This report is intended to take stock of the UK’s national museums and galleries (those which are members of the National Museums Directors’ Conference) and to assess their place within the wider social and economic framework of society. In doing so, efforts are made to address a number of issues, including the Government’s approach to museums and galleries; the economic impact of the NMDC institutions; creativity and innovation; civic engagement and, finally, an analysis of the state of the sector. Two other reports are to be published by NMDC, considering other aspects of museum and gallery
The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss the role of practical work in the teaching and learning of science at school level. It emphasizes practical work as a means for students to learn about the nature of science.
Reports from the NSF, NRC, AAAS, and others urge over and over that we must teach "science as science is done," that "science is a way of knowing," that our goal should be to impart "scientific habits of mind," and that learning must be learner-centered and oriented toward process. Fine. But what does this really mean for science education, and especially laboratory education?
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of laboratory-based science from a perspective that synthesizes developments in (1) science studies, e.g., history, philosophy and sociology of science and (2) the learning sciences, e.g., cognitive science, philosophy of mind, educational psychology, social psychology, computer sciences, linguistics, and (3) educational research focusing on the design of learning environments that promote dynamic assessments. Taken together these three domains have reshaped our thinking about the role inquiry, and in turn the laboratory, has in science
This paper explores the role of laboratory and field-based research experiences in secondary science education by summarizing research documenting how such activities promote science learning. Classroom and field-based "lab work" is conceptualized as central components of broader scientific investigations of the natural world conducted by students. Considerations are given to nature of professional scientific practice, the personal relevance of student's understanding of the nature of empirical scientific research, and the role of technology to support learning. Drawing upon classroom learning