hmsg programapproach v5 nc
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MLI at the Hirshhorn Museum
Program Approach
(Draft for Review)
MLI at the Hirshhorn programs are designed to create spaces for young people to engage in new media
practices that redefine what it means to learn and to create. This document is intended to provide an
overview of the pedagogical and practical approaches that are fundamental to MLI at the Hirshhorn
programming. Specifically, it focuses on exploring the three main elements that help to define anylearning culture: the physical space, the design principles that guide what takes place in that space, and
the actual practices, or rituals, that occur there.
Framing Question
Learner-centered. Collaborative. Interest-based. Learning by doing. Authentic engagement. These words
and phrases often come to mind when we attempt to define the elements of an ideal learning space.
Frequently, we imagine a magical, theoretical environment
where all young people are instinctively engaged, easily navigatetheir interests and prior knowledge, and work collaboratively
with their peers by intuition. In practice, however, we
understand that these learning spaces are not inherent; they are
designed through a strategic process that involves a clear
understanding of the essential elements that help to define a
learning culture.
How do we create a learning culture that puts the young person at the center of the experience, that
inspires creativity and innovation, and that actualizes learning by doing- not in theory only but in
practice?
Rationale
In order for youth participants to become thoughtful producers of media and remixers of content,
programs share a common set of principles and practices that characterize the MLI at the Hirshhorn
learning space. Inspired by what takes place at the intersection of pedagogy and practice, this program
approach strives to create a culture where participants authentically engage in tasks, drive their own
learning, and work with each other to develop their skill development and content understanding.
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The Role of Studio-Based Pedagogy
Giving youth the opportunity to play the role of designer, whether as a creator of mobile video tours,
museum-based games, or youth-organized exhibits, is at the heart of MLI at the Hirshhorn programming.
Studio-based pedagogy plays a fundamental role in how program designers and facilitators shape the
learning environment for youth participants.
As emphasized by Jim Matthews, program consultant for MLI at the Hirshhorn programming andresearcher for the Games, Learning, and Society group at the University of Wisconsin, studio-based
pedagogy is one
method that has been
successful in
developing rich and
engaging learning
experiences for the
21st century learner.
Drawing on the work
of S Kuhn, Matthews
reveals that, although
there are several
different models,
effective design
studios share a
common set of
characteristics. As the
graphic illustration on
the right
demonstrates, the
combined elements ofan effective design
studio cultivate a
learning space where
youth are active
participants and
problem-solvers,
where adults play the
role of facilitators and
experts, and where learning is experiential.1
This core set of design studio characteristics play key roles in the creation of the MLI at the Hirshhornlearning culture. Whether it is at the program design level or during the curriculum development phase,
the design studio model is integral to shaping the experience of the youth participant in workshops,
afterschool programs, or summer intensives at the museum.
1 James Matthews, Using a studio-based pedagogy to engage students in the design of mobile-based media, English Teaching:Practice and Critique May 2010: 88.
Graphic Illustration 1. The common characteristics of a design studio environment.
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Learning Culture
The term learning culturerefers to the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and social practices that
characterizes MLI at the Hirshhorn program. This learning culture, while flexible to varying time, space,
and logistical constraints, is consistent throughout all workshops, afterschool programs, and summer
intensives. Integrating the fundamental tenets of studio-based pedagogy, the MLI at the Hirshhornlearning culture can be categorized into three main elements: (1) the physical space, (2) the design
principles that shape what takes place in the space, and (3) the consistent practices, or rituals, that occur
there.
Dwelling heavily on the work of Jim Matthewsin Using a studio-based pedagogy to engage students in
the design of mobile-based media and James Gee in Learning by design: Games as Learning Machines,
the following diagram illustrates the components that are integral to the MLI at the Hirshhorn learning
culture.
Graphic Illustration 2. The learning culture of MLI at the Hirshhorn programs.
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Physical Space
For 2010-11, MLI at the Hirshhorn programs will take place in the ArtLab. Youth activities and media may
be displayed in a variety of spaces in the museum, including the Lerner Room and the lobby. Given this
temporary scenario, the ArtLab will be the main setting for formal workshops, afterschool programs, and
summer intensives.
The physical space at the Hirshhorn Museum is designed in order to provide an environment thatwelcomes and encourages participants to embrace their role as youth designers. The following table
provides an overview of the various characteristics that help to define the physical space in MLI at the
Hirshhorn programs.
Defining
characteristicSummary Example
Youth Relevance
Hirshhorn and MLI staff are dedicated to
constructing a learning space that clearly
conveys that the ArtLab is a place for
young people to be creative learners and
new media designers. Youth may play a
part in desiging parts of the ArtLab and
lobby spaces.
Specific youth relevant attributes may include
strategic use of color and wall designs or
artwork inspired by and for youth.
Additionally, youth participants in the weDesign
programs will work with facilitators and experts
to redesign the ArtLab and lobby. Youth
designers will offer their ideas on how to make
the space more youth-friendly.
Flexible Modular
Design
This refers to ensuring how furniture, such
as a tables and chairs, are used. In a
design studio model, youth participants areengaging in a diverse set of tasks. The
layout of the learning space should be
conducive and reflective of this workflow.
The tables and chairs in the ArtLab are
arranged in a way that reflects a studio instead
of a classroom. Depending on the number of
students in the workshop, tables may be
arranged as one large rectangular work station
on the first day so that participants can work on
brainstorming ideas for their project. As
mentioned below, these table/chair modules
can shift to accommodate specific tasks.
Conducive to
small and large
group
collaboration2
Related to the previous element, the
design of the room is flexible to allow
participants to work individually, in small
groups, and in the large collective,
depending on the task at hand.
The physical space easily allows youth
designers to transition from a community circle
to their teams, or vice versa. Participants are
able to move chairs and/or tables in order to
switch from one activity to another with ease
and efficiency.
Or, the room is set up so that there is a
designated area for community circles and for
team activities.
Table 1. The learning culture: physical space.
2 Matthews 94.
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Design Principles
Design principles refer to the specific set of values that shape what takes place in the physical space
described above. MLI and HMSG program designers and facilitators use these guiding principles to
develop curriculum and implement the program.
The following table provides an overview of the various characteristics that help to define the design
principles of MLI at the Hirshhorn programs. The Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins program is thefocus of the Example section.
Defining
characteristicSummary Example
Roles / Identities
Similar to the idea that adults assume
certain roles or positions in the workplace,
youth participants in MLI at the Hirshhorn
programs assume specific identities related
to the design task. These roles encourage
investment and commitment to the task
and the community as a whole.3
In the Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins
program, participants will be on an MLI at the
HMSG production team that is responsible to
creating the City of Ruins exhibit in the Lerner
Room. As members of this production team,
youth designers may play the role of
videographer, editor, or exhibit organizer.
Short Iterative
Cycles
Programmatically, program designers and
facilitators can structure workshops so that
participants create one culminating new
media project or several small new media
projects that lead to a larger final collective
project. Short iterative cycles refers to the
latter in which youth designers scaffold up
to the final activity or media artifact.
In a program where a mobile video series is the
part of the final collective project, participants
can begin with exploring photography, since the
core skills such as framing, lighting, etc. are
closely related to videography. Participants can
start out in a short task that involves going out
to take a photo using the rule of thirds. The
next design cycle may involve the students
applying this skill to a 5-second video capture of
the same object with panning and zooming.
Frequent Critique
Sessions
Related to short iterative cycles,
participants engage in frequent critique
with facilitators, experts, and peers in order
to offer and share feedback on the new
media produced during each cycle. These
critique sessions provide a safe space for
participants to understand what worked
and could work better and offer concrete
feedback as they approach their next
design cycle.
One guiding objective of MLI at the
Hirshhorn critique sessions is to avoid
situations where only the same two youth
designers participate or where the session
becomes a conversation between the
facilitators and those two students.
Using the mobile video series example
mentioned above, participants engage in
critique sessions after each design cycle: (1)
introduction to photography and (2)
introduction to video. Ideally, experts, in
addition to facilitators, who have experience
with photography and videography are available
to participate in these critique sessions.
3 James Gee, Learning by design: Games as learning machines, Interactive Educational Media April 2004: 18.
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Dispersed
Community
Dispersed community refers to the idea
that youth participants would have access
to resources and would have the
opportunity to make connections with
people outside of the classroom.4 This is an
integral aspect of MLI at the Hirshhorn
programming. Youth designers will have
consistent access to the museum, experts,
and artists. Furthermore, participants will
be encouraged to transfer and connect
their program experience to their
communities and daily lives.
In the Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins
program, participants will explore specific
exhibits at the Hirshhorn Museum, reflect on
these pieces, travel off-site to view local ruins
in person, and speak with the visiting artist
collective, Semiconductor.
This aspect of the program extends both
learning and the design community beyond the
walls of the ArtLab into both the museum and
to local neighborhoods.
Skills as
strategies
James Gee mentions the paradox related to
skill development: People dont like
practicing skills out of context over and
over again, since they find such skill
practice meaningless, but, without lots of
skill practice, they cannot really get any
good at what they are trying to learn.People learn and practice skills best when
they see a set of related skills as a strategy
to accomplish goals they want to
accomplish.5
MLI at the Hirshhorn programs situate skill
development within the specific design
task.
In the Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins
program, participants will play a role in
designing an exhibit in the Lerner Room. This
exhbit will include youth-produced photos,
videos, and text panels that interpret various
ruins in their community.
In order to succesfully and creatively complete
this collective task, it is necessary for
participants to develop photography,
videography, and writing skills. As Hirshhorn
and MLI staff design the curriculum for this
program, these skills are situated within the
context of the final collective task.
Distributed
knowledge
This refers to the notion that it is not
necessary for all participants to be experts
in every skill or to master understanding of
each content area. If designed
appropriately, MLI at the Hirshhorn
programs may cultvate centers of
expertise, in which participants develop
specific skills based on their interest and
prior knowledge.6 This creates a culture of
interdependence and collective
consciousness around the design task.
As mentioned in a prior section, one of the core
elements of studio-based pedagogy is the use
of diverse media and presentation. This is alsoan integral of MLI at the Hirshhorn
programming. Youth designers in the Mobile
Video Series: City of Ruins program have the
opportunity to explore both photography,
videography, editing, and exhibit
design/organization. While participants will be
able to explore each of these new media and
museum-related skills, youth will also be able to
follow various pathways so that they become an
expert in one or more of these.
As each youth participant becomes an expert,
the collective group will need to draw on these
skills in order to complete the final task
succesfully.
4 Matthews 95.5 Gee 21.6 Matthews 97.
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Pleasantly
Frustrating
A term coined by James Gee, pleasantly
frustratingrefers to a scenario in which the
learner operates at the outer and growing
edge of his/her skill development and
content understanding. This creates a
situation where learners are motivated by
their engagement with the challenge, as
opposed to some extrinsic form: Learning
works best when new challenges are
pleasantly frustrating in the sense of being
felt by learners to be at the outer edge of,
but within, their regime of competence.
That is, these challenges feel hard, but
doable. Furthermore, learners feeland
get evidencethat their effort is paying off
in the sense that they can see, even when
they fail, how and if they are making
progress.7
An integral component to creating a culture that
facilitates pleasant frustrationis creating a safe
space for feedback so that participants
understand how they can improve.
During the Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins
program, participants develop video captureand editing skills. Program designers and
facilitators construct activities and design task
cards that target these skills. This creates two
scenarios: (1) youth designers will engage in
iterative cycles and critique to understand how
they can improve their City of Ruin videos and
(2) participants who come to the workshop with
prior video capture or editing skills will need to
remain challenged so that they still feel that
sense of intrinsic motivation.
Facilitators as co-
designers
The Hirshhorn and MLI facilitators play animportant role during both the planning
and implementation of programming. The
notion of the facilitator as co-designer
refers specifically to their role during the
workshop, afterschool program, or summer
intensive. In order to further support the
design culture of MLI at the Hirshhorn
programs, faciltators will also engage in
creating their own designs alongside the
participants.
In addition, facilitators will also play key
roles in defining social practices and rituals
in order to shape the culture of the
learning space.
During the Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins
program, facilitators will engage in exploring
specific exhibits at the Hirshhorn Museum,
reflecting on these pieces, and developing an
interpretive about a particular ruin.
Furthermore, facilitators will also integrate their
media into the critique sesssions in order to
elicit feedback from the group.
Table 2. The learning culture: design principles.
7 Gee 19.
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Rituals
Rituals refer to a specific set of social practices that are integral to all MLI at the Hirshhorn engagements.
These consistent procedures play a large role in shaping the learning culture and reinforce the
participants role as designer. These rituals are introduced during the first day of the workshop,
afterschool program, or summer intensive and are seamlessly integrated throughout the duration of the
engagement.
The following table provides an overview of the various characteristics that help to define the rituals that
are an essential part of MLI at the Hirshhorn programs. The Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins
program is the focus of the Example section.
Defining
characteristicSummary Example
Community
Circles
Similar to staff meetings that take place in
the professional world, these large group
meetings provide a space for facilitators
and participants to discuss objectives or
design progress, debrief, address
questions, and share ideas or challenges.
For the first few sessions of an 8-week long
afterschool program, participants and
facilitators begin with a community circle. Youthdesigners and facilitators perform an informal
check-in; facilitators address the design
objectives of the day and address any open
questions.
Community circles are integrated throughout
the program in order to provide a dynamic,
diverse vehicle of communication and workflow.
Design Task
Cards
Design Task Cards in MLI at the Hirshhorn
programs fall into two distinct categories:
Skill Building Cards and Content
Understanding Cards. Skilll Building Cards
are a series of cards dedicated to
developing expertise around specific new
media skills. The Content Understanding
Cards develop understanding of a certain
content goal.
Design Task Cards are introduced formally
to offer participants an opportunity to
explore the new media skills and content
understanding foci of the particular
engagement. Once youth designers havean opportunity explore the skills and
content and are ready to follow a particular
pathway in more depth, they will naturally
become invested in this particular skill or
content area.
At this point, the Design Task Cards
assume a more informal role in the
workshop, afterschool program, or summer
Based on the final design task of the Mobile
Video Series: City of Ruins program, the
categories for Skill Building the cards will focus
on Mobile Photo/Video Capture and
Photo/Video Editing. Within each of these
categories, there are three to five cards that
focus on specific student-centered activities,
such as focusing on how to frame a piece of
artwork in the Sculpture Garden in three
different ways or practicing trimming the ends
of a specific video clip in Adobe Premiere
Elements. Participants would post the results of
these activities on the social network; youth
designers and facilitators would engage in a
critique session that focuses on the particular
new media artifact produced.
The Content Understanding cards for this
program may focus on Art Interpretation or
Text Panel Creation. Within the Art
Interpretation category, two to three cards
focus on specific student-centered activities,
such as exploring and discussing Sugimotos
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intensive. Youth designers may select a
Design Task Card to take a break from
what is emerging as their expertise, or they
may select a Design Task Card because
they have completed another activity
before the rest of their team.
Seascapes with a partner or discussing how
color is used similarly in two artworks of their
choice. Participants would post the results of
these activities on the social network; youth
designers and facilitators would engage in a
critique session that focuses on the particular
new media artifact produced.
Community
Design Board
The Community Design Board is a physical
space where youth participants can
visualize the collective progress that they
are making towards achieving the final
design task. Participants use the board to
post ideas, actual designs, and resources.
As the workshop, afterschool program, or
summer intensive begins, youth participants
would post their emergent ideas for the specific
design task on the Community Design Board.
For example, designers in the Mobile Video
Series: City of Ruins program post their ideas
for how they visualize the final exhibit in the
Lerner Room. Participants and facilitators
engage in a Community Circle to discuss the
ideas posted and work towards refining those
ideas into a project plan.
Once the project plan is concrete, the
Community Design Board evolves into a
collective workspace that serves to track
progress and share ideas related to the final
exhibit.
Design Journals
Design Journals are an informal space for
youth participants to take notes on
emergent ideas or questions and to create
sketches or visualizations about their
design tasks. Whereas the Design Journals
are intended to be a more a informal
reflection, idea-generation space, the social
network, in contrast, would serve as a
more formal online environment for youth
designers to post learning reflections and
collaborative feedback.
Participants in the Mobile Video Series: City of
Ruins program use their Design Journals as
theyre developing ideas for the final exhibit as
well as their interpretive video. For example,
youth designers would record their ideas and
sketches for their video in their Design Journal
when they visit the ruinsin the community.
Table 3. The learning culture: rituals.
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From Theory to Practice
The process of effectively actualizing the approach and shaping the learning culture in a program context
is integral to the success of MLI at the Hirshhorn. The program development sequence consists of three
main phases, beginning with the inception of the idea to the culmination of the youth engagement.
The Planning & Preparation phase, which generally occurs four five weeks before implementation, is a
crucial time for developing a framework for how the theoretical elements, outlined previously in this
document, will be realized in the learning space of a workshop, afterschool program, or summer
intensive. During this initial phase, Hirshhorn and MLI staff work together to design curriculum and
materials for the specific learning engagement. With the core characteristics of a design studio model,
the elements of the MLI at the Hirshhorn learning culture, and program-specific details in mind, Hirshhorn
and MLI staff collaborate to develop individual toolkits for each program.
Graphic Illustration 3. MLI Program Development Sequence.
Graphic Illustration 4. The role of the curriculum toolkit.
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The Curriculum Toolkit
The curriculum toolkit reflects how the Hirshhorn and MLI team plan to implement a specific program.
Working together and considering the program-specific elements and constraints such as time, space,
and logistics, the team develops a written set of materials that embodies the MLI at the Hirshhorn
program approach.
For 2010-2011, curriculum toolkits will be designed for the proposed programs to date:
Mobile Video Series: City of Ruins weArt Wiki, Phases I & II Game Design Studio Podcast Tour Series: Collection in Focus iDesign Mobile Video Series: Liquid Alphabet
The following diagram provides an overview of the various components of a curriculum toolkit. Various
elements may be added to the toolkit to accommodate program-specific details.
Conclusion
MLI at the Hirshhorn programming strives to develop spaces for young people to engage in authentic,
transformative learning experiences. Using new media as tools to support this process, MLI at the
Hirshhorn programs use a studio-based approached to engage youth designers in exploring the rich
content at the museum and in developing activities and media for youth visitors. In order to translate this
vision into practice, Hirshhorn and MLI staff work together to develop a series of curriculum toolkits to
codify these ideas into practical experiences for 21st century learners.
Graphic Illustration 5. The components of the curriculum toolkit.