What is your topic of research and what led you to choose it?
My PhD is a collaborative project with the University of Leicester and the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access (SCLDA) called ‘The Secret Lives of Digital Museum Resources and Collections: Teaching Practice and Interactions with the Smithsonian Learning Lab’.
The Learning Lab (https://learninglab.si.edu) is a free digital learning platform which offers access to millions of museum resources from across the Smithsonian and which can be used to make customisable learning collections. I am exploring how teachers are using the platform as part of their teaching practice and the pedagogical approaches they are adopting in relation to museum digital collections. The project will discover more about the learning processes, outcomes and types of student engagement associated with the platform’s use and how teachers tailor content from the platform to suit their classes.
I’m interested in the intersections in practice between schools and museums and how encounters between museums’ and teachers’ practices are facilitated through the use and design of digital platforms, as well as how museums can support teachers’ use of online collections beyond the physical space of museums. I have a background in education (both as a freelance workshop facilitator in museums and as a teacher in schools) and I am fascinated by how different practices influence each other and the ways in which educators across contexts bring their unique perspectives and practices to using museum digital resources.
Where did you study previously? What was your academic path?
I have quite a broad academic background, as I did my BA in Comparative Literature at King’s College London and an MA in History of Art at UCL, as well as completing a Primary PGCE and other training in education. I also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Library and Information Services Management via distance learning, which gave me a good foundation of knowledge relating to managing digital resources/collections.
What is your favourite museum or art gallery, and why?
This is a tough one! I especially enjoy Modern Art Oxford due to the range of exciting temporary exhibitions and their creative approach to the learning programme (and how they build relationships with communities). However, I spent around ten years living in London and the Hayward Gallery has been a favourite of mine for a long time. It is always an incredible experience to go from the expansive setting of the South Bank to the interior of the famous brutalist building, and to be immersed in exciting contemporary art. I can’t resist taking the opportunity to recommend a study space too. The Wellcome Collection’s reading room is a wonderful, informal space to study and relax; there are various resources you can browse grouped around themes, such as travel and the body, situated among collection objects beneath an impressive staircase (made even more welcoming with the presence of beanbags!).
Of course, I’m also looking forward to visiting various Smithsonian museums when I visit Washington, D.C. for my fieldwork and am incredibly excited to keep discovering more about the Smithsonian’s educational projects and resources.
Do you have any advice for future PhD students?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help with clarifying and refining your ideas and don’t worry if you don’t feel you have it all figured out immediately! The literature review can be a particularly daunting task, but eventually it will become clearer how you situate your work in relation to it. Doing a PhD is not only an opportunity to develop as a researcher but also to make connections and share ideas with people who have similar interests, so I would recommend making the most of opportunities to discuss ideas with other students/staff, both in the school where you’re studying and in different departments.
Twitter handle: @GemmaCantlow
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