Introduction
National Museums of Kenya (NMK) Education Department is charged with the responsibility of interpreting the activities of the Museum to the public, especially to the thousands of school children who visit the Museum every year.
The mission statement for our Education Department is to “promote people’s understanding and sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage by enhancing access to the Museum’s collections, research and exhibitions’’. In fulfilling this mandate, the department has over the years designed, developed and implemented education programs and activities to various target audiences in and out of the museum. We have collaborated and still continue to do so with our various stakeholders to develop and present education and public programs on societal issues.
EDUCATION PROGRAMMES
In the past, Education programming at the Museum, employed ‘traditional approaches’ to the development and presentation of education programmes including guided tours, lectures and gallery talks.
In 1997, an interactive approach to education programming was devised through a project, National Museums of Kenya-Interactive Public Programmes Project. Through this approach, emphasis was put on interactivity and ability of the learners to discover for themselves. The learners explored for themselves the various concepts or learning areas explored in a given theme/topic, while interacting with specimens, fellow learners as well as the session facilitators. The ‘Discovery Studios’ are properly designed education sessions incorporating a set of instructions (activity sheet), specimens’/teaching aids and facilitators.
The department has embraced and incorporated the 21st Century Skills approaches within STEAM subject in its programming. We are integrating these skills within the context of the existing Competency Based Curriculum and Museum education. This concerted effort is aimed at developing programmes/learning activities that provide learners with opportunities for experiential learning; and stimulate interest among learners in STEAM subjects through an inquiry based learning approach using museum collections.
BEHIND THE SCENES PROGRAMS
Do you want to know what our scientists do behind the scenes? Meet the scientists at the laboratories and discover the millions of scientific collections NMK holds. Learn the research activities undertaken and how the scientists collect, document, prepare and preserve the collections. Get inspired to be a research scientist by engaging with the expertise from a multidisciplinary perspective. This programme is open to students from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.
JOB SHADOWING
Get the exposure at the workplace! Learn the skills, attitude and competencies required for different career pathways at the museum hands-on. Observe and be engaged in the daily activities our scientists and staff do! This programme is suitable for secondary school students pursuing CBC, KCSE and IGCSE curricula.
OUTREACH PROGRAMMES
The department conducts outreach sessions to enhance access, by the public, to NMK’s resources and expertise especially by a section of the public who for some reason are not able to visit the museums.
Invite us to your school or community to bring the museum right at your doorstep! You will interact with and learn from the museum professionals and the mini exhibition of museum collections. You will be engaged in interactive learning activities from a range of subjects carefully designed to suit your learning needs.
To book for a visit or a programme:
Call: +254 20 4448930/3, +254 20 3742161/4 EXT. 2335
Mobile: 0111 682 596
Email: nmkeduc@museums.or.ke
SPECIAL PROGRAMMES
(Coming Soon)
UPCOMING EVENTS