But even though I am a science student, I always like to learn about exhibition objects of historical/cultural significance from various internet videos in different parts of the world or at times in Hong Kong museums. I believe that historical relics can reveal a lot about a community, including their traditions, arts, accomplishments, struggles etc.. I also believe learning from museums can strengthen one’s national identity and learning historical/cultural artifacts from across the world can allow people to appreciate and understand different cultures and become a global citizen. 

Additionally, I am most interested in artefacts with scientific mechanisms/concepts, as I get to see a glimpse of the technology and ingenuity of the people and cultures dating hundreds of years ago. Some of the artifacts which I like/find most interesting is 1) Galileo Galilei's (Often referred as the Father of Observational Astronomy) first constructed telescope in 1609, which serves as a major shift in the study of astronomy. 2) The Antikythera mechanism, a mechanical analog computer from the 2nd Century. What's Most interesting is that the technology in the 2nd Century is thought to be impossible to create such technology. To this day this remains a mystery.

In my teaching career, I would like to incorporate my learnings from this course (eg. scientific advancements of communities) to relate historical achievements to science so as to foster students’ lifelong learning.

I have always enjoyed learning about historically and culturally significant exhibition objects through online video from around the world, especially artifacts with scientific concepts/significance. I believe they offer valuable insight on the traditions, artistic expression, achievements and challenges of communities. Additionally, I strongly believe that local museums can foster a stronger sense of national identity, while museums of non-local diverse cultures can greatly help people develop an appreciation and understanding of the vast diversity of the world.

What really got me into learning about historical artifacts was because of my Secondary 3 Physics Teacher. While we were learning about lenses (such as the lens from glasses), in order to give a greater understanding for students, he demonstrated the important concepts using a small antique telescope from the ~1890s.  At that time, I was very fascinated by the technology that people from hundreds of years ago were able to achieve. Therefore, I started looking into the history of telescopes (such as 1609, Galileo’s Telescope) and other historical science artifacts such as how they were able to forge steel weapons in medieval times, or using science of very old technology to measure the speed of light. I must thank Mr. Isaac Ng for interesting me in museums and historical relics and also my aspiration to become a teacher. In the future, I would like to use historical artifacts like Mr. Ng to enhance student’s learning and expand their horizons on knowledge on historical artifacts and museums.

Understanding of Museum Education and HK Museum Visits

I was quite surprised to learn that museums have a very rigorous comprehensive structure and definition, such as ownerships (State-owned, Private-owned), geographic scape and the many types of collections (Historical, archeological, Science & Tech etc.). The definition of museums was also dependent on countries. For instance, China has a grading system on museums depending on how many collections there were. Japan has a botanical collection type as well. Museums also have 5 functions, namely: Research; Collection; Interpretation; Exhibition; Museum Education.

For Museum Education, there are 4 main modes which cater to different types of exhibitions/collections. Firstly is the traditional lecture and text, which mainly serves to provide basic descriptions on collections with factual historical information, or in video form to provide a story of related exhibits. Secondly, discovery learning is when a learner constructs realistic knowledge from personal experience. This is most commonly known as “interactive learning” where the visitor will interact with the exhibit to construct knowledge, which can be more memorable and exciting for visitors. The third and fourth modes, behaviorist learning and constructivism, involve knowledge constructed by individuals or society. Instead of real and factual knowledge, the 2 modes involve more on interpretations and non-factual based knowledge. In recent years, since technology is increasingly better, there are instances where new technology such as 5G, AR, VR or even AI in included in exhibitions, and I believe that this is a trend which will become even more popular in the future as it gives a more immersive experience to visitors and make the museum more lively.

In the museum visits, I was mainly interested in science related aspects. Some of my favorites were the big cannons and torpedoes from HKMWRCD; I was really impressed with the microscope onto a coin purse to see the threads in detail to form one unique color, and how they clean the artifacts using vacuum, nitrogen and deep freezing chambers; The many exhibitions in HK Science Museum, especially Earth Science Gallery. However, what I didn’t expect was how I really enjoyed all the stories from the HKMWRCD visit. I was really touched by the stories of the allies and local’s teamwork against the Japanese invasion, how the allies risked their lives to rescue locals from imprisonment, how they helped plan the defense against the marine unit (Cannons and torpedoes) and generally the history of the war. The visit made me realize the unity of our people, as well as all the sorrow and unfortunate events our ancestors have to endure during the harsh periods of war. As the tour guide said “Hong Kong really has a mysterious aura which attracts all other nations”. I believe I have gained a brand new perspective after the visit.

As for challenges, since I am not well-versed in Chinese History, I find it really difficult to keep up with the tours involving Chinese history. Therefore, I made sure to do research on the museum beforehand to gain knowledge to prepare myself for the tour. Especially in the GBA museums next week. Additionally, I should remind myself to take many more pictures to keep a record for myself for future references.

Expectations and Preparations

For GDM, I am really interested in the Wood Carving Hall and the educational  “Gold Leafing on Wood Cravings” activities as I have some knowledge regarding wood carving and I think it is a really elegant craftsmanship. For Singapore, I am looking forward to the Art Science Museum as I think it will be a really beautiful and immersive experience. 

Since they are museums from other places, I will be on the look out for how they present their collections and their interactive galleries to see how museums from different places differ from Hong Kong and see whether I could take inspiration from these places to incorporate it into the multi-media project.

1.1Museums in HK, GBA, and Singapore

Across the multitude of museums visited in Hong Kong, GBA and Singapore, there were many aspects unique to the 3 regions. 

In Hong Kong, I realized that museums tend to have architecturally artistic and “modernly designed” buildings/structures that exemplifies the themes of the museum and/or also to provide added function and/or promote additional themes. Take the Tai Kwun JC Cube as an example, it is designed with the intent to spread awareness of the sustainable development goals, which uses recycled tyres to manufacture bricks, and utilizes a special design to concentrate natural light into the building in order to save electricity. Additionally, the Cube serves to function to provide spaces for arts and culture events.

Another unique aspect of Hong Kong is that they utilize and renovate real locations with immense past culture and history and are currently used as museums to educate the public. Examples are Tai Kwun, which served as the police station, prison, and magistracy, which holds important traces of history. Another example would be HKMWRCD,  which served as the former coastal defence site against the Japanese invasion, and holds a lot of cultural, historical and emotional value for the Hong Kong people.

For GBA, the museums are particularly anchored by a deeply rooted sense of Chinese culture and history, where ancient traditions and deep respect for their ancestry creates a profound national identity for the Chinese people. For instance, the wood carving exhibition in Guangdong Museum holds a lot of cultural significance for the Chinese, as the techniques are still preserved and these carvings also serve as decorations even in the modern era. Through the class activity with the primary students (The teacher is an amazing educator!), they were taught the true value and significance of their ancestors and hence able to appreciate the craft of wood carving. In the Guangdong Museum of Arts, many of the paintings are very traditional Chinese painting techniques, which speaks volumes of the past cultures and history of the people.

For Singapore, I believe that they incorporate many technological aspects to enhance visitor’s experience, learning of the museum. Another aspect is that they focus on the interactiveness of the exhibits.. In the National Museum of Singapore, the “Once Upon a Tide” exhibit gives visitors a wristband, which can be used to answer multiple choice questions by just scanning the band. In the end, you can scan the wristband with the recorded answers in a final game, and then the game decides what you prioritize (Very similar to personality tests). Another good use of technology is free audio tours by downloading an app and inserting the number code shown in each exhibit. In the National Gallery of Singapore, there were many interactive exhibits which told the stories of the exhibit in very creative ways which can definitely leave a fond impression on visitors.

1.2 Global Trend of Children-Catered Exhibitions in Museum Education

After visiting all the museums in the 3 places, one thing I found very interesting is the focus on children/teenagers exhibitions. This could be on the happiness or mental health of children.

In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre currently offers an exhibition on the joy and sincerity reflected in children’s artwork. This provides an opportunity for people to appreciate the children's innocence and perspective on the world, as well as allowing children to express their creativity and imagination. In GBA, GOMOA offers an exhibition on children, teenagers and adults to allow each other to recognize/exchange their differences, joy and struggles. In Singapore, the National Gallery has the “Gallery Children’s Biennale 2025”, which offers 8 mini interactive exhibitions which inspires the young to dream big and explore their boundless potentials through interactive artworks and games.

As an individual who deeply cares about the happiness and wellbeing of young minds who are still exploring their identity and calling, I really enjoy and appreciate the shift in focusing on young people as society pressures and many obstacles may take a deep toll on them. Especially in Asian countries, where academics and parent expectations are extremely immense, it is important to allow adults and the general public to care about the emotions of young people, and also to learn some perspectives on life from young people.

1.3 Museum Education

The methodology in museum education is seeing a major shift in passive knowledge transmission to a more active and interactive way to co-create knowledge.

Gone are the days where museums purely transmit information through passive story telling/factual information. Currently, interactiveness is the norm. This could be in the form of touch screens, VR, AR, lab experiments and even the recent surge of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Through different lenses of interaction, this method encourages creative thinking, critical thinking, which prompts visitors to create their own knowledge through asking questions and connecting the dots by themselves. Ultimately, fostering one's curiosity and pave the path on their own.

2 Multi-Media Museum Learning Package

Our Museum Learning Package was greatly inspired by the “I & Me” Exhibition of GOMOA and the “Gallery Children’s Biennale 2025” of the National Gallery of Singapore.

The main purpose is to guide students to explore their personal unique identity through the artworks of children, teenagers and adults. Throughout developing the package, the most enjoyable yet challenging part was to design the activities of the respective halls and whole exhibition activities. Since the range of age was really large, we had to narrow our theme to happiness and mental health. We also had to discuss the flow of our learning package to provide a robust and deep learning experience for the secondary school students. However, in the end, we took many inspirations from different museums visited throughout the course, such as the stamping stations (National Gallery, Singapore) and also the wristband (National Museum, Singapore) activity and incorporated into the GOMOA “I and Me” Exhibition. Finally, we had a lot of fun designing all sorts of games and activities as they are really colorful and contain many fun elements (Board Game) and themes for self-identity exploration (Happiness/Fear Word List; Adult Time Puzzle). I firmly believe that if secondary school students were to experience this learning package, they would come out having a different view on themselves and the world.

3 Personal/Professional Growth

3.1 Personal Growth

After the course, I was really surprised to find myself having a large shift in perspective towards museums and made me open up much more to visiting all types of museums, not just science. Besides science, I realized I enjoy the humanistic and social aspects in human beings. 

My 2 favorite museums in the course based on new perspectives formed after the knowledge from this course (I am not including my personal interest in science) are HKMWRCD and GOMOA.

For HKMWRCD, it made me realize the significance of Hong Kong history and all the blood, sweat and emotions from this museum. I found the chaotic and sad times of war against Japan deeply emotional. The trust and relationships between Hong Kong people and with the allies were really touching, and how they worked together made me appreciate the history of our people and also I can see why Hong Kong people’s sense of belonging and identity is extremely strong,

For GOMOA, it made me recognize that I deeply care about the wellbeing of people in general. The teenage exhibition made me realize that the mental health issues of teens around the world is an alarming issue to be taken care of. Also, we should look upon the innocence and imagination of children to allow us to shift our perspectives and view the world in a better light.

3.2 Professional Growth

As an aspiring science educator, this course made me realize how underused and undervalued museum education is in teaching science. For instance, the visit to Hong Kong Heritage Museum showed us the “Behind the scenes” science preservation methods. If I had this experience when I were still a secondary school student, I would definitely be amazed and be much more interested in science, Besides from just scientific theories in textbooks, I firmly believe that it is also very important to show students real life practices in using science, and to “show off” fancy equipment to allow students to be amazed at the wonders of science. In the future, I would surely advocate for these types of scientific visits to museums.

Moreover, using the knowledge I gained from children, teens, adults exhibit and our learning package, I have acquired knowledge in mental health issues and happiness through different perspectives. In the future, I would likely cater to the wellbeing of my students via these knowledge to relieve them of some daily struggles and  hopefully more happy in dealing with life and thinking about their futures.