Iteration is a central practice in art and science; however, it has yet to be deeply explored in STEAM learning environments. This study adopts a sociomaterial orientation (Fenwick and Edwards, 2013) to characterize the nature of iteration in one STEAM activity, an Optics Design Challenge, with informal educators. We found that iteration emerged as “microcycles” of interactions, specifically as adjustments, additions, and negotiations in both material artifacts and the narrative.
This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting.
Many informal learning institutions use STEAM approaches to engage diverse learners. Our project aims to support educators in libraries, museums, and after school programs through a STEAM professional development (PD) series. Our PD approach is centered around a set of core STEAM practices that prioritize STEAM mindset and identity work. Participants engage in exemplar activities and design new experiences for their specific teaching and learning contexts. The series involves in- person sessions, online training, and team
Children and their families are practicing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) skills through a library program. Hand-crank generators and LED bulbs are set out on each of the tables, along with two types of dough—conductive play dough and insulating modeling clay.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Brooks MitchellClaire RatcliffeKeliann LaConte
This poster was presented at the 2016 Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) PI Meeting held in Bethesda, MD on February 29-March 2. Indianapolis: City as a Living Laboratory (NSF Grant #DRL-1323117) examines how different public art mediums can serve as conduits for informal science learning at a city-wide scale.
The article focuses on the establishment of the YOUMedia Network at Saint Public Library in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The digital learning laboratory operates within the guidelines of Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out (HOMAGO) which provides teenagers access to technology and art such as sewing machines, makerspace, and recording studios. The library partnered with Parks and Recreation Department, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network and the Science Museum of Minnesota's Youth Science Center.
The article presents the makerspaces in libraries where informal, collaborative learning can occur through hands-on creation using any combination of technology, industrial arts and fine arts not readily available for home use. It cites the underlying goal of a makerspace to encourage innovation and creativity via the use of technology and offer a place where everything can be nurtured. It notes a growing interest in design thinking afforded by makerspaces.
The article offers the authors' insights on a two-event in the Faculty of Information's symposium series at the iSchool @ Toronto on Creative Making in Libraries and Museums. Topics discussed include museums and cultural libraries, the development of makerspaces in a library and use of three-dimensional (3D) printing, and the open source, portable digital file distribution tool LibraryBox. The symposium featured librarian Jason Griffey, professor Matt Ratto, and MakerKids founder Andy Forest.
The Language of Conservation was a collaborative project between libraries, zoos, and poets nationwide to replicate a project originally undertaken by the Central Park Zoo. The project model built zoo, library, and poet-in-residence partnerships in five host cities: Brookfield, Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; Little Rock, Arkansas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and New Orleans, Louisiana. It was anticipated that the zoo exhibits would result in positive outcomes for zoo visitors who encountered the poetry, including increasing the conservation thinking and language used after a visit and creating a