Museum Movement Techniques: How to Craft a Moving Museum Experience

Museum Movement Techniques describes the theory and methods of an original approach using movement to learn about museum objects. By calling on students to express their understanding of exhibits through physical movement and then helping them reflect on their choices, teachers and museum educators can increase the engagement and comprehension of school age children and other kinesthetic learners. Weisberg weaves practical examples of her own experiences in museum education, including tips on techniques, museum object selection criteria, educational linking, and assessment methods, with the theories and concepts of kinesthetic learning. The accompanying DVD, which demonstrates Weisberg's movement techniques in a variety of museum settings, only adds to value of this powerful handbook for innovative educators.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Chapter 1: A Moving Museum Experience Chapter 3 Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundation to MMT Chapter 4 Chapter 3: In the Context of Museum Education Chapter 5 Chapter 4: Snapshots of Learning: A Gallery of MMT Experience Chapter 6 Chapter 5: Moving Forward: Integrating MMT into Museum Education Chapter 7 Appendix A: MMT Workshop Chapter 8 Appendix B: MMT Workshop Evaluation Comments Chapter 9 Appendix C: MMT Museum Survey Chapter 10 Appendix D: MMT Educational Linking

About the Author :
Shelley Kruger Weisberg is a museum educator with a background in dance education and movement therapy. She received her Master of Education from Lesley University, where she explored the use of movement as a catalyst for learning in museums. Currently, she designs and teaches workshops on museum movement techniques for educators and museum professionals.

Review :
The techniques she describes can make museum visits vivid and memorable in a whole new way. For decades, museum educators have recognized that effective educational experiences for visitors require more than intellectual engagement. In simple language and through specific examples, Weisberg elucidates how the powerful technique of kinesthetic learning can augment children's engagement and meaning making in museums. Museum educators will find in this volume both practical advice and theoretical grounding for incorporating movement activities into their practice. Museum Movement Techniques provides a solid introduction to kinesthetic learning both in theory and practice, putting another arrow in the quiver of essential methods for educators who want to make museums engaging and lively places of learning. Weisberg's book is an informative, joyful, and enthusiastic description of how to use kinesthetic learning in a museum environment to tap into children's wonderful imaginations and amazing energy. Docents and parents alike will find her techniques empowering and children will be delighted by these innovative activities. Her techniques of guiding and encouraging children to connect to artworks through the natural movements of their bodies guarantee a successful, exciting, and memorable learning experience. All educators interested in improving the aesthetic sensibility and psychomotor ability of their students should read and apply Shelley Weisberg's excellent Museum Movement Techniques. It would be particularly effective for special groups of gifted or learning disabled students. Addresses a real need that museum educators across all disciplines have in making their collections come to life for young people . . . . I believe that Shelley Weisberg's Museum Movement Techniques will help museum educators craft truly memorable and moving museum experiences. Weisberg's technique is well-grounded in scholarly theory while remaining a refreshing and effective tool in the hands of individual educators. This work is an inspiring contribution to every educator and docent who seeks to facilitate meaningful engagement between art and audiences. Weisberg's approach to interpretation offers important new techniques for both existing and 'harder to reach' audiences, but it is most significant in challenging deep-seated assumptions about how we interpret and why — particularly our over-reliance on the printed word. Shelley Weisberg asks museums to think in ways missing since the 1970s. She wants visitors to engage viscerally with objects and to connect physically with the expressive qualities in art. She makes her case well. Shelley Weisberg's Museum Movement Techniques is truly a realization of the theory of learning by movement. She opens up and widens our perspectives of museum education. This book breaks new ground for educators looking to enhance creative expression in their students by offering well-tested strategies for use in classroom and other settings. Written by an educator who has devoted years to understanding creativity in children, it will provide many opportunities for unleashing learning potential. . . . What a treat to see a book that teaches museum docents and educators how to help children experience art kinesthetically, intellectually, and emotionally from their own entry point. Ms. Weisberg so clearly articulates her techniques that even the first time user can enjoy the experience with children - and probably learn just as much as they do. Museum Movement Techniques is the result of the author's self-described 'journey to gain credibility for the use of movement as a method to learn in museums' (84) and although the usefulness of the strategy may be limited in some settings, Weisberg succeeds in her larger goal, reminding the reader of the importance of engaging the whole learner-mind, soul and body-in the museum education experience. In her handbook Museum Movement Techniques: How to Craft a Moving Museum Experience, and the accompanying DVD, Shelly Kruger Weisberg presents her movement techniques in a variety of museum settings. She weaves theories and concepts of kinesthetic learning with practical examples from her own experiences in museum education, including tips on techniques, museum object selection criteria, educational linking, and assessment methods. This is a good resource for dance educators, museum educators, classroom teachers and parents interested in making art and dance connections....For those desiring to help their students engage with visual art more meaningfully and those desiring to guide their students into new movement possibilities, this book is a sweet little gem.