Abstract
We consider that natural history dioramas are one of the most effective museum exhibit genres for the teaching and learning of many aspects of biology. Dioramas have been, hitherto, a rather neglected area of museum exhibits, butaissance is beginning for them and their educational importance in contributing to people’s understanding of the natural world. They can reach a wide audience and increase access to biological knowledge. However, science learning in museums and science centres should be viewed and remembered as a life long, cultural process in which such encounters and subsequent learning are firmly located in the context in which they are seen and the culture and context within which they are interpreted
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Conclusion
Conclusion
Dioramas communicate messages from a variety of underpinning areas, biological, ecological, environmental and historical through the medium of the exhibit. They are a unique and essential learning tool for biological education for all.
Children with inquiring minds, and not constrained by rigid teaching, do develop the inquiry approach at dioramas: they observe, ask questions, formulate hypothesis which they try to corroborate by comparing scenes presented in the diorama with their own experiences and previous knowledge.
Learning—especially in museums—is embedded within social events and occurs as a person interacts with people, objects, and events in the environment. Social interactions, as they occur at dioramas, are fundamentally cultural. Therefore, the socio-cultural perspective has profound implications for teaching, learning, and education and it is important to examine the external social world in which an individual life has developed. Thus viewing dioramas is a social experience and will vary depending on the culture from which the participants come and the context and culture in which they are viewed. The interaction with the exhibits as well as the socio-cultural influence contribute to the interpretation of the exhibit constructed by both visitors and museum personnel.
Dioramas can reach a wide audience and increase access to biological knowledge.
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Tunnicliffe, S., Scheersoi, A. (2015). Dioramas as Important Tools in Biological Education. In: Tunnicliffe, S., Scheersoi, A. (eds) Natural History Dioramas. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9496-1_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9496-1_11
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