From salad bars to vivid stories: four game plans for developing ‘educationally successful’ exhibitions

Abstract

This paper addresses the challenge among exhibit development team members to agree upon a shared game plan. It argues that the educational aspect of a shared game plan can be articulated in terms of curriculum theories, each of which advocates a particular approach to presenting information, characterizes an ideal relationship between teacher and learner (museum and visitor), and offers a distinct account of educational success. The relevance of four curriculum theories to museum practice is demonstrated by relating each theory to findings from an exhibit evaluation and to extant museum education literature. The overarching purpose of the paper is to introduce curriculum theories as a useful tool for articulating a shared game plan that delineates a coherent relationship among educational objectives, communication style, and criteria for assessing audience outcomes.

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