A Letter from PGAV Vice President Tom Owen

In the world of cultural destinations and attractions, success comes from providing compelling, relevant, and entertaining guest experiences. But what role does learning play in that success? In what ways can destinations approach learning that puts the needs of visitors first while building on the strengths of the destination?

When we think of learning, we often think of schools. When we think of learning at destinations, we often think of school buses filled with energetic students on a field trip. But students represent only a small visitor segment. Aren’t other guests—even the ones who come for social interaction or entertainment—also learning?

John Falk thinks so. He is the father of Free-Choice Learning and advocates the idea that self-directed learning is how people amass over 90% of their knowledge. The key to this idea is that meaningful choice puts the visitor in charge of their experience. Visitor choice does not diminish the value of curating. It merely shifts the question from “What do we want to teach about this topic?” to “How can we facilitate self-motivated learning of this topic?”

“Making” is a great example of Free-Choice Learning already in play at many museums. Makerspaces provide the setting and the framework for individual exploration without dictating a one-size-fits-all definition of success.

Individual exploration and personalized learning are part of the larger trend of personalizing how we work, shop, travel, and communicate. The Artlens Gallery at the Cleveland Museum of Art creates these personalized experiences through the use of responsive gesture-sensing technology. It can also become a revenue opportunity—proven by my daughter’s recent purchase of customized shoes.

Long before the pandemic, Nik Honeysett of the Balboa Park Online Collaborative advocated for a “digital-first” model for museums. Digital-first means the museum lives beyond the building walls. For most of 2020, museums have rapidly innovated to create digital alternatives to in-person visits. Online programs and collections have emerged as powerful tools for self-motivated learning.

We will be exploring the topic of learning for several weeks, but we hope it is a conversation that continues for years. Our journey may generate more questions than answers, but we hope everyone will be energized by the potential of learning.

- Tom Owen

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