Teacher as Mediator: A Teacher's Influence on Students' Experiences Visiting an Art Museum

by Tracie E. Costantino

Introduction

Teachers are a central factor in student learning in the classroom, but what impact does a teacher have on students' educational experiences in out-ofschool settings, such as the museum? As schools become increasingly open to community resources and partnerships, the teacher's realm of influence reaches beyond the classroom to community and regional sites. While it is critical to understand how teacher planning, knowledge, and beliefs impact student learning in the classroom, it is also important to investigate the influence of these factors on student learning in out-of-school settings. This is especially significant when the teacher is not a passive participant on a docent-led museum tour but rather an active designer of students' interactions with a museum's exhibits, as on a self-conducted tour. As in the classroom, it is useful for teachers to reflect on their values and practice while teaching in an informal learning environment, like a museum, so that they may fully support student learning in this context. In addition, as museums seek to define themselves as educational institutions relevant to the K–12 curriculum, it is important that museum educators understand how teachers play a mediating role between students and museum objects so that they can support teachers as they seek to include museum collections as sources for student learning.