EDUCATIONAL DOCENT

1 or more individuals

Description of Project or Purpose of Assignment
The educational docent will be trained to lead groups of children and/or adults through the museum galleries. He or she will volunteer to lead as many groups as his or her schedule permits throughout the school year and the summer.

Outcomes/ Goals
The educational docent will enhance the learning experience and of groups who visit the museum by providing detail and background information about our four main exhibit areas, and temporary exhibits that arise. The successful docent will elicit and answer questions from members of the tour group. They will interpret the galleries in an age-appropriate manner for specific groups of people. They will highlight areas of the exhibits that would most interest specific groups of people. They will ensure that group tour members follow museum rules, for the safety of our visitors and our collections.

Training and Support Plan
The docent will be expected to become familiar with the material presented in the galleries. This may require additional reading and research. The docent will attend several formal training sessions in September through December each year on various natural science topics that further develop the information presented in our galleries. It is preferable that docents begin duties in the fall, in conjunction with these training sessions. If the docent wishes to begin duties in the spring or summer, a personalized training plan can be developed.

Reporting
Docents will "sign in" on the docent bulletin board, and record hours spent training and leading groups through the museum.

Time Commitment
Docents will be contacted by phone when tours schedule a visit to the museum. Each tour lasts from ½ hour to 3 hours. Sometimes, a large group will be split into as many as four smaller groups, and the docent will repeat his or her tour several times. Groups often schedule a visit in the morning or early afternoon on weekdays. Some weekend or evening tours may be scheduled, but these are uncommon. Docents may decline to lead a tour if it conflicts with their schedule, but each docent will be expected to lead an average of two or three tours per month, if needed.

Qualifications Needed
The docent must be 18 or older. High school students who are younger than 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. An interview is required for all applicants. The docent should be able to work with people of all ages, encourage audience participation, and answer questions about the information presented in the IMNH galleries. A familiarity and/or interest in one or more disciplines of the natural sciences is expected. However, the docent need not be "an expert". Knowledge about the gallery material develops naturally over time. The docent must speak clearly, and communicate in an engaging manner.

Benefits
The docent will receive several free training sessions during September through December, an "appreciation tea" in December, the satisfaction of helping people better appreciate the information presented in the IMNH galleries, and the camaraderie of fellow docents. The docent will receive a volunteer parking pass to be used on service days, recognition during National Volunteer Appreciation Week and will gain personal satisfaction by partnering with the Museum and its staff. After volunteering 30 service hours each year, the volunteer will receive an individual Museum membership. If requested and warranted, letters of recommendation and documentation of service will be provided to the volunteer.