This paper outlines findings from a 1990 survey conducted by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA), specifically related to the prevalence and value of teacher training programs at accredited AAZPA institutions.
This paper outlines the methodology and findings of a study that analyzed the effects of zoo-based educational approaches on the knowledge of, and attitude toward, wildlife conservation among Colombian fourth-grade students (9 to 11 years of age). The rationale behind the study was that direct experience, coupled with adequate preparation and reinforcement, should improve children's knowledge of, and attitudes toward wildlife.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Teresa Gutierrez de WhiteSusan K. Jacobson
In this case study, Carey Tisdal, internal evaluator at the St. Louis Science Center (SLSC), discusses the use of teacher response groups in the development of the school visit program at SLSC. This paper uses a case method to describe: (1) the context of policy and program issues from which the study arose, (2) the reasons this specific method was selected, (3) the development of a data base, (4) how the method was implemented to recruit and interview teachers, and (5) an analysis of the limitations and benefits of the methods.
In this paper, researchers at the Brookfield Zoo present a case study in evaluating a technology project involving partnerships between museums and formal education. THe focus is on the multiple-method design, which was required in order to work with all participants, from funders to educators, to teachers and students. A set of tools, from traditional surveys through teacher-led performance assessments, was used to measure student learning, teacher satisfaction, and effective implementation of technology and museum content into quality Web pages. The authors share their experiences to help
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TEAM MEMBERS:
H. Elizabeth Stuart PerryCarol D. Saunders
This article is a report of the impact assessment of two outreach programs to primary schools run by the Botswana National Museum. The oldest of the programs, Zebra-on-Wheels was officially launched in 1980 and has involved all the primary schools in the country at least twice. The study aimed to establish the impact of the two programs and make recommendations for possible improvements. Thirty-eight schools throughout Botswana participated in the study. Teachers in these schools were interviewed and classroom observation sessions were carried out. Teachers’ observations about the two programs
In this article, researchers from Ohio State University discuss evaluation methods and findings of a study of the Old Woman Creek school visitor program. Researchers evaluated changes in knowledge, shifts in attitude, and enjoyment levels of the visiting schoolchildren.
In this brief article, Jacksonville State University's Stephen Bitgood offers informal professionals six suggestions for preventing student misbehavior during school field trips to museums or zoos. Bitgood, a former child psychologist, suggests that good planning is the key to any successful field trip.
This article discusses a 1988-1990 study that analyzed the effectiveness of a collaborative effort between a museum and a school system to build an integrated curriculum package. The partners included the York County School System (VA) and the Yorktown Victory Center (operated by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation). The theme of the curriculum was 18th Century Medicine and the unit was designed to enhance the science, math, and social studies instruction of fourth graders.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Ronald GieseJudy Davis-DorseyJoseph Gutierrez
This article summarizes an evaluation report discussed in a 1982 article in the "Journal of Educational Research." The study was a series by J. Falk and colleagues that examined children's experiences on school field trips, especially the effects of novel environments. The attitudes, behavior, and learning of third and fifth graders were compared in two environments: (1) a field trip to a nature center to learn about tree biology and (2) the same lesson given at school outside the students' classroom.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
John H FalkJ. BallingVisitor Studies Association
In this article, Janette Griffin of the University of Technology in Sydney discusses a project designed to investigate the applicability of a School-Museum Learning Framework piloted in an earlier study. Implementation of the Framework involved 5th and 6th grade students bringing their own chosen questions or "areas of inquiry" to the museum and students having considerable control over their learning within parameters provided by the teacher.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Janette Griffin
resourceprojectWebsites, Mobile Apps, and Online Media
SETAC is funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union and emerges out of the need to undertake specific action for the improvement of science education. It regards science education as among the fundamental tools for developing active citizens in the knowledge society. SETAC draws on the cooperation between formal and informal learning institutions, aiming to enhance school science education and active citizenship looking further into the role of science education as a lifelong tool in the knowledge society. On the day of the project’s conclusion, 31 October 2010, after two years of work SETAC contributes the following products and results to the field: 1. “Quality Science Education: Where do we stand? Guidelines for practice from a European experience” This is the concluding manifesto that presents the results of the SETAC work in the form of recommendations for practitioners working in formal and informal science learning institutions; 2. “Teaching and Learning Scientific Literacy and Citizenship in Partnership with Schools and Science Museums” This paper constitutes the theoretical framework of the project and innovative ways of using museums for science education and develop new modes of linking formal and informal learning environments; 3. Tools for teaching and learning in science: misconceptions, authentic questions, motivation. Three specific studies, leading to three specific reports, have been conducted in the context of the project, looking in particular into notions with an important role in science teaching and learning. These are on: Children’s misconceptions; Authentic questions as tool when working in science education; Students’ attitudes and motivation as factors influencing their achievement and participation in science and science-related issues; 4. Activities with schools: SETAC developed a series of prototype education activities which were tested with schools in each country. Among the activities developed between the partners, two have been chosen and are available on-line for practitioners to use and to adapt in their own context. These are: The Energy role game, a role game on Energy invites students to act in different roles, those of the stakeholders of an imaginary community, called to debate and decide upon a certain common problem; MyTest www.museoscienza.org/myTest, which aims to encourage students to engage in researching, reflecting and communicating science-oriented topics; 5. European in-service training course for primary and secondary school teachers across Europe. The training course is designed in such a way as to engage participants in debate and exploration of issues related to science education and active citizenship. The course is open to school teachers, headteachers and teacher trainers from all EU-member and associate countries. Professionals interested can apply for a EU Comenius grant. All the products of the project as well as information about the training course are available at the project website, some of them in more than one languages: www.museoscienza.org/setac
The Learning and Youth Research and Evaluation Center (LYREC) is a collaboration of the Exploratorium, Harvard University, Kings College London, SRI International and UC Santa Cruz. LYREC provides technical assistance to NSF AYS projects, collects and synthesizes their impact data, and oversees dissemination of progress and results. This center builds on the Center for Informal Learning in Schools (CILS) that has developed a theoretical approach that takes into account the particular strengths and affordances of both Out of School Teaching (OST) and school environments. This foundation will permit strengthening the potential of the NSF AYS projects to develop strong local models that can generate valid and reliable data that can guide future investment, design and research aimed at creating coherence across OST and school settings. The overarching questions for the work are: 1. How can OST programs support K-8 engagement and learning in science, and in particular how can they contribute to student engagement with K-8 school science and beyond? 2. What is the range of science learning outcomes OST programs can promote, particularly when in collaboration with schools, IHE's, businesses, and other community partners? 3. How can classroom teachers and schools build on children's OST experiences to strengthen children's participation and achievement in K-12 school science Additionally, the data analysis will reveal: 1. How OST programs may be positioned to support, in particular, high-poverty, female and/or minority children traditionally excluded from STEM academic and career paths; and 2. The structural/organizational challenges and constraints that exist to complicate or confound efforts to provide OST experiences that support school science engagement, and conversely, the new possibilities which are created by collaboration across organizational fields. Data will be gathered from surveys, interviews, focus groups, evaluation reports, and classroom and school data.