Natural History Dioramas – Traditional Exhibits for Current Educational Themes

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Introduction: Natural History Dioramas and Socio-cultural Aspects

   • Annette Scheersoi, Sue Dale Tunnicliffe

   Pages 1-6

3. Reaching Different Types of Audiences Through Dioramas

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 7-7

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   2. Leisure Visitor’s Responses to Natural History Dioramas

      • Eirini Gkouskou, Sue Dale Tunnicliffe

      Pages 9-24

   3. Learning to Teach Newcomer Students Using Dioramas of North America

      • Maritza Macdonald, Roberta Altman, Jay Holmes

      Pages 25-36

   4. Window to Nature: MuseobilBOX-Dioramas in the Museum Koenig

      • Eva Neitscher, Hae-Yon Weon-Kettenhofen

      Pages 37-51

   5. Rethinking Natural History Dioramas: Bundling the Needs of Neuro-Diverse and Neuro-Typical Visitors

      • Paul Gabriel

      Pages 53-77

   6. The Digital Diorama Project: A New Way of Exploring Dioramas from Outside of the Museum Setting

      • Annastella Gambini

      Pages 79-93

4. Problematic Aspects of Dioramas

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 95-95

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   2. Life, Living and Lifelessness in Taxidermy

      • Luanne Meehitiya, Dawn Sanders, Jill Hohenstein

      Pages 97-112

   3. Cultural Conflict: The Stories Dioramas Tell and Don’t Tell

      • Doris Ash

      Pages 113-130

   4. Intended and Realised Educational Messages of Dioramas – An International Comparison

      • Marianne Achiam, Martha Marandino

      Pages 131-145

5. Connecting People with the Natural World Through Dioramas

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 147-147

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   2. Promoting People’s Connection with Nature Through Natural History Displays

      • Henry A. McGhie

      Pages 149-161

   3. Receiving the Message – Environmental Education at Dioramas

      • Annette Scheersoi, Lara Weiser

      Pages 163-174

   4. Your Last Chance to See?

      • Keith Dunmall

      Pages 175-183

   5. Teaching and Learning Biodiversity with Dioramas

      • Martha Marandino, Juliana Bueno, Marianne Achiam, Carolina Laurini

      Pages 185-200

   6. The Relevance of Natural History Dioramas for Sociocultural Issues

      • Michael J. Reiss

      Pages 201-211

This book focuses on socio-cultural issues and the potential of using dioramas in museums to engage various audiences with – and in – contemporary debates and big issues, which society and the natural environment are facing, such as biodiversity loss.
From the early 1900s, with the passage of time and changes in cultural norms in societies, this genre of exhibits evolved in response to the changes in entertainment, expectations and expressed needs of museum visitors. The challenge has always been to provide meaningful, relevant experiences to visitors, and this is still the aim today. Dioramas are also increasingly valued as learning tools. Contributions in this book specifically focus on their educational potential. In practice, dioramas are used by a wide range of educational practitioners to assist learners in developing and understanding specific concepts, such as climate change, evolution or or conservation issues. In this learning process, dioramas not only contribute to scientific understanding and cultural awareness, but also reconnect wide audiences to the natural world and thereby contribute to the well-being of societies.

In the simultaneously published book: “Natural History Dioramas – Traditional Exhibits for Current Educational Themes, Science Educational Aspects" the editors discuss the history of dioramas and their building and science learning aspects, as well as current developments and their place in the visitor experience. 

• natural history dioramas
• public understanding of science
• visitor experience
• visitor response
• taxidermy
• biodiversity
• learning opportunity
• museum education
• science education
• cultural learning
• learning and instruction

“Readers are most likely to be those professionally interested in dioramas and this particular aspect of science education/communication.” (Sue Howarth, The Biologist, September 17, 2019)

• University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

  Annette Scheersoi

• University College London (UCL), Institute of Education, London, UK

  Sue Dale Tunnicliffe

Annette Scheersoi is a Professor in Biology Education at the University of Bonn,
Germany. Her doctorate was on museum’s exhibition concepts and the use of different
media for communicating biological knowledge. Since 2005 she is a biology teachertrainer
and researcher, first at Frankfurt University, then at the University of Cologne
and now at Bonn’s university. Her research on biology learning focuses on interest
development in out-of-school learning environments. Annette also develops learningmaterials for schools as well as for museums, zoos and botanic gardens.


Sue Dale Tunnicliffe is a Reader in Science Education at UCL Institute of
Education, University College London. She holds a bachelors degree from
Westfield College, University of London in Zoology and trained as a secondary
biology teacher at the university’s Institute of Education. After teaching in
grammar schools for a few years she had children and, wanting to find out more
about how young children learnt science, particularly biology, she entered
primary school teaching and is now interested in pre school learning, as well as
animals as exhibits. She set up and ran a new Primary Science and Design
Technology advisory team for London Borough of Richmond and then became
Head of Education at the Zoological Society of London. She has worked at the
BBC and in a cultural museum. Her doctorate was from King’s College,
London ’Talking about animals: conversations of children in zoos, a museum and
a farm”. She has published widely.

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