A Design-Based Research Study of Staff-Facilitated Family Learning at Interactive Math Exhibits

Pattison, Scott; Randol, Scott; Rubin, Andee; Gontan, Ivel; Andanen, Elizabeth; Bromley, Crosby; Ramos‐Montañez, Smirla; Dierking, Lynn D.

doi:10.1080/10645578.2017.1404348

Cited by 20 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Professional development programs such as Reflects and Reveal (Ash & Lombana, ; S. A. Pattison et al, ) influence directly visitors learning as they were dependent on the interactions with the educators for data collection and modelling. In the present study, the educators did nor interact with visitors and, therefore, we cannot conclude that the experiences of these three educators during the collaboration might or might not ultimately influence visitors' learning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Developing research‐based tools to support professional development for informal STEM educators was also one of the pivotal ideas in the collaborative project Reveal (S. Pattison et al, ; S. A. Pattison et al, ). In the first phase of this design‐based research project, a cross‐disciplinary team of educators and researchers collected and analysed data from staff–family interactions to produce and iteratively refine a model of staff‐facilitated family learning at exhibits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsequently, the model was tested by a new team of educators in the form of a training tool which afforded the assessment of the impact of staff facilitation on family learning. As in the Reflects model, the Reveal facilitation approach provided concrete strategies for educators to explore and reflect on their own work as museum professionals (S. A. Pattison et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Science museum educators' professional growth: Dynamics of changes in research–practitioner collaboration

Piqueras

Achiam

2019

Science Education

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Educators' work is a key element in museums' learning experience, yet knowledge about their professional development is still limited. In this study, we followed three science museum educators' professional growth during collaboration with researchers, with special focus on the introduction of research-based frameworks in their practice. To analyse the dynamics of educators' changes in knowledge, practices, and beliefs, we used the interconnected model of professional growth (Clarke & Hollingsworth, 2002. Teach Teacher Edu, 18, 947-967). During the collaboration, key educators' changes were evidenced in a progressive acquisition of the concepts and ideas and their transformation in functional tools for museum practice. However, the anticipation of potential benefits of the use of the theoretical frameworks, as well as the close collaboration in dialogue between researchers and educators, were pivotal for the development of these changes. Furthermore, our results show the significance of the contextualization of the frameworks in familiar practices, exhibits, and specific science content to use the theory in new contexts. Overall, our results suggest that introducing research-based frameworks in the work of museum educators was a successful approach in the collaboration but, at least to some extent, challenge the use of learning theories as solely ground for professional development in informal settings. K E Y W O R D S practical epistemology analysis, praxeology, professional development Science Education. 2019;103:389-417.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/sce

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Science museum educators' professional growth: Dynamics of changes in research–practitioner collaboration

Piqueras

Achiam

2019

Science Education

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“…As noted above, our study conducted an analysis of unstructured interaction between the ME and the students, similar to that explored by Pattison and Dierking (2013) and Pattison et al (2017). In their study, these researchers noted that they could not review previous studies of this type of instruction, since the majority of research that has been conducted to date has focused on highly structured interactions (in science museums and museums in general) (Pattison et al, 2017).…”

Section: Museum Educatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Museum educators have a longstanding presence in museums and play a significant role in the institutions’ educational agenda. However, research on school visits to science museums has predominantly explored visiting teachers’ and students’ perspectives, with little acknowledgment of the museum educators (Griffin, ; Pattison et al, ; Tran, ). Research on science teachers (in school) comprises an important factor in shaping the nature and quality of student learning in schools (Tran & King, ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

An examination of the interactions between museum educators and students on a school visit to science museum

2018

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Today, science is a major part of western culture. Discussions about the need for members of the public to access and understand scientific information are therefore well established, citing the importance of such information to responsible citizenship, democracy, socially accountable scientific research and public funding (National Research Council [2009] Learning science in informal environments: People, places, and pursuits. National Academies Press). In recent years there has been an increased interest in investigating not just what visitors to informal environments have learnt after a visit, but also how visitors interact and engage with exhibits during the visit (Davidsson & Jakobsson [2012] Understanding interactions at science centers and museums: Approaching sociocultural perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers). Within the field of school visits to science museums, however, interactions between students and museum educators (MEs) remain relatively unexplored. In our study of such school visits, we are mainly interested in the interactions that take place between three agents—the students, the museum educator and the physical setting of the exhibit. Using moment‐to‐moment fine grain analysis of multiple interactions allowed us to identify recurring patterns between students and the museum educators around exhibits, and to examine the MEs’ mediational role during the interactions, and the practices they employ to engage students with exhibits. Our study revealed that most interactions between MEs and students consist of technical explanations of how to operate the exhibits. The interactions that do move past this stage often include two main practices, which the MEs use to promote students’ engagement with the exhibits: physical instruction and engaging the students emotionally. Understanding what is actually happening in the learning process that occurs during students’ interactions with exhibits can help museum educators and exhibit designers improve the experiences of students on school visits.

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Families' experiments and conversations at an open‐ended exhibit in a science museum: Individual characteristics and the influence of minimal guidance strategies

et al. 2021

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Research on the impact of guided investigation, including verbal guidance strategies, has expanded in the recent decade, and the current work contributes to this line of research in a museum context. The current in‐depth study examines the impact of verbal guidance strategies on family learning at an open‐ended museum exhibit, considering participants' individual characteristics. The experiments and conversations of 104 families were observed at an object motion exhibit. Results show that families, with and without guidance, investigated in a meaningful way by performing control‐of‐variables strategy experiments, investigating a range of variables, and formulating hypotheses and causal explanations. However, the results also show that the process of learning scientific concepts could be improved. Minimal interventions of museum educators positively affected the families' learning process by reducing the number of scientifically incorrect remarks. Interestingly, in addition to discussing the phenomenon, especially the families with highly educated parents discussed the topic of reliability of their experiments, which is an under‐investigated aspect of learning through investigation. Only children's cognitive ability and not parental education was modestly, but consistently related to the families' performance.

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A Design-Based Research Study of Staff-Facilitated Family Learning at Interactive Math Exhibits

Cited by 20 publications

References 38 publications

Science museum educators' professional growth: Dynamics of changes in research–practitioner collaboration

Science museum educators' professional growth: Dynamics of changes in research–practitioner collaboration

An examination of the interactions between museum educators and students on a school visit to science museum

Families' experiments and conversations at an open‐ended exhibit in a science museum: Individual characteristics and the influence of minimal guidance strategies

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