Museum Education Program at Bank Street College Enhances Literacy
by Elisabeth Jakab

“Literacy isn't merely about learning how to read and write. Literacy is about being an educated person in the most profound sense of the word. Museums are in an excellent position to promote an expanded definition of literacy, one in which meaning and understanding, not merely decoding, are central,” says Nina Jensen, Director of Bank Street's Museum Education Program. “Literacy is about understanding the human spirit through reading literature, and by looking at and studying art, artifacts from the past and from other cultures, and specimens from the natural world.”

“Museums are traditionally about the things they collect; one can learn to ‘read' them in many ways, including visually,” adds Leslie Bedford, Director of Bank Street's Museum Leadership Program. “The challenge for educators is how to provide context, clues, and roadmaps, so that the collections and exhibits speak to them and relate to their lives.”

Once palaces of privilege where the elite admired art and artifacts only they could afford (and in some cases had donated), today museums are seeking broader audiences through differently focused exhibitions. Part of this outreach is the immense growth in the past fifty years of museum education programs for both children and adults.

It was in response to this cultural shift that, in 1975, Bank Street started its Museum Education Program.

While many of its graduates teach in schools and use museum resources to enhance their teaching, others go directly into museum education.

Museum educators offer online and in-house opportunities for research; professional development for teachers so they can create their own museum programs and prepare their classes before coming to a museum; information on how to use museum teaching ideas and resources in their classrooms; and advice on teaching with primary sources, such as artifacts of another culture, or scientific specimens.”

The Museum Leadership Program, which began in 1978 in response to the desire of museum educators to attend Bank Street while maintaining their jobs, is geared to people already in the museum field who want to learn how to attract audiences by designing exhibits and educational programs, and also to acquire the management skills to implement their ideas effectively.

“When museums understand that their mission is to serve their communities, they approach their work from the perspective of the educator,” says Leslie. “They create experiences for visitors that make connections between the objects and exhibits and the people encountering them.”#

Elisabeth Jakab is Senior Writer at Bank Street College.