topic selection

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Topic: Fundamentals of Museum Interpretation

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Goal of Instruction: To communicate the educational goals of museum or historical interpretation and help interpreters create a personal trajectory for learning and performance.

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Rationale: I have been a museum interpreter for three years, and I have portrayed several characters across various time periods. I’m interested in this field because these positions combine theater, education, and history. I refer to this as my “ideal intersection.” People entering museum theater are often actors who think it’s just another gig, just another role to learn and play. However, the educational goals of interpretation make it more than simply acting---it’s also research, teaching, and customer service skills in addition to acting and improvisational skills.

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Description / Background of potential Learners:: This program is ideal for people who are new to museum interpretation or can be used as a refresher before groups or individuals take on new interpretation roles. The learners often come from backgrounds in performance or education, but this can vary with little impact on the program.

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task analysis

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Goal of Instruction:
List terminal objective based on a Higher Order Thinking Skill (Bloom's Taxonomy)

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Learners will be able to:

• Analyze goals of interpretation and communicate educational objectives.

• Construct a personal philosophy for interpretation.

• Design a character research plan.

 

 

Performance-Based Assessment:
How will you assess your learners based on them applying content from your instruction?

 

Learners will share their completed research plan and philosophy of interpretation with the director and have an in-depth assessment discussion with the director about guest experience and possible guest scenarios.

 

 

Subject Matter Experts

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Questions for SME – Museum Theatre Directors:

1. What is the primary skill (or 2-3 top skills) you feel your interpreters must have to be successful?

2. What is the largest hurdle for first-time interpreters?

3. What necessary skills do first time interpreters typically lack and/or ongoing interpreters forget?

4. How do you currently communicate performance expectations to your interpreters?

5. How do you currently conduct skills assessments for your interpreters?

 

Questions for SME – Experienced Interpreters:

1. What drew you to museum interpretation?

2. What skills have you learned in guest experiences you’d want to impart to new interpreters?

3. What is the most difficult thing about being an interpreter? How could training make that easier for you?

4. What is the most valuable experience for you in preparing for an interpretation role?

5. What interpretation aspects or skills would you appreciate an occasional refresher on?

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Tasks, objectives, and measurements

 

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Objectives:

     Learners will be able to:

1. Analyze goals of interpretation and communicate educational objectives.

2. Construct a personal philosophy for interpretation.

3. Design a character research plan.

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Measurements/Evaluation (one per objective)

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1. Assessment of educational objectives for the interpretive experience (Evaluate).

2. Construct a personal philosophy for interpretation (Create).

3. Design a character research plan (Create).​

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Tasks:

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1. Analyze goals of interpretation and communicate educational objectives

A. Explore the purpose of museum interpretation and educational goals.

                         1. Purpose of interpretation

                         2. Guest expectations

                         3. Approaches to interaction

                                   a. Interpreter-led

                                   b. Guest-led

          B. Illustrate typical guest motivation and interactions.

                         1. The Observer

                         2. The Engager

                         3. The Opposer

          C. Examine ideal responses to various guest interactions.

        

2. Construct a personal philosophy for interpretation

          A. Examine examples of personal educational philosophy.

          B. Analyze educational and personal motivations for interpretation.

          C. Prioritize educational and personal goals for interpretation.

          D. Compose a philosophy of interpretation based on both educational and personal goals.

 

3. Design a character research plan

          A. Locate resources for researching interpretive characters.

                        1. Culture of the time (films, books, fashion, etc.)

                        2. Primary sources (newspapers, photographs, documents, etc.)

                        3. Secondary sources (biographies, non-fiction, etc.)

                        4. Genealogy

          B. Distinguish reliable sources by comparing information across sources.

          C. Prioritize information most relevant to the interpretive experience.