Sowing the seeds of wisdom and cultivating thinking in museums

This article followed a keynote presentation at Museums Australia National Conference May 2015. It is the first paper in the conference proceedings published as an e-book by Simpson A. and Hammond G. (eds). In 2016. A Cultural Cacophony: Museum Perspectives and Projects. Museums Galleries Australia. Canberra.

Janelle Hatherly 2021

Introduction

Cultural institutions are human constructs and the collections within them represent what we as a society value. As keeping places of the cultural memory of humankind they provide the ideal context for aesthetic appreciation and for deepening understanding of what it means to be human: places where we can reflect on the past, contemplate the present and imagine our future.

This is highly relevant at a time when society is experiencing a technology revolution that is changing our world, faster and with greater impact, than the agricultural and industrial revolutions before it. In an effort to create economically viable popular visitor attractions, those who work in museums, art galleries, botanic gardens and historic houses are being pulled in all directions and are finding it difficult to answer the question: What do our organisations stand for?

At their best, cultural institutions are centres that inspire reflection, personal fulfilment and collaborative mindfulness. This paper deconstructs ‘inspiration’ and explores how we, the professionals who are the current custodians of these keeping places, can make meaningful connections with visitors and the wider community to stimulate thinking about natural and cultural heritage.

It identifies the unique qualities of indoor and outdoor cultural environments that sow seeds of wisdom and cultivate meaningful and ongoing engagement with curated collections through public exhibitions and programs.

In a state of flux

The World Wide Web turned 21 on 7 August 2012. Just as this milestone marks the transition of a young person to his/her adult life, this technological advance has catapulted our society into an Information Age with huge changes, opportunities and challenges. In the early 1990s about one million people owned a mobile phone, today there are between five and six billion in circulation. Personal smart phones incorporate the functions of computers, cameras, compasses, CD players and encyclopaedias – to name but a few devices – enabling communication on a global scale with true democratization of knowledge and ideas.

Information technology has also changed the way we do business and research. Big data sets can now be acquired and processed in ways not possible using traditional databasing techniques. In 2012 the amount of information stored worldwide exceeded 2.8 Zetabytes (1ZB = 1021 bytes) and, of an estimated 33% deemed useful, only 0.5% of that was analysed appropriately ¹ .

If knowledge is what we understand (based on available information), and wisdom is the effective use of knowledge in decision making, the potential exists to significantly deepen humanity’s endeavours to understand the universe. By their size, location and public accessibility, cultural institutions can bridge the real and virtual worlds, bringing people together to discuss and debate the many complex social and environmental challenges.

The impact on museum planning

Whereas in the past, individuals and organisations could plan for the future with a pretty good idea of what the world would be like in 30 years’ time, now there is no knowing. How do cultural institutions prepare for an uncertain future? Certainly not by doing business as usual as this quickly results in falling behind the times and puts them at risk of becoming irrelevant.

How much cultural institutions need to change requires careful consideration as they can provide a perception of stability at a time when society is straddling old and new ways of doing things. Periods of great change are ideal opportunities to test the robustness of existing theories and past approaches. If what we do or know is as relevant today as it was 21 years ago, then it is worth holding onto. There is place in our organisations for the old, the existing and the new.

Too much change and introduced innovation, especially when resources are limited, can also be detrimental as multi-tasking merely results in many projects being done equally poorly and overstretched staff and volunteers suffering a lack of strategic focus.

Museum professionals are a mix of multi-talented, highly skilled and passionate individuals who, in the past, had difficulty finding common ground in planning processes and arriving at a single vision and mission for their organisations. However, such diversity is a strength in the current environment. Planning for change while staying connected to the past, present and future requires collaborative creativity: where the scientific method is combined with the artistic process to create engaging exhibitions, public programs and accessible collections.

It requires teamwork and the development of a community of co-learners (active listeners with strong ideas of their own to contribute) in order to create inspiring public environments which are highly conducive to learning.

Education – in need of new branding

One of the main areas in society where current structures are still traditional and are at risk of becoming obsolete is our education system. The changes that have taken place throughout the world have created new demands and expectations for education. To succeed in this dramatically changing context, students must possess learning skills and knowledge not even in existence a few years ago.

Yet, education has been slow to change and embrace the Information Age. Many communities and schools seem locked into the Industrial Age model of mass production learning and cannot see beyond the limitations of an Agricultural Age calendar that binds educators and students in time, place and purpose. As Albert Einstein (1879-1955), physicist and Nobel Laureate, said: “The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

This provides cultural institutions with exciting challenges and opportunities. Cultural institutions are described as informal learning environments well-placed to make a significant contribution to society from an educational perspective. Social learning, good teaching and instruction, mentoring and parenting are as relevant as ever and, now that information is at everyone’s fingertips, the time is right for trying out new ways of learning.

Many cultural institutions prefer not to use the term ‘education’ and now deliver ‘learning services’ and ‘public engagement’. This is because many people associate education with formal schooling and possibly negative learning experiences. After all, education can be defined as any process that fosters learning and 'learning can be defined as occurring when experience causes a relatively permanent change in a person’s knowledge or behaviour. The change may be deliberate or unintentional, for better or worse.'

Passionate committed educators, however, know that the purpose of education is to foster a love of learning. As Robert D Sullivan former Assoc. Director of Public Programs Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum said “Our final products are not programs, but people: transformed, enlivened people who leave us different than they arrived; whose attitudes, beliefs, feelings, knowledge of the natural world and their place in it have been positively altered.” For this reason, cultural institutions must promote hope and optimism – and focus on the positive. Gloom and doom messages, especially in turbulent times, risk ‘turning people off’. Museums and memorial sites must recognise the horrors of war, discrimination and other social injustices, but in ways that permit hope and optimism for the future of humankind. Botanic gardens and zoos may have very strong conservation agendas, yet they should avoid focusing solely on environmental degradation, climate change calamities and loss of biodiversity.

There is always a ‘glass half full’ component to ever issue. For example, road accidents have never been lower, car engines have never run cleaner, farm productivity has increased more than 200% since the 1950s and stranger danger has no grounds in statistics. By marvelling at the resilience of nature and humanity’s creative genius our organisations can inspire and make a difference. As St Thomas Aquinas, the thirteenth-century Italian Dominican monk and one of the greatest intellects of the Middle Ages, said: “You change people by delight. You change people by pleasure.”

What exactly is inspiration?

In this Information Age the term ‘inspiration’ is increasingly being used everywhere and for everything. As a marketing tool it is used to mentally stimulate us into doing or feeling something beyond the ordinary. When it appears in our mission statements it relates to learning and engagement.

In essence, inspiration is part of the highest form of learning. A familiar and useful explanation of why we learn is provided by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. See Fig. 1.

As long ago as 1954 Maslow postulated that humans are motivated to learn to satisfy needs, a condition that has evolved over tens of thousands of years. When humans take learning to its highest level, they are rewarded with ‘a-ha’ moments of self-fulfilment and creative output. Maslow noted that very few people become fully self-actualized because our society tends to reward motivation based on money, status, love and other social needs. Although we are all theoretically capable of achieving our full potential as persons, most of us are unlikely to do so.

Yet our contemporary world is the product of centuries upon centuries of such individualistic and collaborative mindfulness; humanity’s creative achievements are all around us. Maslow’s theories have stood the test of time and there are many on-line examples of where modern insights have been added into all five levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.

Contemporary understanding of how we learn

Advances in neurobiology and brain imaging have given new insights into how the human brain works. This is what we now know about the brain that is relevant to teaching and learning:

Neuroplasticity has replaced the formerly-held position that the brain is a static organ. There is truth to the clichéd saying: ‘Use it not to lose it!’
Every time we learn a new task, our brain undergoes changes and grows more neuronal extensions.
PET and MRI scans now show that new neurones are generated throughout life.
Physiologically, performing such cognitive tasks causes an increase in dopamine release in the human amygdala (in the mid-brain) and we feel happy.
This feeling of happiness motivates us to try again until we learn more ... and more.
Learning promotes learning and, with practice, every individual can experience a degree of self-actualisation and identify with something bigger than themselves.

This has great implications for schooling at all levels. No longer need students think of themselves as smart or stupid. Whereas in the past students who were told they were bright were under great pressure to perform, and those who believed themselves to be stupid didn’t try, now everyone is encouraged to have a go. Innovative schools are harnessing research findings in neuroscience to encourage students to move on from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. A growth mindset teaches that IQ can be cultivated through effort and education, by confronting challenges, profiting from mistakes, and persevering despite failure or difficulties.

The stage is set for more people to seek self-actualisation rather than be satisfied with self-gratification as they appreciate the importance of ‘99% effort’, value skill building and know that the more they apply themselves the more their ability grows.

The impact of computers on learning ... and what computers can’t provide

Computers are great learning tools! The vast amount of information they store means anyone can access any information to any level of complexity, whenever and wherever they want and at whatever pace suits them. Like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (first formulated in the 1950s) has stood the test of time and revised versions, like the one in Fig. 2, have been created to accommodate modern digital learning tools.

Fig. 2:  Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy by Andrew Churches[i] — Fig. 2: Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy by Andrew Churches[i]

What computers can’t provide is that first encounter with that relevant piece of information at just the right time in an individual’s development to motivate them to want to find out more. This is socially mediated and relates to the fact that learning cannot take place in isolation. As far back as 1896, the Russian philosopher Lev Vygotsky showed the importance of dialogue and social interaction in cognition. His theory of a Zone of Proximal Development explains how, with assistance and instruction, we scaffold knowledge and modify our world views. This laid the foundation for many advances in pedagogy over the next century. Great educators/teachers bring their own passion and joy for learning to others. They help others to learn by knowing what information to make available when, and revealing relevance and relationships. Optimum learning occurs when we take the time or make the effort to be observant and interested in the world around us; when we take on tasks or try to understand issues that extend us. It is important that these are just beyond our comfort zone but within our achievable challenge level.

‘Too much or too little’ generally results in individuals experiencing task incomprehension (too soon) or task boredom (too late). Like good doctors, good teachers/parents/mentors are able to diagnose the condition/level of interest in others and facilitate learning by prescribing just the right remedy/amount of information or link at just the right time. Learning to learn and developing higher order thinking skills is socially and culturally mediated and occurs at different stages in an individual’s life. The age-old African proverb “it takes a whole village to raise a child” reinforces the importance of this methodology.

We can fail many times over but as long as we get accurate feedback and positive reinforcement along the way we will strive to master the challenge. This explains the addictive power of video games and, while they are basically unproductive, their mode of interaction makes computers and the internet wonderful aids to teaching and learning.

There is especially evident in ‘How to’ YouTube video clips for personal instruction on all manner of subjects. Educationally, Khan Academy is currently making the greatest on-line contribution in this regard. The Khan Academy started when Salman Khan, a hedge fund analyst, put a maths lesson on-line to help his young cousin Nadia. Bill Gates calls him the world’s favourite teacher and, with seventeen million people a month (and growing) watching the 1000s of Khan Academy YouTube lessons, it is the world’s biggest school. It is also making headway into the traditional classroom with innovative teachers adopting it as part of their teaching strategies for progressing students individually.

Brain changers

Our brain is programmed to pick up patterns and humans use patterns to make links, infer and experiment until a positive result is achieved. By communicating openly and working collaboratively, an environment where it is safe to take risks is created and a learning community evolves.

Yet, with technology moving so fast, our very ability to think is being curtailed. Information bombards our senses and our brains can only process so much. When individuals feel overwhelmed and out of their depth (or more accurately, beyond their achievable challenge level) stress-induced functional and structural changes in the amygdala manifest themselves as anxiety, frustration, boredom and often anti-social behaviour. Our brains are being rewired for quick bytes of information and we find it harder to slow down and build focusing capabilities. Negativity to learning caused by stress is becoming a global problem that needs addressing.

Being optimistic the good news is that, according to the philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett, humans are actually getting smarter. In an on-line video of a recent speech to Intelligence Squared Dennett refers to The Flynn Effect (In the one hundred years IQ tests have been conducted, humans IQs have been steadily rising.) and discusses tools we can all use to transform our thinking. This increase in understanding of how the mind/brain works empowers cultural institutions to create better learning environments that sow seeds of wisdom and cultivate thinking as well as provide respite from contemporary social pressures.

Tourism and leisure contexts

In her 2014 paper UQ Visitors’ restorative experiences in museums and botanic gardens’ ^vi

researcher Dr Jan Packer aimed to identify, from the visitors’ perspective, the circumstances that facilitate and enhance restorative experiences. By conducting interviews with visitors to Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens - Mount Coot-tha and the Queensland Museum she found that a museum visit enabled visitors to switch off and temporarily escape the stresses of everyday life whereas being in an outdoor garden setting had positive health benefits with participants reporting an increased sense of well-being.

“Visitors’ comments illustrated the ways in which the unique environments encountered at museums and botanic gardens facilitate restorative processes. Visitors experienced fascination by being engaged in cognitive experiences (especially at the museum) or sensory experiences (especially at the gardens).” See Fig. 3.

Fig. 3: Environments, Restorative Attributes and Restoration Effects

Where we are affects how we think and behave. In the peace and tranquillity of a botanic garden – or in the outdoor spaces of an art gallery, historic house or museum – all our senses are stimulated at once and we have time to think. We attempt to make sense of our surroundings and make meaningful connections. We all learn differently and the natural world can cater for all preferred learning styles/interests. Even simple immersion in nature piques the visitors’ interest and stimulates their senses, but when this is accompanied by good interpretation a raft of ideas is generated and readily shared with companions. It’s like sowing seeds on fertile ground.

Brain imaging studies also show that information from each of the senses is stored in different parts of the brain, but they are all interlinked by dendritic extensions of neurons. When similar interests are triggered, often later in another environment, multiple neurological pathways fire at once and memory making is strengthened. This is the power of school excursions and why many of us remember those experiences years later. It also illustrates why cultural tourism is set to grow in this Information Age.

We can’t hang on to youth forever, but we can stay learners all our lives. Traditionally cultural institutions were exclusive, now they work hard to remain relevant to new generational and community needs. They address issues of social inclusion by providing all community members with access to cultural resources and they encourage active participation in their research and exhibition development. The journey is a collaborative learning experience for everyone: the experts, the enthusiasts and the novices who make up staff, volunteers and the diverse visiting public. The outcomes are highly relevant collections, displays and experiences that contest and interpret contemporary societal values.

Recognising that botanic gardens worldwide receive one quarter of a billion visitors each year, social inclusion was high on the list of priorities at the recent Botanic Gardens Conservation International Education Congress. This global network of educators committed their collective expertise to fostering a learning community by drawing up a draft statement of strategic directions going forward . Their findings are widely applicable and demonstrate collective creativity.
The delegates highlighted the need to:

Mobilise and support a growing number of audiences to become citizen scientists and environmental stewards conserving plants worldwide and in their own communities.
Develop the social role of botanic gardens by connecting with all sectors of society and engaging them beyond the gardens walls especially those that are currently marginalised.
Pursue a shared, multidisciplinary research and evaluation agenda and establish agreed measurable targets that contribute to and advance the field of conservation so that stewardship of biodiversity can be monitored and enhanced.
Create bridges among disciplines, within and across institutions, to harness the wisdom that can be created by blending multiple perspectives and in order to create greater impact.

Many botanic gardens have a clear focus on where they are going, what they stand for and what they can and should provide to visitors (real and virtual).

In conclusion

It is their vast priceless collections (the cultural memory of humankind) that enable museums, botanic gardens, historic houses and art galleries to readily provide visitors with collaborative creative learning opportunities. And now that this is supported by digital access to millions of cultural objects and associated information an ongoing, real and virtual dialogue is added to create holistic inspirational experiences.

A learning focus can give those who work in cultural institutions a clear sense of purpose and create an organisational USP (a unique selling proposition) that distinguishes museums from malls, botanic gardens from parks, and art galleries from aesthetic backdrops for culinary culture.

Cultural institutions are society’s centres for lifelong learning, mirrors that reflect what we as a society value and consider important. The collections within them and their multi-purpose venues are ideal real and virtual spaces that inspire people to reflect on the past, live in the present and create a better future. Does this describe your organisation?

End notes

i. SAS Institute Inc. www.sas.com/en_us/insights/big-data/what-is-big-data.html

ii. Woolfolk, A. (1998). Educational psychology (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon (660 pp.). Now in its 13th edition (2016).

iii. Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Date accessed 31 July 2015: in http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching-resources/effective-practice/revised-blooms-taxonomy/

iv. The Khan Academy Date accessed 31 July 2015: http://www.khanacademy.org/

v. Intelligence² . Daniel Dennett On Tools to Transform Our Thinking Date accessed 31 July 2015.

vi. Packer, J. (2014). “Visitors’ restorative experiences in museum and botanic garden environments”in S. Filep and P. Pearce (Eds) Tourist Experience and Fulfilment: Insights from Positive Psychology. Routledge. (pp. 202-222).

vii. 9th Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI) International Congress on Education in Botanic Gardens, April 26–May 1, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri.

© Janelle Hatherly. Please credit www.janellehatherly.com if you use any information in this article.
If you have any questions, please get in touch.

MuseologyJanelle HatherlyMarch 2, 2021