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Latest Headlines
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Storytelling for Interpreters and Rangers: A Unique and Critical Approach
Posted on July 6, 2010 | 7 CommentsInterpreters (including naturalists and rangers) need to be storytellers. The Ranger Interpretation Handbook produced by the International Ranger Federation states that the first of 11 principles of high-quality interpretation is that interpreters must “develop an in-depth knowledge of the natural or cultural protected area that is being interpreted and [apply] that knowledge to build a range of relevant messages/compelling stories.” -
When This Building is Not This Building
Posted on July 1, 2010 | 1 CommentNikko National Park in Japan plays host to striking natural beauty and fascinating cultural heritage, including the 17th-century Toshogu Shrine. -
Sharing Ideas Across Borders: An Invitation to an International Exchange of Ideas in Interpretation
Posted on June 25, 2010 | No CommentsIt was exactly the kind of interpretive moment Freeman Tilden was talking about. I was in the Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt, face-to-face with a movable-type printing press for the first time. -
Way Beyond Darwin: Evolution of Human Consciousness and the Future of Interpretation
Posted on June 21, 2010 | No CommentsFrom within our field, we might entertain the thought that interpretation changes and evolves according to actions of our own thinkers and programs, independent of the trajectories by which other fields such as environmental education, forestry, sociology, or even hair design might travel. -
Provoking the Profession
Posted on June 16, 2010 | 1 CommentAs I perused the latest issue of Legacy, I read, yet again, the mantra of Tilden’s Principles. Yet again, they were hauled out as a sort of non-violable Truth—“Thou shalt be relevant.” It sounded like a religion, not a profession. -
Interpreting the Night Sky
Posted on June 11, 2010 | 1 CommentDo you know what phase the moon is in right now? Can you find the North Star? Pick out a constellation and tell me a story about its creation. If you can do any of the above, you are in the minority in America -
Taking a Layered Approach to Interpretive Training
Posted on June 7, 2010 | 1 CommentLooking for a new way to approach training interpreters? Try a “layered walk.” As interpreters, we’re supposed to consider who our audience is and tailor our approach. Interpreters-in-training are a special kind of audience. Many of us are hands-on, big-picture people who like to be active and learn best by doing and seeing. -
Bringing Home the Universe
Posted on June 1, 2010 | 1 CommentStanding alone in the dark, I could easily feel overwhelmed by the vast, velvet-black night sky. It is, after all, endless. It’s filled with more galaxies and nebulae and black holes than my mind can comprehend. -
Where Did I Learn That?
Posted on May 26, 2010 | 2 CommentsAs winter drew to a close I took an “active seniors” group on a snowshoe hike. It was the last snowshoe program of the year. We took off our snowshoes, stowed them away for the season, and came into the warmth of the building. -
The Moon Can Help Us Know Ourselves Personally, Culturally, and Scientifically
Posted on May 21, 2010 | No CommentsThe Lunar and Planetary Institute is bringing the art of interpretation to science through nonpersonal media: images, text, exhibits, and stories. As you can probably guess from our name, we love the moon! Our education department brings the universal concepts of our origins, violent history, and pioneering explorations to life through the lenses of geology, astronomy, chemistry, and physics.