Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

4 Learning with and from Others
Pages 63-80

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 63...
... 4 Learning with and from Others One of the first stops at the Exploratorium's Frogs exhibition is a large open tank with a small stream, a stony beach, and dense vegetation. At first glance, the tank appears to be empty, causing visitors to pause and wonder why the Exploratorium would put an empty tank on display.
From page 64...
... There is ample evidence that children and adults reason about issues that are important to them while interacting with other people. Studies of dinner table conversations, visits to the zoo, and other everyday activities have uncovered rich conversations on a myriad of scientific topics and using scientific forms of discourse.2 Families of all backgrounds engage in everyday conversations about a broad range of topics, including physics, biology, politics, and religion.3 Through these kinds of interactions, children engage with others in questioning, explaining, making predictions, and evaluating evidence.4 Thus, in a SurrOunded by Science 64
From page 65...
... In one study, adult visitors in particular were more likely to touch or manipulate an exhibit if they had previously witnessed a person silently modeling these behaviors.10 The importance of more knowledgeable others is reflected in the roles of mentors or scientists in many informal experiences. In citizen-science experiences, for example, the relationship between the scientists and volunteers is critical to the 65 Learning with and from Others
From page 66...
... For example, in a program called "Service at Salado," middle school students, under graduate student mentors, and university-based scientists worked together to learn about an urban riverbed habitat through classroom lessons and service and learning activities. At the end of the program the undergraduate mentors worked with the middle school students on products to benefit the urban riverbed habitat.11 In The Mind exhibition described in Chapter 3, museum designer Thogersen discovered that social interaction was key to learning about a concept as abstract as the mind.
From page 67...
... . After conducting interviews with visitors to this exhibition, Erminia Pedretti found that most of them thought the exhibition contributed to their understanding of science and society, "applauding the science center's effort to demystify and deconstruct the practice of sci ence while providing a social cultural context." For example, a visiting student commented, "The exhibit makes us think a lot about our beliefs and why we think in certain ways.
From page 68...
... Despite these challenges, Allen and other researchers have been able to iden tify features of conversation that reveal specific kinds of learning. These studies provide insight into participants' thinking and ideas about how informal experi ences can be designed to facilitate learning with and from others.
From page 69...
... , frog to the calls of frogs. and toad calls, amphibian anatomy, a close-up obser- In trying to understand the kinds of conversavation area, a section showing adaptations, a section tions people (groups of two were selected for the discussing the declining status of frogs worldwide, study)
From page 70...
... kinds of nocturnal marine toads living in the tank, There's a toad in that tank, supposed to be." visitors developed hypotheses for why the toads might not be visible. The following short conversa The results showed that perceptual talk occurs tion is an example of visitors' thinking: at 70 percent of the exhibit types, making it the type of conversation heard most frequently.
From page 71...
... . At this particular exhibition, the most frequent personal connection was made after viewing a graphic representation of a leaf from the children's book Frog and Toad Are Friends.
From page 72...
... Its strength is in bringing as pleasure, displeasure, and intrigue, evoked by an the researcher into the heart of the learning ‘action' exhibit. Overall, about 40 percent of visitors' re of the museum visit, and emphasizing learning as a sponses were emotional, with the tank of the African process rather than merely an outcome."15 clawed frog generating the most frequent expres sions of pleasure and a dead frog displayed to show internal organs generating the most frequent expres sions of displeasure.
From page 73...
... Other researchers have focused on how parents and children interact at a museum, with an emphasis on the role of explanation in enhancing the experi ence for the child. For example, developmental psychologists Maureen Callanan and Jennifer Jipson noted that parents often refer to prior experiences as a way to make an exhibit more relevant and meaningful.
From page 74...
... To examine more closely the dynamic between a parent and a child at a sci ence museum, consider the following case study from research conducted by Kevin Crowley and Melanie Jacobs at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. The case illus trates how parent-child teams interact and identifies the different types of rhetori cal devices used.
From page 75...
... The following conversation is a vivid illustration of a In her first session with the researchers, the mom working hard to help her son enjoy an exhibit mother told them her family enjoys exploring science and learn from it. in a range of informal settings.
From page 76...
... For example, the card had labeled tions to past experiences appears to solidify learning. the time frame as "Cretaceous Period, approximately Moving forward, professionals working in informal 65 to 135 million years ago." The mother modified settings, including museums and out-of-school-time this explanation by simply saying that the Cretaceous programs, can consider how to use these findings to Period was "a really, really long time ago." strengthen the quality of their offerings.20 The researchers noticed these same mediat ing strategies among other participants in the study.
From page 77...
... In some instances, the enthusiasm and assistance of a facilitating Girl Scout leader can encourage members of the troop to pursue a science badge. " Roles that support learning can range from simple, discrete " acts of assistance to long-term, sustained relationships, collaborations, and apprenticeships.
From page 78...
... Everyday experiences such as watching television, an intrinsically passive experience, can result in more learning when children engage with others in ques tioning, explaining, making predictions, and evaluating evidence.21 Thus, in a vari ety of ways, including family social activities and conversation, children may begin to learn about topics that are relevant to science, even when learning science is not an explicit goal of the activity.22 In the next chapter, we focus more closely on the interest and motivations that learners bring to each informal science experience. Understanding how these variables impact learning can lead educators to develop more compelling exhibits, activities, or programs.
From page 79...
... Are they revealing how social interaction enhances learning or how parents and other caregivers can mediate an experience for children? • Have you noticed that one type of exhibit or experience seems to elicit more conversation than others?
From page 80...
... , 343-378. Web Resources Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.