Pedagogical Curation in Action: Reimagining Teacher Preparation Through Creative Museum-based Learning

This study introduces and theorizes the concept of Pedagogical Curation as a dynamic framework for reimagining teacher preparation within creative, museum-based learning. Addressing the critical gap in how educators are supported to engage meaningfully with museums, the research explores interprofessional collaborations between teachers and museum educators as vehicles for fostering children’s creativity and Possibility Thinking. Drawing on eight in-depth case studies across four Cypriot primary schools, the study employs a rigorous qualitative design incorporating interviews, observations, and reflective journals. Through thematic analysis, it identifies pedagogical curation as a collaborative, agentic process that unfolds across pre-visit planning, experiential engagement, and post-visit synthesis. Findings challenge traditional field trip paradigms, illustrating how co-designed museum encounters–rooted in relational synergy, professional trust, shared purpose, and teacher autonomy–can transform museums into dialogic, affective, and multimodal learning spaces. The proposed Pedagogical Curation Model advances an original conceptual framework for sustainable school–museum partnerships, offering practical and theoretical insights into the design of creative, student-centered education. The study has significant implications for teacher education, curriculum policy, and the broader integration of informal learning contexts into formal pedagogical practice.