I’m really happy to be talking to Dr Alex Woodall about her wonderful work with objects. We’re talking about how the joys of working with objects creatively. We’re exploring how you can use objects to spark all sorts of connections, associations and fun in the museum and beyond… Dr Alex Woodall is a museum professional and academic, inspired by the creative use of objects and rummaging in stores. She has 20 years’ experience working in learning, interpretation and exhibition management and leade...
Nov 24, 2022•37 min•Ep. 76
We’ve reached another milestone and in honour of 75 episodes, I’m releasing a new FREE resource today. How to Look at Art (Slowly) shares 30+ different ways that you can look at art or objects in museums. In today’s special episode I’m talking you through some of these different ways of looking slowly. I'll share why it's important to slow down and look carefully, before explaining the 4 sections of the guide: Static Looking, Movement, Observation by Drawing, Observation by Writing and Viewfinde...
Nov 17, 2022•11 min•Ep. 75
Today I’m chatting to Ben Street about his new book 'How to Enjoy Art: A Guide for Everyone'. We’re talking about how we can enjoy art without needing to know anything about it. Ben Street is an author, educator and art historian. He’s also been a school teacher and museum educator. He’s a writer of interpretation for museums and exhibitions and a writer of art criticism. He’s an academic and he writes books - “ How to Enjoy Art: A Guide for Everyone ” (Yale) and “ How to be an Art Rebel ” (Tham...
Nov 10, 2022•44 min•Ep. 74
Today’s episode follows on from a popular post I wrote on social media recently about how to talk about the recent climate activist protests in art museums with your participants. I wanted to take the opportunity to explore the subject in a bit more detail here. Art has been hitting the headlines recently with numerous climate activist protests targeting famous paintings in museums - from Van Gogh’s 'Sunflowers' in the National Gallery in London, to Monet’s 'Grainstacks' in Potsdam and Vermeer's...
Nov 03, 2022•18 min•Ep. 73
Today I’m talking to Rachel Ropeik about her work. We’re talking about how we can use our bodies to react to art & the many ways in which we can incorporate movement into museum learning . Rachel Ropeik is an educator, facilitator, adventurer, experience builder and pirate who brings thoughtful, playful, and progressive approaches to catalysing change in arts and culture. She currently works independently, sharing her skills with various clients. Before going independent, Rachel’s arts educa...
Oct 27, 2022•48 min•Ep. 72
Today I’m talking about why I created my method Visible Thinking in the Museum (or VTM for short) and who I created it for. Why did I go and develop a new teaching method when there were plenty of methods already out there? So, today I’m sharing exactly what prompted this 11 year mission into creating a method for engaging discussions in museums around art and objects. Over the years, I have done a lot of research into other methods or strategies for discussing art and objects. So I know a lot a...
Oct 20, 2022•18 min•Ep. 71
Today I’m so happy to be talking to Hanna Piksen about deconstructing the traditional guided tour and creating a completely new experience where guides are given free rein to design and lead the tour entirely from their own perspective. Hanna Piksen is the Head of Co-learning at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. This is the national museum for digital culture, design and architecture in the Netherlands. Hanna has a background in art history, art education and in collaborating with artists. She ...
Oct 13, 2022•23 min•Ep. 70
Body language is defined as ‘ the conscious and unconscious movements and postures by which attitudes and feelings are communicated ’. When we talk about body language we’re talking about a wide range of human expression - such as posture, eye contact, use of space, voice, gesture, and so on. And these are signals that communicate with us nonverbally, they are ‘ wordless signals ’ that can be indicators of engagement. These signals are quite often done instinctively, rather than consciously too....
Oct 06, 2022•17 min•Ep. 69
Today I'm delighted to be talking to Marina Gross Hoy about how to look, and in particular, how to look at your daily life as if you were looking at a work of art. Marina Gross Hoy is a museum studies PhD candidate and a writer. Her doctoral research at the University of Quebec in Montreal focusing on how museums develop digital projects to create engaging experiences for visitors. She has a Master's in Museology from the École du Louvre, and she has previously worked on the education team at Ag...
Sep 29, 2022•25 min•Ep. 68
Many of us are experts in our field - possibly art historians, historians or archaeologists - and want to share that incredible knowledge with the groups we lead in our programmes. But sometimes having that knowledge can be a burden. It can weigh heavy on us. Knowing what information to share, when to share it and how to share it is tricky. How much is too much? And how can you share it in way that engages the group, energises the discussion and inspires new thinking? In today’s episode I want t...
Sep 22, 2022•17 min•Ep. 67
Most of us think we’re good listeners. But are we really? What does it mean to be an active listener in an art discussion, guided tour or educational programme in the museum? Listening is one of the most important skills in our toolbox. But few of us know how to really listen. It's just not something we're taught. It requires both time and practise to develop effective listening skills. And it’s a challenge - when we’re listening our minds naturally tend to wander and our concentration can come ...
Sep 15, 2022•13 min•Ep. 66
Today I’m so happy to be talking to Richa Mehta about her work. We’re talking about what a mindful museum is, museum-based art therapy and how art can support the development and exploration of identity and connection Richa Mehta is a certified art therapist and educator working as a museum education and wellness professional at the Louvre Abu Dhabi . Richa believes that the museum space can be more accessible to marginalised community members, through implementing museum-based wellness and art ...
Sep 08, 2022•26 min•Ep. 65
I don’t really like big lists of ‘good’ or ‘great’ questions - for example, 50 questions to ask about art . These lists are OK for a quick source of inspiration or for a boost now and again, but it’s the list part that I don’t like - you’re not going to be carrying around a list with you in the museum. Instead it’s much better to work on your questioning technique with exercises and experimentation rather than trying to memorise or use big lists of questions. Working on your technique yourself ...
Sep 01, 2022•22 min•Ep. 64
In an age where the average person checks their phone at least 85 times a day, our inundated brains are slowing down. We need to retrain ourselves to get better at sustained attention . And to learn to appreciate the benefits of it too. Spending time slow looking offers refuge from the rush and time to slow down and see the details. It’s the opposite of scanning and scrolling. “ Always-on ” behaviour is about being in a constant state of alertness without giving our full focus to anything...
Jul 28, 2022•14 min•Ep. 63
When you get started with thinking routines, it’s worth getting to know a small handful of routines and using them repeatedly until you feel comfortable and confident using them. But once you have that confidence, something magical starts to happen. And this is where we can be more creative with thinking routines. Thinking routines are not rigid, inflexible structures. Unlike some protocols, you don’t always have to use them exactly as they are written, without any room for creativity. Think of ...
Jul 21, 2022•13 min•Ep. 62
Today I’m so happy to be talking to Karly Allen about her work. We’re talking about how mindfulness can help us to connect with and engage with art, how we can bring mindfulness practices to the experience of drawing. Karly Allen is a UK-based gallery educator, drawing tutor and mindfulness teacher. She has worked for the National Gallery, London, over the past 20 years and has taught widely for UK art collections including the National Portrait Gallery, Wallace Collection and Royal Collection. ...
Jul 14, 2022•26 min•Ep. 61
There is a famous quote by Alvin Toffler that goes: ‘“ The illiterate of the future are not those who can’t read or write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ” As educators, you’re probably already quite enthusiastic about the learning part. Being a lifelong learner is something that is a part of us. We’re constantly learning new things and updating our knowledge. But learning is not just about acquiring new things to learn, it’s important to learn, unlearn and relearn. In today's ...
Jul 07, 2022•11 min•Ep. 60
In today’s solo episode, I’m talking about observation skills - why they are important and I’m sharing 9 thinking routines that you can use to boost your observation and description skills. As you’ll know from previous episodes, I’m really fascinated by observation and really interested in developing my skills in this area (I have LOADS of books on this subject!) Most of the time we are observing passively - missing out on a wide range of life that we simply don’t notice. The act of looking requ...
Jun 30, 2022•20 min•Ep. 59
Today I’m so happy to be talking to Mitch Bach about what makes a great guided experience and how you can create wow moments in your programmes. Mitch is one of those people you meet and instantly get on with. He’s warm, witty and whip-smart. We met in New York a few years ago and have been friends ever since. We share the same passions about making guided experiences interactive, participative, memorable and even, transformative. Mitch is the co-founder of TripSchool, a community of 6,000+ tour...
Jun 23, 2022•43 min•Ep. 58
It’s time for another bitesize episode - a short and snappy episode that will give you a quick win or something to think about in less than 10 mins. Today I’m talking about why endings are important and sharing with you a 3 part framework for planning your strong conclusion. If the introduction is setting the scene for what’s to come, then the conclusion is most definitely when you wrap everything up, tie up any loose ends and leave your participants wanting more. The way you end your programme ...
Jun 16, 2022•11 min•Ep. 57
In today’s solo episode, I’m talking about how we can use slow looking to learn to love objects that you might find 'boring' or uninspiring. We can’t possibly love everything in a museum’s collection. There are always going to be some objects or artworks that we are drawn to for some reason. Equally there will also be objects or artworks that leave us cold. Equally, every museum or art gallery has its superstar or highlight objects. These are the objects or artworks that get far more attention t...
Jun 09, 2022•18 min•Ep. 56
Today I’m delighted to be talking to educator, facilitator and newly published author Jess Vance about her work. We’re talking about how questions are her superpower and how we can cultivate the conditions for inquiry to thrive. Jess and I met on Instagram a while back when we were discussing the importance of the question ‘what makes you say that’. Since then we’ve chatted regularly and I’ve watched her journey to becoming a published author with interest. I was honoured to be involved with rea...
Jun 02, 2022•29 min•Ep. 55
Today I’m sharing a 'picture of practice' from art facilitator and English teacher Elisa Mosele. We’re talking all how she uses thinking routines to overcome the fear of speaking a language and encourage all her students to participate. We also explore how she combines slow looking, church art and spirituality in her work as an art facilitator. Elisa Mosele is a English language teacher and an art facilitator. She currently collaborates with the Verona Minor Hierusalem Foundation . She introduce...
May 26, 2022•32 min•Ep. 54
Today I’m starting something new. I know we are all busy and sometimes it can be hard to find the time to listen to a full length podcast episode. So once a month I’ll be sharing a 'bite-sized' episode that will give you a quick win or something to think about in less than 10 mins. Today I’m going to share a quick episode that will help you to start defining your personal facilitator style. We'll look at what we mean by personal facilitator style and why it's super-important and then I'll take y...
May 19, 2022•10 min•Ep. 53
A willingness to continue growing and developing is at the heart of our practice as museum educators, teachers and guides. We are never ‘done’ with learning. There is always a strong desire to keep honing our craft. Personal development keeps us motivated and pushes us out of our comfort zone. It helps us to keep innovating, experimenting and being creative. But, what are the best ways that we can grow and develop personally? Today I'm sharing 8 different ways to go from good to great…and can re...
May 12, 2022•17 min•Ep. 52
Way back in 2011, I discovered the magic of thinking routines and Visible Thinking whilst working at a museum in Amsterdam. It was at this point that I started developing a new approach for educators, what became Visible Thinking in the Museum or VTM for short. Visible Thinking in the Museum is an easy-to-follow method that allows educators like you to confidently design and lead engaging inquiry-led sessions with art, objects and ideas for any audience. But what’s it all about? And why should y...
May 05, 2022•20 min•Ep. 51
Today on our 50th episode, I'm launching a new series of episodes all about 'pictures of practice'. I'm really interested is in finding out how other museum educators around the world engage their audiences with art and objects. What are some of the practices that are really important to them? How might they use thinking routines, or slow looking, questioning or facilitation? For our very first Pictures of Practic e, I'm talking today to Gabrielle Grime is a Heritage Education Officer at Wannero...
Apr 28, 2022•37 min•Ep. 50
Today I’m delighted to be talking to playwright, theatre director, teaching artist and museum educator Mary Hall Surface about her work. We’re talking all things creative and reflective writing through art. As a museum educator, she uses both theatre and creative writing to expand perspective, uncover complexity, and deepen understanding. She is the founding instructor of National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon in Washington DC, and a six-summer faculty member of Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom...
Apr 21, 2022•32 min•Ep. 49
I’m back with a new episode today all about my favourite subject . I'm talking about 'bad' questions , and specifically, 10 types of questions you should never ask (or at least try to avoid!). Good questions can be many things: clear, simple and purposeful, but also relevant, concise and perhaps, even powerful. But is there such a thing as a 'bad' question? And if so, what types of questions are 'bad'? Why types of questions should we be avoiding on our museum tours and programmes? To find out t...
Apr 14, 2022•23 min•Ep. 48
As you may or may not know, I’ve recently had Covid (and you can probably hear it in my voice) I’m taking some time to recover. So as we’re approaching 50 episodes, I thought I would take the time today to revisit an episode from the back catalogue. Today we’re revisiting an episode all about thinking routines that you can use for perspective-taking. This episode first aired in July 2021. It takes a deep dive into what perspective-taking is, and why it matters. Then I look at 4 essential perspec...
Apr 07, 2022•22 min•Ep. 47
