Acomparative study on the museum curriculum development in China and Britain: Base on Zhoukoudian Site Museum and Coventry Transport Museum

WU Xia

Abstract At present, museum education has become a hot field. Taking Zhoukoudian Site Museum and Coventry Transportation Museum as examples, this paper compares the differences in the museum curriculum development between China and Britain, including education policy, fund operation, target group and implementation mode, which is helpful to provide some reference for domestic counterparts.

Keywords China, Britain, museum curriculum, school education

0 Introductions

The last several decades have witnessed a shift in both the nature of education and its relative importance within museums. On one hand, the philosophy of John Dewey, and the developmental psychology of Jean Piaget all recognize the significance of learning from experience. Learning is now seen as an active participation of the learner with the environment. This conception of learning has elevated experience (as distinct from codified information contained in books) to a more important place in the effort to educate. Museums focus on the "stuff" of the world. They specialize in the objects representing both culture and nature, andtherefore, become central to any educational effort when the focus shifts from the written word to learners' active participation through interaction with objects[1]. Because of its unique form of education, the museum curriculum has become an important part of the school curriculum. On the other hand, the social functions of museums have also changed. In 1984, American Association of Museums published Museums for a New Century, and the general tone of this report is that the educational function of museums is not only important, but is as important as other aspects of museum professional practice[2]. In 1992, Excellence and Equity: Education and the Public Dimension of Museums indicates that the educational function of museums has risen even further in significance[3]. In Britain, the introduction of the national curriculum in 1988 gave rise to publications that discussed the use of museums to support state-mandated education goals[4]. Museum staffs have worked closely with local educational authorities to assure that exhibitions and programs mesh with the school curriculum. The educational function of museums is emphasized. Therefore, based on the needs of education development and museum development, it is significant to develop the museum curriculum and incorporate them into the primary and secondary school curriculum.

In recent years, China has carried out profound and extensive educational reforms. The school curriculum system and classroom teaching and learning has changed tremendously.However, research on the development of school courses due to the use of museum resources is still in the beginning, which is full of exploration and experimentation. The museum curriculum in European and American countrieshas a longer history. So comparing the museum curriculum development between China and Britain is of positive significance for improving domesticmuseum education.

1 Aims and objectives

Museum education is a kind of social education that is a part of lifelong education. From the perspective of school education, the museum curriculumis auxiliary to the school curriculum. The museum curriculum in this paper mainly refers to the educational activitiesthat is planned and implemented for the different groups which isstandardized and systematic.

In order to understand the reality of museum curriculum development in China and Britain, some comparative dimensions are identified, which including education policy, fund operation, target group and implementation mode.

2 Two selected museums

Zhoukoudian Site Museum is situated 50 km to the southwest of the urban district of Beijing, where the famous Peking Man lived about half 1 000 000 years ago. More than 20 localities have been found at Zhoukoudian, such as Peking Man Cave, Upper Cave and New Cave. The discoveries of human and other animal fossils, man-made stone tools, and the evidence of fire using astonished the world in the 20th century. It is not only the treasure house of human fossils, but also the research base for paleoanthropology, prehistoric archeology, paleontology, stratigraphy, chronology and petrology.

Coventry Transport Museum is located in Coventry City Centre, England. The Museum's collection consists of motor cars, commercial vehicles, cycles and motorcycles. Its current collection of vehicles is acknowledged as being one of the finest in the world and the largest in public ownership. The museum has 14 exhibition spaces that tell the stories of the people that lived and worked in the city through the road transport vehicles they produced. It aims to educate and inspire visitors through the history and development of vehicle manufacturing in Coventry over the last 150 years; highlighting Coventry's transport heritage and its central place in the British car industry.

3 Findings

Through text analysis and interviews, a lot of differences between the museum curriculum development in China and Britain can be summarized, as is seen in table 1.

3.1 Education policy

In china, attention has been paid to museum educationat present. The document related to museum education at the national levelwaspublishedin 2017 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, which isGuidelines of Comprehensive Practical Activities Curriculumin Primary and Secondary Schools[5]. Museum visit is considered a form of comprehensive practical activities. Therefore, museum education was formally proposed in primary and secondary education.

In Britain, the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland voted to pass an important education law: Education Reform Act 1988. It pointed out that the museum curriculum can be linked to the school curriculum. In 1991, museums were asked to develop educational activity manuals based on the new national curriculum standards. It was also proposed that a number of activity rooms must be opened in various types of museums, and special learning facilities are available for teachers and students. In 2006, the Office for Stanardsin Education issued Learning outside of the Classroom, to encourage schools to make full use of informal education places such as museums. In 2013, the National Curriculum in England: Framework for key stages 1 to 4 by Department for Education stated that teachers should have greater freedom and responsibility of the museum curriculum and they can decide their teaching.

3.2 Operating funds

Most museums in China are public and almost all of the funds are provided by the government.Therefore, it is free for the museum curriculum in Zhoukoudian Site Museum. In fact, educational activities carried out by themuseum are subject to certain restrictions.

However, it is different in Britain. Taking Coventry Transport Museum as an example, it is managed by the Culture Coventry charitable trust. Culture Coventry is independently managed by a board of trustees. It evolved from local authority heritage services and museums trusts, and Coventry City Council continue to support the organisation as its key funder under a service level agreement.

General offers: (1)museum-led sessions are ￡3.50 per head; (2)teacher-led sessions are ￡2.50 per head; (3)home education (the group is less than 12) is ￡45 in one session; (4)home education (the group is more than 12) is ￡3.5 per head in one session. It means teachers, students and families need to pay for the museum curriculum which they take part in.

3.3 Target group

In China, the museum curriculum is mainly for primary and secondary schools. However, in Britain, various museum courses are designed for people of different groups.

Taking Coventry Transport Museum as an example, it is a great place to learn new things and enjoy new experiences, whether you come with your family, school or college. The dedicated learning team deliver engaging sessions for visitors of all ages. A visit to Coventry Transport Museum provides a fantastic opportunity to get outside the classroom and inspire pupils and students with authentic collections and exciting new displays. The museum is also a perfect place for a family day out. The holiday programmes provide imaginative activities for parents and children to enjoy together, including craft activities and quiz trails. By supporting artsmark settings, the museum puts the arts at the heart of education, and inspires the young to create, experience and participate in high quality arts and culture. It also has lots of activities designed to help adult learners practise essential English and maths skills. The activities are suitable for learners undertaking functional skills qualifications and other similar literacy and numeracy programmes.

3.4 Implementation mode

In China, the museum curriculumis still at the beginning stage. Take Zhoukoudian Site Museum as an example, there is only one person in the museum who is responsible for the museum curriculum development. On the website, there is only an outline of activities. And most of the courses are developed by the school, not the museum. Therefore, the museum courses at each school arequite different, and the quality of courses varies greatly. It is determined by experience of the teachers and ability of the students.

In Britain, all of the museum curriculums are developed by a team of museum professionals and university professors. Therefore, the courses in their museums are usually standardand stable, and hands-on sessions cover a wide range of curriculum areas. Take Coventry Transport Museum as an example, it tries to help teachers to arrange more museum visits, and bring the curriculum to different groups. It offers sessions led by experienced museum education staff or resources forteacher-led visit, with options for the full range of Key Stage 1 to 4. They know that teachers are looking for activities which support cross-curricular learning, so the workshops link to multiple curriculum areas. A visit to Coventry Transport Museum not only enhances students engagement with core curriculum topics, but also offers enrichment by leading students into an new learning environment.

4 The case study

4.1 A specific education activity in Zhoukoudian Site Museum

Name: Simulated Archaeological Mining

Introduction: In order to let more primary and secondary schools students understand the excavation process of prehistoric sites and how to identify fossils, Zhoukoudian Site Museum has opened a 300 km2 simulated fieldarea, which is made into a square of 1 m×1 m by the grid method. Under the guidance of museum professionals, the use of professional tools for excavation can accommodate 500 hosts at the same time. During the excavation process, the guide will introduce related knowledge to further develop students' spirit of exploring science.The activity helps to experience the fun of archaeological excavations, stimulate desire for knowledge, and improve hands-on ability.

4.2 A specific education activity in Coventry Transport Museum

Name: Need for Speed

Target group: Key Stage 3 (7 or 8 years old)

Type: facilitated session

Time: 75 minutes

Introduction: Starting in "Biffa Award Land Speed Record Exhibition", home to the fastest car in the world, pupils will learn more about the science behind speed, including air resistance and friction. Then, back in the learning space, pupils can develop working models to explore these principles. This session also enables pupils to experience the land speed recordon the 4D simulator.

Curriculum links: (1)forces: friction and air resistance; (2)test, evaluate and refine ideas.

Learning outcomes: (1)to understand how science has informed design in land speed breaking vehicles; (2)to create a model which explores the physics of speed; (3)to develop scientific working and design skills.

5 Conclusions

The British government has long recognized the importance and significance of the museum curriculum, and has supported policies and funds at the national level to encourage teachers to lead students into museums. Students who participate in the museum courses connect the knowledge learned on school with history and life. Through the practical activities such as real visits and hands-on sessions, the knowledge gained will be further internalized to achieve the learning objectives. In addition, we can maximize the use of educational resources in the unique museumenvironment.

A part of the income of museums in Britian is the fees which primary and secondary schools paid for the museum curriculum. Therefore, they are more willing to invest in high-quality courses in order to attract more people to visit. In contrast, Chinese museums lack the motivation to develop the museum curriculum.

The good tradition that museums have long-term cooperation withprimary and secondary schools, have been formed in Britian. Museums try to meet the needs of students and understand the changes of school courses. It also provides opportunities for teacher training to learn about the museum curriculum, and gives teachers the full rights to make their own choice. In contrast, museum education in China is more passive for most students. Many students are required to participate in a certain number of museum studies in order to obtain credits for comprehensive practical activities curriculum. Even so, the utilization rate of local museums is not enough.

In short, China still has a long way to go in terms of the museum curriculum development. I think the resources of all parties in society should be constantly integrate and updated. We need aprofessional group to evaluate these resources, and improve the quality of the courses.

References

[1]George E. Hein. Learning in the Museum[M]. Oxford: Routledge, 1998.

[2]American Association of Museums. Museums for a New Century[M]. Washington D.C.: American Association of Museums, 1984.

[3]American Association of Museums. Excellence and Equity: Education and the Public Dimension of Museums[M]. Washington D.C.: American Association of Museums, 1992.

[4]Hazel Moffat. Using Museums: Teachers' Guide[M]. Warwick: Educational Television Company Limited, 1996.

[5]Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.Guidelines of Comprehensive Practical Activities Curriculumin Primary and Secondary Schools[M]. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press, 2017.

（2019-12-16收稿，2020-02-25修回）

作者简介：吴瑕（1984—），女，从事中学技术学科及综合实践活动的教学与研究，E-mail: wuxia0012@126.com。

中英博物館课程开发的比较研究——以周口店遗址博物馆和考文垂交通博物馆为例//吴瑕

作者单位：首都师范大学教育学院、北京市房山区教师进修学校，E-mail: wuxia0012@126.com。

摘 要：在当下，博物馆教育日趋成为一个热门领域。以周口店遗址博物馆和考文垂交通博物馆为例，比较了中、英两国博物馆课程开发的差异，包括教育政策、资金运作、目标人群和开发方式等，有助于为国内同行提供一些借鉴和参考。

关键词：中国 英国 博物馆课程 学校教育