美国博物馆教育功能的演变

Educational function of Museum in American:A Overall History

博物馆自18世纪从欧洲引入美国的时候,就开始承担起公众教育的功能。自19世纪到20世纪中后期,美国博物馆的教育功能经历了一系列的演变,先后经历了审美功能的提出、与学校教育的联合、审美和教育功能之争、政府对博物馆教育功能的认可以及满足公众对多元文化的需要五个发展阶段。这反映了不同历史背景下,公众对博物馆教育提出的不同要求,也体现了政府在博物馆教育功能确立过程中所起的重要作用。通过梳理美国博物馆教育功能的演变,能够更好地认识我国博物馆教育发展的不足,对我国如何开展博物馆教育、发挥博物馆教育功能提供借鉴和启发。

Museums has taken responsibilities of social education since they were introduced to the United States from Europe in the 18th century.From the 19th century to the middle and late 20th century,the educational function of American museums had gone through serious evolution,including five development stages:the proposal of aesthetic function,the union with school education,the dispute between aesthetic and educational functions,the recognition from the government towards the educational function of museums and satisfied the multicultural need of public.It reflected the public raised different demands to museum education under different historical backgrounds and showed the important role of the government in building the museum educational function.By sorting the evolution of the American museum educational function,it helps to recognize the drawback and inspire the further improvement of the Chinese museum educational function.