DOCUMENT RESUME ED 084 214 SO 006 642 AUTHOR Rebetpz, Pierre TITLE How to Visit a Muse.m. INSTITUTION Council for Cultural Cooperation, Strasbourg (France). PUB DATE 70 NOTE 203p. AVAILABLE FROMManhattan Publishing Company, 225 Lafayette Street, New York, New York 10012 ($5.50) EDRS PRICE MF$0.65 HC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Art Appreciation; *Cultural Education; Cultural Enrichment; Curriculum Development; *Educational Facilities; *Enrichment Activities; Fine Arts; Guidelines; Humanities; *Museums; *Resource Centers; Secondary Education; Social Studies; Teaching Techniques; Western Civilization ABSTRACT The primary aim of this study is to encourage schools and museums to unite their efforts to further the use of the museum for teaching purposes and to promote the full development of creative faculties. The educational function of the museum is explored in consideration of the thirteen to eighteen year old age group. A recurring theme throughout the entire work is the schoolmuseum relationship, with emphasis primarily on the contributions made by Western European civilization. This study also seeks to shoy that other artistic treasures accessible to the public (objects of art, monuments, cities, etc.) can be exploited by the same techniques. Chapters deal with the aims and means of the museum, the school curriculum and the museum's activities, the museum as a school, ways in which experiences and reflections on the impressiolis obtained in the museum can be used in education, and discussions of procedures used in visiting different types of museums. (Author/KSM) a I ff c fir MICRO f I ff FICHE ONLY ,fff I ul,rof.e..;,- CounfICA St . I I "I ' (NJ F 6f r.4i g.14.. ....I it woonolIMS U S OFPART4,ENT OF HEALTH w EDUCATION fl WELFARE NAT.ONAL INSTITUTE OF EC/U-40'10N f'"E f f FtI, ,t .4( ' ..E'ftu -6" ." " C; 'ID DI4, 0,1 f,a I. V r,it r 'f- C.) 4. 4 k C O tr) FILMED FROM BEST AVAILABLE COPY The Council of Europe was established by ten nations on 5 May 1945, since when its membership has progressively increased to eighteen. Its aim is to achieve a greater unity between its Members for the purpose of safeguarding and realising the ideals and principles which are their common het itage and facilitating their economic and social progress ". This aim is pursued by discussion of questions of common concern and by agreements and common action in economic, social, cultural, scientific, legal and administrative matters. The Council for Cultural Co-operation was set up by the Committee or Ministers of the Council of Europe rn I January 1962 to draw up proposals for the cultural policy of the Council of Europe, to co-ordinate and give effect to the overall cultwal programme of the organisation and to allocate the resources of the Cultural Fund. It is assisted by three permanent committees or senior oficials: t'or higher education and research, for g-neral and technical education, and for out-of-school education. All the member governments of the Council of Europe, together with Spain, the Holy See and Finland which have acceded to the European Cultural Convention, are represented on these bodiesl. In educational matters, the aim of the Council for Cultural Co-operation (CCC) is to help to create conditions in which the right educational opportunities are avail- able to young Europeans whatever their background or level of academic accom- plishment. and to facilitate their adjustment to changing political and social conditions. This entails in particular a greater rationalisation of the complex educational process. Attention is paid to all influences bearing on the acquisition of knowledge, from home %ley Jinn to advanced research: front the organisation of youth centres to the impro- vement of teacher training. The countries concerned will thereby be able to benefit from the e-perience or their neighbours in the planning and reform of structures, curricula and methods in all branches of education. Since 1963 the CCC has been publishing in English and French, a series of works of general interest entitled " Education in Europe which record the results of expert studies and intergovernmental investigations conducted within the framework of its programme. A list of these publications will be found at the end of this volume. These works are being supplemented by a series of " companion volumes " of a more specialised nature, including catalogues, handbooks, bibliographies etc., as well as selected reports of meetings and studies on more technical subjects. These publications, to which the present study belongs, are listed at the end of this volume. The opinions expressed in these studt,:s are not to be regarded as reflecting the policy of individual governments or of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Applications for reprc_luction and translation should be addressed to the Director of Education and of Cultural and Scientific Affairs, Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France). I. For complete list, see back of cover. i ... Photo I : Our cover - picture is reproduced by courtesy of the Science Museum, London. (British Crown Copyright.) 2 COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL CO-OPERATION OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE HOW TO VISIT A MUSEUM by Pierre REBETEZ How impressions and information received can be used in the teaching of history, science, the arts etc. STRASBOURG 1970 CONTENTS Pages Int,odi cticn 7 I. The Museum: its aims and its means 9 II. The school curriculum and the museum's activities 37 III. The museum as aschool 73 IV. Experiences and reflections 133 Conclusion 181 Bibliography 183 5 INTRODUCTION Much has Been written about the educational function of the mu- seum, its vitality, its contact with the public, its organisation and its pre- sentation. More specifically coocerned with its didactic aspect, which is usually avoided as a difficult subject, we should like to engage the at- tention of teachers, to whom museum curators have long been making direct or indirect appeals. It is fair to say that these appeals have not met with sufficient response and thus, year after year, schools are being depri- ved of stable values. If teachers ask us " How can we make use of these values? our reply will be: " With enthusiasm! " Every museum has riches which can be exploited. Starting from ac- tual situations, we have chosen a number of examples on which to base our arguments. Aftcr considering the educational system, as organised in our country, and the museums which open their doors to our schools, we went on to make an inventory of regional resources and then, pro- ceeding in concentric circles, discussed the national or foreign museums accessible to these schools. Using realities to illustrate generalities, we have shown what every museum can try to do. Since the subject proposed required an educational slant, this was borne in mind: the relationship school - museum will run as a leitmotiv throughout the entire study. There might have been good reason for considering the behaviour of a class of schoolchildren or student teachers at a museum in one par- ticular region, but the findings would have been unlikely to arouse inte- rest in other European countries. On the other hand, it would have been worst: still to neglect the information provided by specific examples. In choosing this title, the Council of Europe apparently wished to establish guidelines for a practical programme in which the school and the public would each have a part to play. Modern trends in museums and teaching methods had to be described too, so that teachers and curators might learn something about each other's work. Although thirteen to (,,-ighteen is the main age-group considered, reference is also made from time to time to earlier or later stages as well astopermanenteducation. Museums do not place an age-limit on their visitors, nor do they have spheres of influence for their treasures. Finally, to avoid dispersion of interest, emphasis laid pri- marily on the contribution made by Western European ci. iiisation. Each culture has its own science of teaching and conversely. Attentionhas therefore been drawn to the possible links between visitors and their mu- seums, rather than to the occasional contacts between certain visitors and a civilisation which is alien to them. This is not meant to imply that children are incapable of showing genuine interest in the relics ofa civilisation with which they are presumably unfamiliar I. While emphasising what the museum can do for the school, this study also seeks to show that other artistic treasures accessible to the public (objects of art, monuments, cities) can be exploited by the same techniques. Our main aim, however, remains to encourage schools and museums to unite their efforts to further the use of the museum for tea- ching purposes and to promote the full development of creative faculties. 1. An example is the work done by the Associated Schools (UNESCO program- me) and by Miss Montandon (Neuchatel, Switzerland). In April 1965, Miss Montan- don organised the exhibition "On the Threshold of India" at the Fine Arts Museum in her home town. In spite of the obstacles which foreign language and culture and unfamiliar customs, laws, philosophies and religions might present to Swiss pupils, the exhibition was an educational success. 8 I THE MUSEUM: ITS AIMS AND ITS MEANS 1. What is a museum? The International Council of Museums has giventhe following definition: 1 A museum is a permanent establishment administered in the public interest, with a view to conserve, study, exploit by various means and, basically, to exhibit, for the pleasure and education of the public, objects of cultural value ". For the cause which we are defending, we would stress the last part of the definition: the museum seeks to cater for the pleasure and educa- tion of the public.