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Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

  • 1.  Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-21-2015 01:56 PM

    We're having an increasing number of parents come to the museum with their children, turn the kids loose while they -- the parents -- yak on the phone or text or read e-mails, social media - whatever.  The problem is especially pronounced in our preschool room, where parents assume the one museum staff person present will watch after their kid, along with everyone else's.  Staff want us to ban phones and other electronic devices, which we can't/won't.  Our museum is highly interactive, not just in the preschool room.  We are known for our hands-on approach, even in our history gallery.  Still -- or maybe because of this -- we find parents actually sitting on the floor with their phones plugged into the outlets in the galleries, ignoring their children while they play.  I'm hoping some of you have come up with, or seen, creative ways to get parents to not only pay attention to their children while visiting a museum, but to actually interact with them -- anyone??

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    Elspeth Inglis
    Assistant Director for Educational Services
    Kalamazoo Valley Museum
    Kalamazoo MI
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  • 2.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-22-2015 09:29 AM

    Inattendent parents are apparently widespread in the society, as is the use by some of museums and SDCs as informal day-care facilities rather than opportunities for shared informal learning.

    I have observed, including while conducting audience research, phenomenon similar to what you describe: parents bringing children to early-learner spaces to 'dump' them while the pareents socialize among their age-peers or use their phones. In one especially disappointing instance I observed a father-child dyad enter a reading area, where the father directed the child to gather some books of intrerest. The child returned to the table eagerly offering a few books that she obviously expect to read with her dad. He then directed her to 'look at those' while he spent the next 20 minutes on his phone. So much for her eagerly anticipated shared experience with a parent.

    I recommend that you create a brief (card rack sized) discussion piece about 'sharing informal learning with your child' that can be distributed to parents at the admission desk. Provide some methodological suggestions on how to engage in shared experiential and/or object-centered inquiry, esp. cognitive and affective 'scaffolding' and modeling, and, if appropriate, how to use interpretive text. I would also suggest that you either prohibit mobile phones from early-learner spaces or direct that phones are to be set to vibrate, explained as a matter of pedagogy (rather than general etiquette).

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    Kevin Coffee
    Chicago IL
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  • 3.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 10-02-2015 02:24 PM

    As the number and variety of responses indicate, planning for inattentive caregivers and active children has lots of moving parts–clear expectations, communication with caregivers, staff preparation, exhibits, programs, and environments that welcome and serve both adults and children. This post, Children In Museums, certainly doesn't address all of these factors, but does try to take a look at being ready for children in museums: http://museumnotes.blogspot.com/2014/02/children-in-museums.html 

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    Jeanne Vergeront
    Minneapolis MN
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  • 4.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-22-2015 11:51 AM

    Hello!

    I used to work at San Juan National Historic Site, National Park Service as a tour guide. I gave a 20 minute tour every hour and on Thursdays and Fridays I gave two tours to schools groups. It didn't matter how "fun" or how many interpretative techniques I used, there was always someone with a cellular phone. They didn't pay attention, they disrupt the group, they tend to stay on the back or simply they look for "facts" to contradict my tour. At the beginning, I asked everyone to put away their phones. And that, of course, didn't work... not only because I was forbidding something (the forbidden fruit taste better!) to tourists on their vacation (a no-no), but I didn't archive the attention I was expecting because of those "very important" calls.

    My solution: include the cellular phone in my tours. If the visitor, the parent have to use the phone for the tour...then, I decide how and when they would used it. If the kid knows that he would get a movie, fun facts or a game in the parents phone...believe me they would demand their parent's phone. I started creating a scavenger hunt and now I created a mobil app. This app (uDiscover) is free for the cultural site, you just give me the content (which could be change in minutes) and the parent/visitor choose if they would like to pay .99 cents for your extra offering. If your interested in any more information you could contact me at jessicaopp@live.com and good luck! 

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    Jessica Oppenheimer
    WLG Innovations, Inc.
    Caguas
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  • 5.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 10-10-2015 01:51 PM


    BRILLIANT!!


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    Gary Ino
    Exhibit Specialist
    San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
    San Francisco CA
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  • 6.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-22-2015 12:08 PM

    I would encourage you to shift your thinking a little bit. Until I became a parent, I too thought cell phones should be banned/limited, and parents should be interacting with their children while at a museum. Being at a museum is a wonderful opportunity to learn together and encouraging it or communicating its value to parents is a good thing and an effective method. At Boston Children's Museum they put up signs with photos of parents and kids playing together that read "Unplug... Connect." Brilliant. 

    However, you shouldn't judge the parents who are not engaging. The fact that they feel safe enough in your environment to take their eyes off their kids for a moment, lets you know that you are doing something right. It is also important for kids to be able to play or explore by themselves. Sometimes, I have to remind myself NOT to engage with my child. They are content without me and that is both a process of becoming independent and valuable to their growth. You don't know how often that parent is visiting and how they are interacting with them on other visits. You also don't know how much the parents engage with their child outside of the museum. A museum visit may be a place where they know they can take a break. It may look like they are playing on their phones, but this may be the one opportunity in the day that their child is occupied, and they can send that email to Grandma about her pending visit.

    In regards, to parents chatting with other adults... again I would encourage a shift in perspective. Perhaps they came on a play date (or started a conversation with another visiting parent) and are swapping techniques about parenting and child development. That is valuable interaction and the kind we as children's museums want to encourage. Even if they are just "catching up" with another adult, that can be a recharge moment so they are more present for their child at a different time. 

    The less you can judge a parent's actions during the brief time they are at a museum, the better. At least they brought their child there! That in itself should be valued. 

    Of course, a parent not supervising a child while playing on their phone should be corrected. In that instance, you may want to gently remind them that we need their help to supervise their child. We also have several signs up in the museum (around risky activities) that read, "Your child's safety is your responsibility." The fact that it impacts your limited staff resources is a problem. Signage as suggested by another person may help. We put up signs that read "Play together to learn together." But honestly, the thing that has helped me the most has been to shift my own thinking around the issue.

    ------------------------------
    Tina Keegan
    Exhibits Director
    Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
    Palo Alto CA
    ------------------------------




  • 7.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-24-2015 09:58 AM
    I second Tina Keegan's perspective, that it's important to examine our assumptions and interpretations of parents' behaviors. At Cool Culture, our main focus is on engaging parents in supporting early learning through arts and culture, and I often ask the following when I see families not engaged:

    Have they been invited to engage? Invitations are conveyed in many ways, implicitly and explicitly:
    • Spoken welcome and simple orientation to what the opportunities are for adult/child interaction, and what the benefits of their engagement might be (e.g. we invite you to make art alongside with your child, we find that it's very valuable for children to see their parents experimenting, too)
    • Architecture and design that invites adult engagement (e.g. adult-sized chairs next to the child-sized chairs, adult-sized scissors, etc)
    • Inviting materials that are intriguing to adults, not just to kids 
    • Activities that are scaffolded, with a distinct role for kids and adults 
    You and your staff might be interested in reading about this research project commissioned by the Boston Children's Museum that defines the types of adult/child interactions into about 6 different types. See pp 8-11. It's been helpful for me to understand how behavior that looks like non-engagement, is still engagement, and should not be de-valued.

    Finally, there was a study of family learning in interactive spaces in art museums, that might be of use to you. It describes how families visit museums with "agendas", often social, and how understanding their agendas "What brings you to the museum today?" will be helpful in interacting and engaging them.


    Good luck!
    Barbara

    -- 


    Barbara Palley
    Director of Education

    Cool Culture
    80 Hanson Place
    Brooklyn, NY 11217

    718.230.4186 x304
    Website // Facebook // Twitter

    Sep 22, 2015 12:08 PM
    Tina Keegan

    I would encourage you to shift your thinking a little bit. Until I became a parent, I too thoughtcell phones should be banned/limited, and parents should be interacting with their childrenwhile at a museum. Being at a museum is a wonderful opportunity to learn together and encouraging it or communicating its value to parents is a good thing and an effective method. At Boston Children's Museum they put up signs with photos of parents and kids playing together that read "Unplug... Connect." Brilliant. 

    However, you shouldn't judge the parents who are not engaging. The fact that they feel safe enough in your environment to take their eyes off their kids for a moment, lets you know that you are doing something right. It is also important for kids to be able to play or explore by themselves. Sometimes, I have to remind myself NOT to engage with my child. They are content without me and that is both a process of becoming independent and valuable to their growth. You don't know how often that parent is visiting and how they are interacting with them on other visits. You also don't know how much the parents engage with their child outside of the museum. A museum visit may be a place where they know they can take a break. It may look like they are playing on their phones, but this may be the one opportunity in the day that their child is occupied, and they can send that email to Grandma about her pending visit.

    In regards, to parents chatting with other adults... again I would encourage a shift in perspective. Perhaps they came on a play date (or started a conversation with another visiting parent) and are swapping techniques about parenting and child development. That is valuable interaction and the kind we as children's museums want to encourage. Even if they are just "catching up" with another adult, that can be a recharge moment so they are more present for their child at a different time. 

    The less you can judge a parent's actions during the brief time they are at a museum, the better. At least they brought their child there! That in itself should be valued. 

    Of course, a parent not supervising a child while playing on their phone should be corrected. In that instance, you may want to gently remind them that we need their help to supervise their child. We also have several signs up in the museum (around risky activities) that read, "Your child's safety is your responsibility." The fact that it impacts your limited staff resources is a problem. Signage as suggested by another person may help. We put up signs that read "Play together to learn together." But honestly, the thing that has helped me the most has been to shift my own thinking around the issue.

    ------------------------------
    Tina Keegan
    Exhibits Director
    Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
    Palo Alto CA
    ------------------------------










  • 8.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-22-2015 02:57 PM
    This can definitely be a frustrating problem that is difficult to find a solution for, especially since you clearly value families visiting and incorporating technology.

    One thing to do would be to take a look at the signage in your preschool room. Does it make the expectations clear for how people are supposed to engage (together) and also the role of the facilitator? I heard one description of staff in a space being "swim coaches" (there to guide) vs. "lifeguards" (to watch over people), but unless that is made clear visitors might not realize that is their role. I'm not saying put up a list of "don'ts" but instead provide a lot of encouragement for how people can and should play together.  Often if it seems like a "play space" then people automatically assume it is just for kids and may not know or feel comfortable jumping in.  Having signage would help them. If there is someone at the door to the space you could also have that take place in a human interaction. 

    This could extend to your whole museum if you think about ways that you can get the visiting families "on your side" the minute they walk through the door. It can be signage, special kid-focused brochures or even just a front-line staff giving them a cheerful invitation to explore and learn together. Sometimes aiming the instructions at the kid for how to make sure their grown-up gets the most out of a visit can be a lighter way to do it, but other times it comes off as cheesy/patronizing. You know your audience and what would make them listen to what you are saying.

    Obviously, no one solution is going to wipe out the problem (if there was one someone would be making millions). It is also important to remember that families won't all play together in the space, despite our hopes or best intentions. If there are kids exploring on their own, but doing it in a safe/non-disruptive way, then those aren't the ones to focus on. Instead you can isolate what the disruptive behaviors are (like parents on technology and kids not using the space appropriately) so that you can target your "fixes" for that.

    Hope that helps! More then happy to brainstorm more ideas if you'd like.

    Sarah

    Oh! If people sitting and charging their phones is really a big problem it might be worth it to put a charging station near a place where people can eat a snack, explore without causing disruptions etc. Just a thought





  • 9.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-23-2015 09:31 AM
    I am a parent and I am also a long-time docent, so I deal with visitors all the time. I have had parent chaperones chatter away in the back of the group while I address their kids.

    I think you cannot control the parent-child experience. I am personally grateful that my children were little before the availability of all these distractions. If the parent behavior is interfering with the museum collection or museum facility, or if the parent behavior negatively affects others, then the museum has to say something. Also, the museum will have to make clear that this is not a "drop off" situation in the marketing of the activity or discovery space.

    I understand that the goal is to encourage parent-child engagement. I suppose this can only be done by the facilitator addressing the adults, if possible, not to "correct", which is often met with resistance, but as an invitation. "I think your child might find this interesting." or "Have you seen this?"

    There are times when a museum staffer must step in, such as kids climbing on platforms and pedestals with art, and the few times I have had to do this, it did not go over well. Security was available, but it took more than one person to express the same limits. All I think we can do is stress that this is true for everyone, not just their "bad child". Explain that it's nothing personal. Luckily, I have had only a few parents openly argue with me.

    As for cell phone use, I have had people of all ages spend more time taking pictures of art and labels than actually looking. I do what I can to have them look at the actual objects. In a different kind of museum, I suppose the facilitator will have to be very extrovert and approach the adults as well as the kids to give an exhibit a try.

    Jennifer Saffran
    Worcester Art Museum
    ICA Boston




  • 10.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum

    Posted 09-23-2015 11:46 AM

    Luckily, we are in a cellphone black hole. Reception drops off as soon as they enter the building. Parents spend a good bit of time interacting their children, answering questions and enjoying the visit. The only place the get good reception is in the parking lot. The down side is that while they take lots of photos, it is tough for them to upload them to our Facebook page. 

    I will let them in on our wireless network if they have some real good shots and promise to LIKE our page.


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    Pacifico Perea
    Museum Director
    Wild Turkey Center Museum - National Wild Turkey Federation
    Edgefield SC
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  • 11.  RE: Parents' use of cell phones while kids run wild in the museum