The very different school museums have always presented the history of education in very different ways, from exhibitions of modern school aids to historical museums that build confidence in the teachers’ profession, national, linguistic and cultural approaches, sometimes including propaganda or at least encouragement of the dominant cultural, political and pedagogical approaches. Such (near 450) museums in at least 30 European countries still vary greatly, from nostalgic collections, adding to what is on offer culturally, to the preservation of memory and tradition, and museums that seek modern approaches to the conveying of pedagogical traditions in the modern context. The history of Europe is also the history of different cultural and political influences, which is why the pedagogical history of European countries and their regions is also very diverse. How do different school museums present different pedagogical experiences? Only as nostalgia, academic analysis, (un)interesting tales or as some kind of attraction? Can the experience of the school past whereby a museum visitor participates in a historical lesson (research through participation) facilitate understanding of change over time and especially the development of pedagogical views and different practices? How can a presentation of the school past be an incentive for better teaching in the present? How much does a documented picture of the past help us to understand the present and to differentiate between the established methods in view of the constant modernisation and adaptation of school to social needs? Constant innovation in education sometimes presents already tried and tested educational methods as new. Can we move beyond the current issues of the educational present with a view to future developments through critical analysis and a fair presentation of a problematic and sometimes dissonant past? The author of the article also wonders how school museums can bring us face to face with the highways and byways of the pedagogical past and through critical analysis encourage us to assess the present in light of past experience.

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