This article discusses one of many studies conducted at Colonial Williamsburg for the purpose of strengthening the learning experience for families. The study was conducted in 1993-1996 and continues to match what current audiences tell staff year after year. The article includes a brief description of the methodology used a discussion of what researchers learned and how interpreters can apply these lessons to their daily interpretations.
Science beyond the schoolhouse is the subject of this close-up look at informal science--education in non-traditional settings, including Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H, zoos, aquariums, and public television. More than a dozen writers draw on personal experiences to tell why they became informal science educators and how they use the history and theory of traditional science education in their work. Among the features of this book for informal science educators are a resource directory and a special section on program evaluation. Articles include: (1) "The Symbiosis of Formal and Informal
Current accounts of the development of scientific reasoning focus on individual children's ability to coordinate the collection and evaluation of evidence with the creation of theories to explain the evidence. This observational study of parent–child interactions in a children's museum demonstrated that parents shape and support children's scientific thinking in everyday, nonobligatory activity. When children engaged an exhibit with parents, their exploration of evidence was observed to be longer, broader, and more focused on relevant comparisons than children who engaged the exhibit without
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science proposed to develop an outreach science and mathematics program with a parent involvement and teacher enhancement professional development component. The goals of the project are as follows: (1) to involve parents in their children's education; (2) to promote a positive attitude on behalf of parents and students toward science and mathematics; (3) to increase teachers' level of comfort in teaching science; and (4) to enhance teacher's confidence in the hands-on approach as an effective method for teaching science. The objectives for the parent component of this project are: acquaint parents with the national and state science education goals and standards; introduce parents to activities that can be done at home with children; and provide families with materials and activity sheets that can be used at home. The objectives for the teacher component of this project are: (1) to provide teachers with opportunities for increased communication with parents about science literacy for children; (2) provide professional development for teachers on the use of hands-on science activities in the classroom; and (3) to providing bilingual activity guides and kits containing materials to encourage science learning. The methods for implementing this project will be varied according to the needs of the target audiences. Parents and children will be engaged through parent workshops and multi-aged children's activities conducted at the museum by experienced science educators. The professional development for teachers' component of this project will include an extensive summer workshop, on-going training/ planning sessions during the school calendar year and session on the uses of the bilingual teaching manuals. The cost sharing for this NSF award is 46.7% of the total project cost.
Treasuring our Natural Heritage: Natural History and Environmental Science Education is a multifaceted project that will be developed by the Idaho Museum of Natural History. Their goal is to heighten an understanding of issues surrounding the concept of biodiversity among the general public. By using the metaphor " the economy of nature," they will present three concepts: biodiversity which will include the idea of keystone species, natural capital, and extinction debt & conservation biology. This approach and the use of this metaphor is based on pre-exhibit research work that demonstrated that rural Idahoans understand this as a system of exchange, where each species holds a different 'occupation' and a variety of occupations is critical to the health of the economy. This project will bring participants in touch with the value of scientific research through presentations by scientists whose recent research results will provide a deeper understanding of the living systems around them. Views of elders from Idaho's Native American tribes will be included to add a critical human dimension. With this award they will develop a series of three small traveling exhibits, three-part educational video series for public broadcasting, and three multimedia science kits for use by children's groups on each of the three concepts noted above. With this multifaceted design it is anticipated that this program will reach 50% of Idaho's 1.2 million people. It is anticipated that the exhibits will become generally available once they have completed their circulation in Idaho.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Stefan SommerAllen JacksonAmy LaffertyAndrew GibbonsAlbert Strickland
The New York Hall of Science will develop, test, and implement the "Biochemistry Discovery Lab," a 1000-sq.-ft. space designed to complement the content and design of "The Chemistry of Living Things," a 3000-sq.-ft. exhibition that will be opening in 1999. The Biochemistry Discovery Lab will engage visitors in four different types of activities: 1) guided experiments for scheduled groups, 2) self-guided experiments, 3) demonstrations, and 4) the prototyping of ancillary materials. These activities are intended to engage the target audiences -- families, students, and the general public -- in experiences leading to an understanding that chemical reactions are due to the interaction of molecules; that chemical reactions occur in both living and nonliving things; and that there are visible and measurable characteristics of chemical reactions in living and nonliving systems.
WGBH is producing Seasons II and III of ZOOM, a television series featuring kids that gives viewers in the 8- to 11-year-old range a chance to explore, experiment, and share their creativity with the world. Each season would consist of 40, daily, half-hour shows -- each including a number of science and/or mathematics segments. A unique aspect of ZOOM is that every idea and activity on the show comes from a child who writes or e-mails the show and who is credited on-air for his or her contribution. Production staff and a working group of advisors with expertise in science and math education take these raw ideas and develop them into program segments and outreach projects designed to encourage "habits of mind" -- a set of problem-solving skills and dispositions toward science and math that has been developed in concert with the advisors. Three over-arching science and math-based themes also guide the way science and math are presented over the course of a season. Outreach for Seasons II and III will build on the solid base of outreach developed for Season I, and will consist of: ZOOMerang: Every child who communicates with ZOOM will get something back such as a compilation of science and math activities, jokes, poems, recipes and a series update. ClubZOOM: A set of standards-based science and math activities will be developed along with guidance for how to create after-school clubs. This effort will be pilot tested at 20 sites. ZOOMzones: These are areas in science-technology centers and museums that are devoted to ZOOM and include opportunities for youth and families to interact with science and math content featured on ZOOM. Ten pilot ZOOMzone sites were developed for Season I (from 80 applications). The number of ZOOMzones will be increased and continuing support will be offered to existing sites during Seasons II and III. ZOOMdays: During Season III, WGBH will develop ZOOMdays at shopping malls to reach youth who may not have access to ZOOMzones or ClubZOOM. ZOOMweb site: This web site provides an outreach extension to the TV series by collecting and sharing submissions; illustrating and producing science and math activities; creating a ZOOM community; providing research links to other sites; and aiding adults who are interested in furthering ZOOM's science and math activities in their homes, classrooms, museums and after-school programs.
The New York Hall of Science is in the process of designing and constructing a 50,000 sq. ft. facility addition. This project, which could also be called project BUILD: Building Underway-Informal Learning Design, will take advantage of the inherent teaching and learning opportunities in science and engineering found in an authentic, real-time setting. A portable exhibit unit, fashioned after a construction-site fence with peepholes, will highlight aspects of technology, math, engineering, and materials sciences found in the building trades and architecture. Each peephole will display an artifact, text, image or interactive for the visitor and have specific learning outcomes defined during the development of the exhibit. Associated programing, in the form of Explainer demostrations, workshops, lectures, building trades career days, design, and hard hat tours will be created for three distinct audiences -- families, adolescents 11-14 (middle-school) and young adults 15-18 (high school). The exhibit and programs will evolve and amend themselves in tandem with the changeable timetables and nature of construction. Finally, a guidebook written on "how to" replicate these learning experiences, construct the exhibit fence for other venues, and partner with architects and tradespeople will be available to the wider museum and informal learning community.
The Museum of Science in Boston will develop exhibits and programs for visitors to use models as tools for understanding the world around them. It is the 4th stage of a six-part, long-range vision and plan that focuses on comprehending science as a way of thinking and doing. "Making Models" will serve over one million visitors per year, mostly families and school groups. The models to be featured include physical, biological, conceptual, mathematical, and computer simulation models. Four (4) specific science inquiry skills will be stressed, which are associated with making and using models: recognition of similarities, assessment of limitations, communication of ideas, and the creation of one's own models for developing personal understanding and appreciation of the world in which we live. In tandem with this new exhibit, some current exhibits and programs will be modified to meet these modeling goals. Demonstrating the application of these new exhibit techniques for other museums and science centers, and evaluating how visitors learn in this setting will also be performed, with the results disseminated on a national level. The Museum will collaborate with two (2) other nationally known sites in this development and evaluation of exhibit components, creation of new teacher development programs, and the development of models-related web resources.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Douglas SmithLarry BellPaul Fontiane
The North Carolina Museum of Life & Science requests $627,003 (54.6% of a total $1,148,397 project budget) to develop "Mathematics=Easy as Pi." This will be a three-year statewide project from the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science on behalf of the 15 member museums of The North Carolina Grassroots Science Museum Collaborative to develop and implement programs and exhibits that will assist families, children and teachers to understand and appreciate mathematics. The components are a public celebration of mathematics name Pi day that will be held in 15 museums on March 14th of each year, teacher professional development workshops, 12 hands-on tabletop exhibits for 13 museums, and a Sharing math guide for use by families and children. This initiative will serve more than 2.7 million young people and adults in North Carolina over the initial three-year project. The materials will have continued usage beyond the project timeframe.
The Franklin Institute and the Girl Scouts of the USA will develop, implement, and evaluate "Girls at the Center," a family outreach program that will foster girl-centered, learning within the context of the family. Partnerships will be promoted between local science and technology centers and Girl Scout Councils. It is a multi- component program that will increase girls' and their families' understanding of and interest in basic science principles and processes. Consisting of a series of family-oriented activities that coincide with the school year, science/technology centers will serve as the hosts. These museum-based activities will be supplemented by home-based activities. The activities will follow the constructivist theory of education and will cover a broad menu of scientific disciplines including ecology, energy, and human physiology as well as science careers opportunities. They will be linked to the requirements for the Girl Scout recognition (badges) program. It is building on the success of a previously NSF funded project "National Science Partnerships for Girls Scout Councils and Museum" and is expected to reach 75,050 girls and 112,575 adults in 25 sites across the US during the funding period. It will be institutionalized and will continue to operate in those sites as well as expand to other sites after the NSF-funded period.
This project is composed of a 1,500 square foot permanent, and traveling exhibit, and a schools program focused on problem- solving, targeted primarily for children in grades 5-8. The exhibit includes a variety of classroom-tested puzzles, interactive computer programs, and hands-on challenge problems. These will enable participants to try and utilize different problem-solving strategies, and gain experience in spatial relationships, communicating mathematically, and reasoning inductively and deductively. Materials produced include: Solve It! Trunks, a problem-solving program that teachers can use as a single unit or integrate throughout the year; a publication which will enable others to reproduce the exhibits; and a Guide with suggestions about how to use the Problem-Solving Program. Other activities include Student and Family Problem-Solving Programs, and puzzle- based workshops.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
James FrenzaJohn BowditchCynthia Yao