Mohammad Al Qaisi

Biography

Mohammad’s role as Education Manager at The Jordan Museum involves museum education, strategic planning, exhibition programmes, museum guides, school programmes, and heritage activities. This includes sourcing ways to build an education unit offering the best-disseminated current practice at a local level in cooperation with local museums. Responsibilities cover supporting school teachers, designing activities and creating museum programmes relating to the national curriculums, as well as collaborating with local school and educators to integrate the museums resources into their curriculum.

Mohammed works on strategies, partnerships and international and national projects, alongside community and children’s programmes. He also manages events at the museum and the development of fundraising strategies.

With a great enthusiasm for cultural heritage, Mohammad’s museum interests cover museum education and outreach activities, as well as audience development and learning. Professionally, he is interested in the idea of museums as places of non-formal learning and is currently researching this area to explore how museums now operate in the role of the study environment and supports formal learning by introducing non-formal learning to society.

Mohammad has completed a children’s story series that explores the history of Jordan in an engaging and enjoyable way. The series aims to take young readers on a journey through time, introducing them to Jordan’s rich heritage, culture, and historical milestones through colourful illustrations, relatable characters and age-appropriate language. The first story focuses on Ain Ghazal, one of Jordan’s most significant archaeological sites. The series is now complete, and Mohammad is currently seeking sponsorship to publish it.

In addition, Mohammad recently presented a research paper at the First International Conference on Tourism Development and Sustainability in Oman, discussing the experiences of volunteers, their impact on visitors, and the skills they gained in preparation for the job market.

He is currently leading a training programme for recent university graduates in collaboration with the University of Jordan, designed to equip them with diverse skills in museum education and interpretation.

Mohammad has also completed a project on accessible museum experiences for people with disabilities, and contributed to a study on accessibility at the Abu Dhabi Museum in the United Arab Emirates.

He is now working with International Baccalaureate (IB) schools on a collaborative project involving 40 students. Together, they are developing content for ‘History of Jordan in 80 Objects’ which will include a bilingual guide and interactive digital applications in its upcoming phase.

Mohammad’s dream for museums of the future, is for museums to increasingly embrace technology to offer virtual experiences, interactive exhibits, and augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) tours. This would allow visitors to engage with exhibits in new and immersive ways. Museums can be more inclusive, ensuring that people of all backgrounds, abilities, and ages can access and enjoy their offerings, for example by providing accessible facilities, multilingual content, and exhibits that represent diverse perspectives. He would like to see museums becoming more integrated into their local communities, offering programmes and exhibitions that address community needs and interests. They can serve as hubs for learning, social interaction, cultural exchange, and centres for lifelong learning.

At the British Museum
During Mohammad’s time on the International Training Programme he spent time in whole group sessions for a detailed overview of all aspects of the Museum’s work, both front of house and behind the scenes. He also spent some time in the Middle East department. Mohammad spent his UK partner placement at The Collection: Art and Archaeology in Lincolnshire and Nottingham University Museum.

Mohammad worked with the ITP 2022 participants to develop a 15-object trail based on a story they wanted to share based around the British Museum collection. The theme of the trail was Food and drink, and Mohammad’s chosen object was a sickle from Egypt.

Mohammad’s place on the International Training Programme was generously supported by the the Altajir Trust.