This poster was presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, Ontario, CA in April 2019.
The project's goal is to identify and document effective processes for engaging engineering experts to lead inquiry based programs in ways that advance STEM learning opportunities for children and families.
The EEE project focused on creating approaches for engineering experts to incorporate objects and oral narratives into family STEM programs. The engineering experts included tinkerers, mechanical, nuclear and costume engineers, with varying levels of experience and backgrounds. These experts work with the research team, Museum and Library, to create a workshop or program where children and their families can create a novel project following engineering concepts.
Modern science communication has emerged as a field of study, a body of practice and a profession. In the last 60 years, we have seen the birth of interactive science centres, university courses, the first research into science communication, and a growth in employment by research institutions, universities, museums, science centres and industry. Now Ireland has told its story.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Exploratorium, the self-described "museum of science, art and human perception," in San Francisco, California and the 10th anniversary of the launching of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places and Pursuits. The moment offered me an opportunity to reflect on my own professional journey, which began at the Exploratorium, coincided with a growth spurt of field knowledge-building and has included experiences that inform how I
By first recognizing the valuable social and scientific practices taking place within families as they learn science together across multiple, everyday settings, this dissertation addresses questions of how to design and scaffold activities that build and expand on those practices to foster a deep understanding of science, and how the aesthetic experience of learning science builds connections across educational settings. Families were invited to visit a natural history museum, an aquarium, and a place or activity of the family’s choice that they associated with science learning. Some families
This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by engaging in hands-on field experience, laboratory/project-based entrepreneurship tasks and mentorship experiences. This ITEST project aims to research the STEM career interests of late elementary and middle-school students and, based on the results of that research, build an informal education program to involve families and community partners to enhance their science knowledge, attitudes, experiences, and resources. There is an emphasis on underrepresented and low income students and their families.
The project will research and test a new model to promote the development of positive attitudes toward STEM and to increase interest in STEM careers. Phase 1 of the project will include exploratory research examining science capital and habitus for a representative sample of youth at three age ranges: 8-9, 9-10 and 11-12 years. The project will measure the access that youth have to adults who engage in STEM careers and STEM leisure activities. In phase II the project will test a model with a control group and a treatment group to enhance science capital and habitus for youth.
There is growing evidence that science capital (science-related forms of social and cultural capital) and family habitus (dispositions for science) influence STEM career decisions by youth. This study presents reliability and validity evidence for a survey of factors that influence career aspirations in science. Psychometric properties of the NextGen Scientist Survey were evaluated with 889 youth in grades 6–8. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) found four factors (Science Expectancy Value, Science Experiences, Future Science Task Value, and Family Science Achievement Values). Using
Exploratorium’s The Phenomenal Genome: Evolving Public Understanding of Genetics in the Post-Mendelian Era project addresses the increasing need to develop genomic literacy in the public at large. The explosion of genomics research over the past two decades has led to an increasingly complex picture of the determinants of human health and human phenotypes, and the applications of this research are now making their way into the clinic, the media, and the hands of consumers. The goal of this project is to create a model for increasing genomic literacy through Informal Science Education programming (ISE), creating a pathway for better decision making for the health of individuals and society at large. The Phenomenal Genome focuses on general science museum visitors and teachers of middle and high school students.
The core of the Exploratorium’s approach to science education is the creation of intriguing, provocative and investigable phenomena that are experienced directly and personally through exhibits, facilitated explorations, programs, and teacher professional development. Over two years, we will develop, test, and iterate inquiry-based professional development to help teachers develop understanding and integrate the principles of contemporary genomics and genetics into their classrooms. 120 middle and high school teachers will be served during this period, and many more beyond that, as the activities and workshops developed become a regular part of our teacher professional development programming. A learning scientist specializing in teacher learning will conduct research to determine which approaches and experiences are most effective for this context, and why.
In a parallel process, we will develop and test exhibits and experiences on the museum floor for museum visitors, using a similar iterative process of prototype testing with an embedded learning scientist to study visitor learning. We plan to define the approaches that work across audiences and contexts, as well as those that work best in particular contexts.
Through this work, we will develop new resources for teaching and learning contemporary genomics and genetics, and identify promising practices in communicating contemporary genomics and genetics in informal spaces across audiences. We will disseminate our findings via conferences, peer-reviewed articles, and workshops for the ISE community.
Museum administrators need measurements to prove their museum’s value, to advocate for their institutions, and to improve their performance. The purpose of the two-year Assessing Museum Impact (AMI) pilot research project was to explore in practice the theory that the use of data can help museums improve their impact (effectiveness) and performance (efficiency). The project was designed to assist six mid- sized New England museums to select data using the PIID Sequence and then to use that data strategically. The participants reported positive impacts on their management culture and actionable
This project asks the question: are there duties and tasks consistent across job descriptions of those who work in informal science learning institutions, and do those duties and tasks change over the course of a career? This is being done to critically look at professional development for science and technology centers and think critically about the career path needs of people, rather than focusing on job specific skills. Using literature and experience, the project team had in the proposal identified the stages as early career (0-3 years as a science-related museum professional), mid-career
This project promises to help professionalize the field of informal science learning. In general, professional fields that developed guidance for growth and excellence tend to attract and retain professionals more successfully than those who do not, in part because expectations are transparent. Our analyses thus far included a variety of potential target audiences who engaged with the Framework at differing depths. In addition to testing the potential efficacy of the Preliminary Framework as a guide for professionalizing ISL, reviewers helped to build the case for the value of professional
This project promises to help professionalize the field of informal science learning. In general, professional fields that developed guidance for growth and excellence tend to attract and retain professionals more successfully than those who do not, in part because expectations are transparent. Our analyses included a variety of potential target audiences who engaged with the Framework at differing depths. In addition to testing the potential efficacy of the Preliminary Framework as a guide for professionalizing ISL, reviewers helped to build the case for the value of professional development