ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what theories are, how they are useful for research and for practice, and what might be useful as well as problematic about reliance on theoretical knowledge in practice. Following this discussion, it turns to the way that theories about learning can be conceptualised. The chapter provides an in-depth exploration of a single theory, constructivism, to highlight the ways that it has been interpreted and used differently by a variety of authors across learning disciplines. In order to consider how to design informal learning environments that facilitate learning effectively, it is necessary to consider what learning is and what makes learning happen. Theories of learning take into consideration what types of changes take place in the minds, brains and bodies of the learners. The chapter outlines some of the ways that theories have arisen as relevant to museum contexts, and considers the ways that one theory, Constructivism, can be interpreted in multiple ways.
