Natural History Dioramas – Traditional Exhibits for Current Educational Themes: Science Educational Aspects

Description

This book presents the history of natural history dioramas in museums, their building and science learning aspects, as well as current developments and their place in the visitor experience. From the early 1900s, with the passage of time and changes in cultural norms in societies, this genre of exhibits evolved in response to the changes in entertainment, expectations and expressed needs of museum visitors. The challenge has always been to provide meaningful, relevant experiences to visitors, and this is still the aim today. Dioramas are also increasingly valued as learning tools. Contributions in this book specifically focus on their educational potential. In practice, dioramas are used by a wide range of educational practitioners to assist learners in developing and understanding specific concepts, such as climate change, evolution or or conservation issues. In this learning process, dioramas not only contribute to scientific understanding and cultural awareness, but also reconnect wide audiences to the natural world and thereby contribute to the well-being of societies. In the simultaneously published book: “Natural History Dioramas – Traditional Exhibits for Current Educational Themes, Socio-cultural Aspects” the editors focus on socio-cultural issues and the potential of using dioramas to engage various audiences with – and in – contemporary debates and big issues, which society and the natural environment are facing. Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introduction: Natural History Dioramas and Science Educational Aspects (Annette Scheersoi, Sue Dale Tunnicliffe)....Pages 1-8 Front Matter ....Pages 9-9 Origins and Contemporary Status of Habitat Dioramas in the United States (Stephen Rogers, Rebecca Shreckengast, Eric Dorfman)....Pages 11-40 Developing a Modern Diorama: Changing Habitats in Scotland Since the End of the Last Ice Age (Andrew C. Kitchener)....Pages 41-54 Building and Maintaining Dioramas – A Field Report (Eirik Granqvist)....Pages 55-67 Dioramas of Marine Bird Colonies: History, Design, and Educational Importance (Rainer Hutterer, Till Töpfer)....Pages 69-87 Botanical Dioramas – Just Beautiful? (Kathrin Grotz)....Pages 89-98 Front Matter ....Pages 99-99 Dioramas as (Scientific) Models in Natural History Museums (Alexandra Moormann, Charlène Bélanger)....Pages 101-112 Educational Mechanisms of Dioramas (Michael May, Marianne Achiam)....Pages 113-122 An Interpretation Model for Dioramas (Edward Mifsud)....Pages 123-136 Front Matter ....Pages 137-137 Constructing and Reviewing Dioramas: Supporting Beginning Teachers to Think About Their Use to Help Children Understand the Work of Natural History Scientists (Debra McGregor, Jennifer Gadd)....Pages 139-157 Dioramas and Teachers: Looking, Thinking, Drawing, and Talking (Cristina A. Trowbridge)....Pages 159-170 Learning in Physical Science Opportunities at Natural History Dioramas (Sue Dale Tunnicliffe, Rebecca Gazey, Eirini Gkouskou)....Pages 171-183 Learning Science Through Encounters with Museum Dioramas Themes and Patterns in Students’ Conversations (Jesús Piqueras, Karim Hamza, Susanna Edvall)....Pages 185-204 The Use of Natural History Dioramas for Science Education (Michael J. Reiss)....Pages 205-215