This document discusses actions taken by Museums Australia Education (MAE) over the past year to address issues identified in a member survey. It outlines plans to improve branding, communication, and professional development opportunities. To address communication issues, MAE set up a WordPress website and social media accounts to supplement email updates. Google Hangouts will be used to provide online professional development sessions. An in-person conference is also planned to allow for networking and sharing of ideas. Communities of practice are discussed as a way for practitioners to support each other through sharing best practices.

1. 16 May, 2014
Andrew Hiskens
Manager, Learning Services SLV, and
President, Museums Australia Education
The MAENN chance: Museums
Australia Education a year on…

2. P–2
Member Survey
• Brand
 many respondents did not understand what MAENN was
• Communication
 especially the need to ensure that information gets to the people who
need/value it (77% of respondents said that they did not receive MAENN
info from their manager)
 prefer to get communications by email (one inbox…)
• Professional Development
 the need to provide National workshops or presentations on a regular basis,
experimenting with different media/portals/software. Face to face PD was
also highlighted.

3. P–3
Workshop and whiteboard…

4. P–4
Actions
• Branding
 MAENN would now be called Museums Australia Education (MAE)
• Communication
 set up a new MAE website on WordPress, to allow anyone interested to
subscribe for automatic email updates, thereby avoiding communications
being held up by ‘gatekeepers’
 expand this into social media, setting up a Facebook page, LinkedIn
Group, Google+ and a Twitter account (links can be found on the website,
the Twitter handle is @MA_Education)
 MAE Newsletters and President’s Reports will still be emailed to MAE
members, but will also be replicated on the MAE website and alerts sent out
via social media, as a kind of ‘belt and braces’ communication
 have a drive for website subscribers and social media members in
February/March 2014

5. P–5
Actions
• Professional Development
 use Google Hangouts, which offer functionalities such as streaming live
online panel discussions and then publishing the captured video to YouTube
and also embedding this in the website – allowing us to build up a library of
PD resources over time
 the first online PD for the year was Constructivism in Australian
Museums an Interview with Dr. Louise Zarmati
 Future sessions may include a discussion about how to set up a local state
MAE group (for those states/territories without one), learning in Art
Museums and a session on early years
 run a pre-conference day – MAE Day – on Friday 16 May, immediately
before the Museums Australia Conference in Launceston
 encourage state and territory groups to run their own face to face PD
sessions

6. P–6
MAE website
http://museumsaustraliaeducation.wordpress.com/

7. P–7
envi website
http://maenvi.wordpress.com/

8. P–8
MAE website
http://museumsaustraliaeducation.wordpress.com/

9. P–9
envi website
http://maenvi.wordpress.com/

10. P–10
MAE Day – pre-conference day
• A panel discussion titled ‘How did I get here? (The facts of life of museum
education)
• A short AGM
• A presentation session (3x15 minutes each plus questions)
• A ‘Peep Show’ – an hour long program where 10 speakers have 5 minutes each
to present a brief summary of a program, innovation, etc – supported by ONE
prop
• A tour after lunch (because we need to get out of the venue for a subsequent
booking…)

11. P–11
Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger)
• A Community of Practice is a group of people who are active practitioners.
• Community of Practice participation is not appropriate for non-
practitioners.
• The purpose of a Community of Practice is to provide a way for practitioners to
share tips and best practices, ask questions of their colleagues, and provide
support for each other.
• Membership is dependent on expertise – one should have at least some recent
experience performing in the role or subject area of the Community of Practice.

12. P–12
Cultivating a successful community of practice
• Design the community to evolve naturally
 Because the nature of a Community of Practice is dynamic, in that the
interests, goals, and members are subject to change, CoP forums should be
designed to support shifts in focus.
• Create opportunities for open dialog within and with outside
perspectives
 While the members and their knowledge are the CoP’s most valuable
resource, it is also beneficial to look outside of the CoP to understand the
different possibilities for achieving their learning goals.

13. P–13
Cultivating a successful community of practice
• Welcome and allow different levels of participation
 The core group who participate intensely in the community through
discussions and projects. This group typically takes on leadership roles in
guiding the group
 The active group who attend and participate regularly, but not to the level of
the leaders
 The peripheral group who, while they are passive participants in the
community, still learn from their level of involvement. Wenger notes the
third group typically represents the majority of the community.

14. P–14
Cultivating a successful community of practice
• Develop both public and private community spaces
 While CoP’s typically operate in public spaces where all members share,
discuss and explore ideas, they should also offer private exchanges. Different
members of the CoP could coordinate relationships among members and
resources in an individualized approach based on specific needs.
• Focus on the value of the community
 CoP’s should create opportunities for participants to explicitly discuss the
value and productivity of their participation in the group.

15. P–15
Cultivating a successful community of practice
• Combine familiarity and excitement
 CoP’s should offer the expected learning opportunities as part of their
structure, and opportunities for members to shape their learning experience
together by brainstorming and examining the conventional and radical
wisdom related to their topic.
• Find and nurture a regular rhythm for the community
 CoP’s should coordinate a thriving cycle of activities and events that allow for
the members to regularly meet, reflect, and evolve. The rhythm, or pace,
should maintain an anticipated level of engagement to sustain the
vibrancy of the community, yet not be so fast-paced that it becomes
unwieldy and overwhelming in its intensity. (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder
2002)
(excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice, accessed 5pm, 18 April, 2012)

16. P–16
“Everything has been
thought of before, but
the difficulty is to
think of it again”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

17. P–17
Email – ahiskens@slv.vic.gov.au
Twitter – @ahiskens