Applied Interpretation

In the previous posting I had offered a model of learning for interpretation based on long term memory research. This model proposed that an interpreter would offer one or more of the program strategies that has been found to aid in long term memory. This approach would then enhance episodic memories or short term recall. The potential “strength” of these recollections would then hopefully become a part of semantic memories which has been found to develop conceptual knowledge which would become integrated into an individual’s schema.

A few years ago, the author conducted a research study at Lowell National Historic Park that offered an interpretive experience that resonated with the participants in its relevance. The medium was a guided canal tour of the Park. The visitors wind through the heart of the mills and waterways located in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts. Topics offered by the interpreter include the industrial revolution, mill operations, the role of the river and canals in powering the mills, immigrants, laborers, natural history, historic preservation, and ways in which Lowell has changed over the years. The relevancy of Lowell’s history to the participants created vivid recall that included general ideas / knowledge attached to participants’ recollections of the interpretive experience. Below are some examples:

Lowell Canal Tour

You really got a sense of where people came from for this mill work and how it grew up around Lowell, and what a really important place Lowell has been in the whole history of the Industrial Revolution.”

The significant role that Lowell played in the beginning of manufacturing in our country affected not just Lowell but became a forerunner for the rest and a model for many other parts of the country as well.

These responses suggest the possibility that the episodic recall was potentially “captured” in semantic memory which enables the individual to draw in general knowledge. Hence, the depth and richness of these answers (and many others found in the study) suggests memories that were beyond recall or remembering, but rather, information that possibly was processed into a conceptual representation or knowing. Below is a summary of the study’s findings which are outlined using the model of learning discussed last week.

In an attempt to further illustrate the use of the learning model, suggestions for other potential program strategies during the canal program are offered below:

Active Based Experiences – Since the canal program was primarily a didactic tour, more boat “responsibilities” could be assigned to the visitors. This could include aiding the interpreter in citing key points along the way or offering their own ideas of what they are seeing prior to the guide’s explanation. This approach could even include songs that were reflective of the mill era.

Concept Repetition – This strategy would be enhanced in this program through the elimination of some of the content to enable more focused and repetitive discussion related to their primary theme of the role of Lowell in the Industrial Revolution and the importance of immigrants in this story.

Personally Relevant – This program succeeds in attaining vivid episodic recall through personally relevant information. However, this approach could have been further developed by giving participants opportunities to share their own connections to the Park. Visitor stories shared through this format would have potentially motivated other stories from participants enabling more personal connections to be developed.

In summary, the program strategy of personal relevance enhanced the visitor’s episodic recall which in turn integrated into their semantic memory which became conceptual knowledge. And by the way…this information was directly associated with the mission of the Lowell Historic Park!