Enquiry-Based Learning Through Hands-On Activity
Magic Worlds did not present curriculum-based educational
content in a traditional manner, but rather exhibited an
open-ended collection of materials intended to support and
stimulate children’s creativity and curiosity by presenting
classic literature and folklore in an accessible fashion. The
museum’s educational goal was to encourage ‘enquirybased
learning’ [18] whereby educational opportunities
were allowed to grow naturally out of playful visitor
experiences. The GNM’s learning officer elaborated on the
museum’s belief that open ended enquiry and exploration
would lead to learning, citing the work of Piaget, Vygotsky
and Bruner [e.g. 23] on cognitive and social constructivism.
The learning officer explained that their vision for Magic
Worlds was to enable visitors to craft their own individual
journey through the experience. Educational opportunities
or avenues for discovery would arise as visitors constructed
their own knowledge through firsthand explorations with
artefacts – encounters mediated by parents or Gallery
Interpreters or through peer-to-peer interaction and play.