One of My Favorite Sections of Chapter 3

“Different situations succeed one another. But because of the principle of continuity something is carried over from the earlier to the later ones. As an individual passes from one situation to another, his world, his environment, expands or contracts. He does not find himself living in another world but in a different part or aspect of one and the same world. What he has learned in the way of knowledge and skill in one situation becomes an instrument of understanding and dealing effectively with the situations which follow” (44).

Sometimes I read Dewey and think, “He really does hit on the foundational principles of how one learns.” It’s almost frightening. We have already discussed in detail Dewey’s acknowledgement that situations interact with one another, ultimately causing effects that shift the conditions of an upcoming experience. I don’t want to beat a dead horse on that; however, I do want to comment upon what that means in the big picture of museum work.

Applying Dewey’s theories to a museum setting, our visitors come to our facilities already having been influenced by their past experiences with the world. Of course, each individual has a unique storyline to their life’s adventures, and that fingerprint of existence cannot be replicated by any other person. This is where we know that our visitors are not blank canvases. They have crafted their own world, ideas about the world and a way of thinking about the world that has ultimately served to “expand or contract” their environment to the precise dimensions as dictated by experience. Knowing this, we already have our hands full as educators.

How do we cater to the needs of our constituents, when these individuals are all so vastly different in their “composition of experience?” I don’t think I could really answer that question if I tried; however, I would say that one obvious way of dealing with this struggle is to a) specify a particular target audience and b) go after them. I have touched a little bit about this when talking about audience evaluations, so I will leave it at that. Nevertheless, it is imperative that I address how an individual’s “composition of experience (my term)” changes while visiting museums and once again what that means to us as educators.

I adore how Dewey describes how after an individual encounters another experience within the course of their life that individual “does not find himself living in another world but in a different part or aspect of one and the same world” (44). When visitors come to our museums, do we ever think about their experience as one of filtration, clarification, and articulation? As Dewey states, experiences can cause us to acknowledge our presence in a different environment, one more clearly defined than before these experiences occur. To me, that suggests the following process:

1) The filtration of influential experiences from those that are less worthwhile. This seems to happen outside of an individual’s control, for it is based upon experiences previously had. In any case, there occurs a process of dividing the world into experiences of great worth and those of less.

2) The clarification, or selection, of experiences of worth to be had. Again, I believe this is done outside of the conscious choice of the individual.

3) The articulation, or commitment, to this experience and its effects on your “composition of experience.” Unlike the previous two steps, this third component has a measure of individual agency. We can learn to be molded by our experiences.

So, when we think about this process and understand how individuals learn by experience according to the theories of Dewey, what does that say about the experiences we present to our museum audiences? My first thought is to say that museum experiences can shape an individual’s perspective about a given subject area, philosophy, etc. If what Dewey says actually happens (and I believe it truly does), the experiences individuals encounter at museums help to create one’s orientation to the world. We find our niche within the larger picture of the world. If we look at our jobs in this light, do we not feel the weight of our responsibility as educators?

Of course, we know that once out of our hands those we teach interact with others, thereby shifting their perception of the world once again. What we really need to see is the importance of that singular moment in an individual’s life-long learning process. I often think about the little experiences in my life that have influenced, perhaps even changed the course of, my life to such an extent that I now view them as monumental in the develop of me as an individual. Bottom line: one experience can alter the course of one’s life, thus placing in their path different experiences than they would have encountered if not for the previous experience. We cannot overlook the importance of a singular educational moment.

I just cannot get enough of the idea of helping someone to shape the way they view the world.