Science Museums, Collections and Education: necessary relationships

Abstract

The paper presents a discussion about the importance of collections and objects from exhibitions in Natural History Museums in order to develop the educational role of those institutions. The educational specificities of Science Museums and Natural History Museums are presented as national and international historical aspects in order to emphasize the relevance of knowing the science history involved in the collections and objects presented in exhibitions. We propose that the educational activities developed in Natural History Museums should consider museological didactics to communicate to the public the information contained in collections and objects. Key-words: museum education; museum didactics; science museum education; collections and education