In review of the past ten years of educational work, in addition to mainly promoting the concept of life education, the participation and support from people in all walks of life including volunteers, teachers, museum staff, and many more people who silently worked hard for museum's educational concept brought the museum's educational promotion to the most impressive power. In the past ten years, the museum laid down the foundation of life education; in the next 10 years the museum will work even harder to make life education blossom everywhere.
Life Education
We can emphasize several concepts on our life education, and love is a very fundamental one; also other religions have their common basic values of life education. Our life education was not considered from the beginning, it started with the exhibition of the MWR and later on we have life education; therefore, we need to take both into account.
Honorary Curator Han Pao-Teh
Just as mentioned by Mr. Han, the museum's educational promotion started from the exhibition itself, in conjunction with exhibitions such as life journey, and world religions, etc. so that the visitors of all ages can understand the museum's exhibits. Although the museum's central course is on religions, religions are not an important teaching subject in Taiwanese schools. However, life education is an important issue on campus. When a teacher does not know how to forward life education, the museum's Hall of Life Journey is the best situational field teaching of life education; it becomes a place of extended life education for schools.
Education of Arts and Beauty
The relationship of religious artifacts and arts has been close. Since the ancient time, arts have existed for the sake of religions. The visitors will learn the value of life from the religious knowledge and contents enabling them to appreciate the exhibition of religious arts, architecture, designs, and further to appreciate life; thus it has also become an important concept of promoting educational activities for the museum. The past few years we have held many kinds of activities in conjunction with special exhibition themes such as the artists' workshops, children's summer camps, field visits, and theme-based seminars, etc. to help understand foreign cultures and enjoy the beauty of exotic arts; meanwhile we can bring the arts into daily life and experience life aesthetics.
Multicultural Education
At the same time of promoting aesthetic education, the "new residents" has become an important topic. The foreign population in Taiwan increases every year. We are exposed unnoticeably in foreign cultures whether in the kindergarten or in the high school campus, in the community or in the workplace. Therefore in the recent years, the schools have begun to reinforce the multicultural education and related activities in regard of children's developing environment. However, how can we convey the mutual respect and tolerance of diverse cultures in an interesting way of teaching? The museum's conception of "respecting each belief, accepting each ethnic group, loving each life," becomes a core value of multicultural education. In 2009 the museum launched the "Multicultural Campus Touring Exhibition Program," covering from the museum's exhibitions to the production of display panels and teaching tools of every country's rite of passage.
Volunteer Partnership
It would be just saying empty words if the museum's exhibitions and educational activities are done without voluntary workers’ involvement. In 2005, the museum officially established a volunteer team who went through rigorous recruitment process, training and practical operation, so that the volunteers can provide best services to the visitors and participators in educational activities. In 2011, the number of volunteers reached to 192; the team has become the most complete manpower and organization among the museums' volunteer teams in the New Taipei City. In 2009, the team won government's recognition a "Superior Volunteer Team Award" from Cultural Affairs Department, New Taipei City Government.
Love Forest
In 2005, the museum established the children's hall called "Looking for Fantasy Beast in Love Forest"; the museum's life education thus entered into preschool kids. "Love" is a very abstract concept; in the children's Hall, the museum applies a variety of interactive devices and a magical forest situation so that through the sensory application, the preschool children can learn various forms of love in daily life. We also created a fantasy animal "Milo" so that children can learn to care from the cute animals. Along with the establishment of children's hall, the museum's teaching resources of life education started for preschool kids. The activity of "Rainbow Witch Telling Stories" was created in such a concept, which accompanied children spending their weekend afternoon through fun learning and picture books to understand the value of education.
