The techniques she describes can make museum visits vivid and memorable in a whole new way.
William J. Hennessey, President and Director, Chrysler Museum of Art For decades, museum educators have recognized that effective educational experiences for visitors require more than intellectual engagement. In simple language and through specific examples, Weisberg elucidates how the powerful technique of kinesthetic learning can augment children's engagement and meaning making in museums. Museum educators will find in this volume both practical advice and theoretical grounding for incorporating movement activities into their practice.
George E. Hein, Lesley University Museum Movement Techniques provides a solid introduction to kinesthetic learning both in theory and practice, putting another arrow in the quiver of essential methods for educators who want to make museums engaging and lively places of learning.
Max A. van Balgooy, Director of Interpretation and Education, National Trust for Historic Preservation Weisberg's book is an informative, joyful, and enthusiastic description of how to use kinesthetic learning in a museum environment to tap into children's wonderful imaginations and amazing energy. Docents and parents alike will find her techniques empowering and children will be delighted by these innovative activities. Her techniques of guiding and encouraging children to connect to artworks through the natural movements of their bodies guarantee a successful, exciting, and memorable learning experience.
Christine Rowland, Docent, Chrysler Museum of Art All educators interested in improving the aesthetic sensibility and psychomotor ability of their students should read and apply Shelley Weisberg's excellent Museum Movement Techniques. It would be particularly effective for special groups of gifted or learning disabled students.
Maurice Fisher, Educational Psychologist and Publisher, Gifted Education Press Addresses a real need that museum educators across all disciplines have in making their collections come to life for young people . . . . I believe that Shelley Weisberg's Museum Movement Techniques will help museum educators craft truly memorable and moving museum experiences.
Anna Holloway, Educational Director, The Mariner's Museum Weisberg's technique is well-grounded in scholarly theory while remaining a refreshing and effective tool in the hands of individual educators. This work is an inspiring contribution to every educator and docent who seeks to facilitate meaningful engagement between art and audiences.
John S. Welch, Museum Educator-in-Charge, Youth Programs, Metropolitan Museum of Art Weisberg's approach to interpretation offers important new techniques for both existing and 'harder to reach' audiences, but it is most significant in challenging deep-seated assumptions about how we interpret and why — particularly our over-reliance on the printed word.
Geoffrey Marsh, Director, Victoria & Albert Theatre Museum Shelley Weisberg asks museums to think in ways missing since the 1970s. She wants visitors to engage viscerally with objects and to connect physically with the expressive qualities in art. She makes her case well.
Philip Yenawine, Co-Director, Visual Understanding in Education Shelley Weisberg's Museum Movement Techniques is truly a realization of the theory of learning by movement. She opens up and widens our perspectives of museum education.
Kwang Sun Ahn, Museum Education Institute, Korea This book breaks new ground for educators looking to enhance creative expression in their students by offering well-tested strategies for use in classroom and other settings. Written by an educator who has devoted years to understanding creativity in children, it will provide many opportunities for unleashing learning potential. . . .
Joyce VanTassell-Baska, Executive Director, Center for the Gifted, College of William & Mary What a treat to see a book that teaches museum docents and educators how to help children experience art kinesthetically, intellectually, and emotionally from their own entry point. Ms. Weisberg so clearly articulates her techniques that even the first time user can enjoy the experience with children - and probably learn just as much as they do.
Jane Bonbright, Executive Director, National Dance Education Organization Museum Movement Techniques is the result of the author's self-described 'journey to gain credibility for the use of movement as a method to learn in museums' (84) and although the usefulness of the strategy may be limited in some settings, Weisberg succeeds in her larger goal, reminding the reader of the importance of engaging the whole learner-mind, soul and body-in the museum education experience.
AASLH History News
In her handbook Museum Movement Techniques: How to Craft a Moving Museum Experience, and the accompanying DVD, Shelly Kruger Weisberg presents her movement techniques in a variety of museum settings. She weaves theories and concepts of kinesthetic learning with practical examples from her own experiences in museum education, including tips on techniques, museum object selection criteria, educational linking, and assessment methods. This is a good resource for dance educators, museum educators, classroom teachers and parents interested in making art and dance connections....For those desiring to help their students engage with visual art more meaningfully and those desiring to guide their students into new movement possibilities, this book is a sweet little gem.
Journal of Dance Education