Allard, Michel. “The Museum and the School.” (1992)

This research project developed a teaching model using museums for educational purposes. The research involved educational programs for children 9 to 11 years of age at the David M. Stewart Museum, near Montréal, Québec, which specializes in the colonial history of Canada and Québec. The study focused on the nature of museum visits, learning strategies, the preparation phase, the follow-up phase, the duration of the activity at the museum, and the intellectual skills used by student-visitors. The research tools employed formal and informal observation, formal and informal discussions, and cognitive and affective questionnaires containing closed and open questions. The teaching model for employing museum visits involved a four-step learning process: development of questions, data gathering, analysis, and synthesis. The project outlined the activities that researchers found effective with students to prepare them for a museum visit, while at the museum, and after the museum visit. A lengthy bibliography, consisting of both French and English language titles is included.