The science museum field has made tremendous advances in understanding museum learning, but little has been done to consolidate and synethesize these findings to encourage widespread improvements in practice. By clearly presenting the most current knowledge of museum learning, In Principle, In Practice aims to promote effective programs and exhibitions, identify promising approaches for future research, and develop strategies for implementing and sustaining connections between research and practice in the museum community.
The science museum field has made tremendous advances in understanding museum learning, but little has been done to consolidate and synthesize these findings to encourage widespread improvements in practice. By clearly presenting the most current knowledge of museum learning, In Principle, In Practice aims to promote effective programs and exhibitions, identify promising approaches for future research, and develop strategies for implementing and sustaining connections between research and practice in the museum community.
The focus of the November 9, 2006 Community Based Science Organization (CBSO) Roundtable was to gather participant's ideas for future CBSO and the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) partnerships. These ideas were used to inform the development of a new program that would involve CBSOs and SMM. The goal was for participants to re-imagine the way SMM and CBSOs collaborate to facilitate better community-based science in Minnesota. Participants were asked to think about what this collaboration would look like. A brainstorming method was used, and to guide the brainstorming process, participants
This external evaluation of the PEEP Explorer's Guide found the Guide effective in meeting its goals. Teachers who used the Guide were extremely satisfied with its content, materials, and usability. They reported the Guide was highly appealing to children, and they used materials from the Guide to forge home-school connections. Teachers found the Guide made useful links between science, literacy, and language. Pre-post comparisons demonstrated that, while teachers were engaged in similar instructional practices before and after using the Guide, the Guide alleviated the challenges of teaching
Front-line educators are arguably critical to the visitor experience at museums and science centers across the country. However, little research exists to inform staff facilitation strategies or professional development efforts. In this article, we describe the results of a qualitative study of 63 staff-family interactions in a science center, focusing particularly on the role of adult family members.We observed three distinct phases of interaction, during which adult family members acted as gatekeepers to deeper staff engagement. The results suggest that in order to successfully facilitate
Researchers from the Center for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS), Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center and two other centers recently published LOST Learning Opportunities: Learning about Out-of-School Time. The book, published by Springer, addresses conceptual, methodological, and empirical issues related to studying learning in everyday and afterschool settings. Primarily written for researchers, LOST Learning Opportunities includes chapters on what math looks like in everyday family settings, how science is positioned in afterschool, how children's learning and
Graduates of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degrees stand to earn more in their lifetime while contributing innovation and technical expertise necessary for a robust society. Further, improving the diversity of such graduates will produce a workforce that empowers all communities to equally share in the benefits of a STEM-literate society. The success of STEM programming thus depends on attracting aspirational students and providing the resources for them to excel in learning. Further, teaching and mentoring methods need re-tooling and energetic instructors to retain
Naturejobs.com article called “Education: Free-range learning,” highlighting some of the benefits of and challenges for informal science education. The article includes quotes and examples from project leaders in citizen science, cyberlearning, science museums, learning research, and evaluation, and makes the claim that in a time of uncertain funding, research and evaluation for ISE projects are critical.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Virginia Gewin
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
As part of its ongoing Practice-and-Research (PaR) initiative, the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE), in collaboration with the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, has engaged cross-sector groups of informal STEM learning practitioners and researchers through a trajectory of activities that include surveys, conference calls, an online forum, and a recent convening to explore, discuss, and brainstorm about the existing and potential relationships between practice and research in the field.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
CAISE
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
As part of its Practice-and-Research initiative, the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) has been hosting a series of field-wide discussions to explore the current and potential connections between ISE practice and research. A rich variety of practitioners, researchers and evaluators have contributed to one or more of these conversations that have taken place on conference calls, an online forum, and an in-person convening to share and broaden understandings about the benefits and challenges in facilitating these connections.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
CAISE
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
Horizon Research, Inc. has recently completed the fifth in a series of national surveys funded by the National Science Foundation. The most recent survey “was designed to provide up-to-date information and to identify trends in the areas of teacher background and experience, curriculum and instruction, and the availability and use of instructional resources.”
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Eric BanilowerP. Sean SmithIris WeissKristen MalzahmKiira CampbellAaron Weis
resourceresearchMuseum and Science Center Programs