Museum work with gifted schoolchildren : Geology Olympiad in the Czech Republic

Abstract

One of important tasks of museums is to educate the visitors and wake their interest in topics presented in museum exhibitions. The question is whether the museums are able to offer an extension to formal education in schools and become herewith their partner. The schoolteachers are trained pedagogues in individual disciplines but they rarely have expert knowledge in these special areas (for example in geology). Moreover, the extent and usability of school collections for educational purposes beyond the scope of regular teaching are considerably limited. Museums have much to offer to the schools; the extension of normal teaching mainly consists in the possibility of object learning, in which the museums find no serious rival due to their extensive collections. They also can offer a greater support to schoolchildren who are gifted in disciplines represented in museums. Museums thus play an important role in the field of object learning due to their collection items, and this fact must be shown in a transparent view.