance…
TIME MANAGEMENT
✹ at school e.g. 45-75 min.
✹ at the museum: independently 30-45 min. and with the guide 45-60 min.
✹ at school e.g. 45-90 min.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
✹ if there are 24 students in a class, 6 groups of four students will be formed
✹ getting to know the group at school before the visit- how to select the artwork?
✹ what kind of familiarization package will be used? Different adaptions for each grade (explaining concepts linked to contemporary art)
✹ how many pieces of art are there to choose from? Exhibition layout strongly affects this as the group must be in the same space at all times.
✹ students will select a specific artwork at school, start reflecting on it, think about things they need to find out about the artwork, though nothing too specific in order to be
inspired to find out more at the museum

9. Which target groups could museums serve?
Which phenomena/themes are subject to examination and wondering
at the museum?
How could we cut into phenomena learning together?
Which different ways of learning could the museum be used for?
What services could museums offer?
In what ways would you like to take part in the museum's public
programs as a visitor?
Do you have any questions?