Mineral exhibition and interactive training and learning at Uganda National Museum

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to improve mineral exhibitions and train curators to bring about interactive learning at Uganda National Museum To accomplish this task, a qualitative pedagogical Action Research Approach was adapted. This entailed the use of methods like; group discussion, dialogue, reflective logs, applied learning scenarios, unstructured interview, conversation and participant's observation. In the implementation of these methods, two learning environments were considered at Uganda National Museum; first was the museum entrance hall in which discussions, presentation and, lessons were conducted and secondly, mineral section where theory gained from discussion at entrance hall was put into practice. The researcher used a Situation Analysis (SA) and Future Workshop (FW) as appropriate tools to assess and analyze issues that have affected exhibitions and informal training needed for museum curators to facilitate practical interactive teaching and learning of from the exhibitions. This exercise involved categories of different stakeholders for instance the staff from department of Uganda National Museums, schools, interns and tourists that are the key stakeholders. However, there are numerous factors that have affected the general professional practice of museum curators but the researcher choose to deal with those that concerns me as a facilitator of exhibitions and learning since that is where the researcher had mandate and capacity to influence and cause some changes for the improvement of the general professional practice of Uganda National museum curators As a master's research student of Vocational Pedagogy I have been exposed to the Student Centered Approach (SCA) learning which inspired me into improving my practice; from delivering content to the learners to , facilitating knowledge creation. This eventually motivated me to carry out a research on to how to develop practical ability in facilitating interactive learning processes, while working with curators at the Uganda museum. The researcher fund out that learning that takes place at Uganda National Museum were mainly passive learning, therefore he introduced interactive learning for mineral exhibitions and also improved on mineral exhibition in science and industry gallery.