Constructivism in Museums: How Museums Create Meaningful Learning Environments

The role of museums has changed from merely exhibiting objects to interpreting them and finally to encouraging visitor interpretation. Museums give visitors firsthand experiences with objects that can involve looking, handling, interacting, or actually experimenting. Constructivist theory holds that prior knowledge is of primary importance. Learners come to us with a wealth of knowledge already organized. Many people repeatedly reject new information because they cannot find a way to mesh it comfortably with their pre-existing knowledge. One tool that has developed out of constructivist theory and that may also help explain it is concept mapping. Concept maps are arranged hierarchically, with the most important or superordinate concept at the top of the map. Semantic networks do not require that representations be words; they may also be such things as images, text, and sound. Museums may be the perfect environments in which to use constructivist theory and observe meaningful learning.