Abstract:Tree of life diagrams are graphic representations of phylogeny-the evolutionary history and relationships of lineages-and as such these graphics have the potential to convey key evolutionary ideas and principles to a variety of audiences. Museums play a significant role in teaching about evolution to the public, and tree graphics form a common element in many exhibits even though little is known about their impact on visitor understanding. How phylogenies are depicted and used in informal science settings impacts their accessibility and effectiveness in communicating about evolution to visitors. In this paper, we summarize the analysis of 185 tree of life graphics collected from museum exhibits at 52 institutions and highlight some potential implications of how trees are presented that may support or hinder visitors' understanding about evolution. While further work is needed, existing learning research suggests that common elements among the diversity of museum trees such as the inclusion of anagenesis and absence of time and shared characters might represent potential barriers to visitor understanding.
Quarked!™ is a collaborative education project between physicists, museum educators and designers that was developed to introduce youth to concepts of scale and the particulate nature of matter through hands-on museum programs and a website with animated videos, games and lesson plans. A pilot study was carried out to assess the project’s success in presenting these concepts in a fun and engaging way for an elementary and middle school aged audience, to investigate its relevance to teachers, and to explore children’s awareness of things that they cannot directly see. We found that children as young as second grade are aware of microscopic entities that can be studied indirectly. Our study also suggests that concepts of scale and matter can be presented in a way that is engaging and accessible to youth, and that teachers consider relevant to existing curricula.
The Tree of Life is revolutionizing our understanding of life on Earth, and, accordingly, evolutionary trees are increasingly important parts of exhibits on biodiversity and evolution. The authors argue that in using these trees to effectively communicate evolutionary principles, museums need to take into account research results from cognitive, developmental, and educational psychology while maintaining a focus on visitor engagement and enjoyment. Six guiding principles for depicting evolutionary trees in museum exhibits distilled from this research literature were used to evaluate five current or recent museum trees. One of the trees was then redesigned in light of the research while preserving the exhibit's original learning goals. By attending both to traditional factors that influence museum exhibit design and to psychological research on how people understand diagrams in general and Tree of Life graphics in particular, museums can play a key role in fostering 21st century scientific literacy.
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