Hands-On Learning in Special Collections: A Pilot Assessment Project

This study examined how hands-on work with original primary materials affects students' information literacy and critical thinking skills. The project team developed rubrics to evaluate document analyses from before and after student time in special collections. Most scores did not vary significantly between the pre- and posttests, although students' ability to analyze the materiality of documents did improve. They also examined papers from classes that had and had not used special collections against the Association of American Colleges and Universities' information literacy rubric and found no significant differences. The authors hope this project will serve as a pilot for future assessment of student learning in special collections.     

如何开展展品的探究式辅导

2009－2017年,全国科技馆辅导员大赛已举办五届,其展品辅导赛发生了重大变化,由灌输式讲解转变为引导观众进行体验和探究,这实际反映了这一时期科技馆业界对于展品辅导的思考与探索。笔者作为参与第四、第五届辅导员大赛的选手,结合参赛经历和科技馆展厅实际工作中的体会,通过对展品及其辅导特征的教育学分析、案例分析,试图总结出基于探究式学习理念开发展品教育活动的规律。     

Developing Family-Friendly Exhibits

How can museums encourage active family learning? Four Philadelphia area science institutions—The Franklin Institute Science Museum, the New Jersey State Aquarium, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Philadelphia Zoo—have investigated the answer to this question as part of the PISEC (Philadelphia-Camden Informal Science Education Collaborative) Family Learning Project. PISEC is conducting research and exhibit development aimed at increasing understanding of family learning in science museums and identifying the characteristics of successful family learning exhibits. The PISEC project has three phases, two of which have been completed: (1) a research study to establish behavioral indicators for family learning; (2) the development and evaluation of four exhibit enhancements aimed at achieving family learning goals; (3) a research study of the impact of the four enhanced exhibits. This article will describe the results of formative evaluation conducted during Phase 2 of the project. “Family learning components,” or exhibit enhancements, designed to help adults and children learn together, were developed, field-tested, revised, and installed at each of the four museums. PISEC has identified seven characteristics of successful family learning exhibits: multi-sided, multi-user, accessible, multi-outcome, multi-modal, readable, and relevant. The four PISEC family learning components, embodying these characteristics, appear to have increased active family learning.     

现代交通工具类实物展品展览设计初探

现代交通工具类实物展品体量大、内部结构复杂,兼具历史文化性和科普性。为了更好地将这类展品的历史文化和科技内涵呈现在观众面前,可以将展品灵活地融入展线,利用场景、内部展示和动态展示等方法进行展示。本文通过研究和介绍国内外博物馆的成功经验,对提升现代交通工具类展品展示效果和观众体验提出了一些建议。     

Project Math-Muse: Interactive Mathematics Exhibits for Young Children

This paper describes the goals and preliminary work of Project Math-Muse, an interdisciplinary team of university and public school educators working with children's museums to design and evaluate interactive mathematics exhibits for young children. Authors discuss the rationale for the development of small, interactive mathematics exhibits for young children, based on the goal of matching (a) reform-based views of mathematics, which emphasize children's active, hands-on engagement in meaningful activities, with (b) the principles that guide children's museums. Observations of children and adults interacting with two exhibit prototypes developed at a local children's museum are presented along with discussions of some of the issues that have arisen in this work so far. The paper concludes with directions for continued work.     

Enhancing Family Learning Through Exhibits

Can enhanced exhibits produce measurable increases in active family learning? Four Philadelphia area science institutions—The Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the New Jersey State Aquarium at Camden, and the Philadelphia Zoo—have investigated the answer to this question as part of the PISEC (Philadelphia-Camden Informal Science Education Collaborative) Family Learning Project. PISEC is conducting research and exhibit development aimed at increasing the understanding of family learning in science museums and identifying the characteristics of successful family learning exhibits. The PISEC project is organized into three phases: (1) a research study to establish behavioral indicators for family science learning (Borun et al., 1996); (2) the development and evaluation of four exhibit enhancements aimed at achieving family science learning goals (Borun and Dritsas, 1997); (3) a research study comparing the frequency of learning behaviors for treatment families that have used enhanced test exhibits to control-group families that have used only the test exhibits. The results of the first two phases of this project have been discussed previously. This article describes the research study conducted during Phase 3 of the project. Results of the study show that all four modified exhibits produced significant increases in performance indicators. Using seven characteristics of successful family exhibits—multi-sided, multi-user, accessible, multi-outcome, multi-modal, readable, and relevant—as a guide to exhibit development proved to be an effective strategy for increasing active family learning.