Examining the complexities of school-museum partnerships

Abstract

We examine the research conducted by Kang, Anderson and Wu by discussing it in a larger context of science museum-school partnerships. We review how the disconnect that exists between stakeholders, the historical and cultural contexts in which formal and informal institutions are situated, and ideas of globalization, mediate the success for formal-informal partnerships to be created and sustained. present us with useful insight of how three different stakeholders (teachers, teacher educators and museum educators) view the role of museums in formal science education. This effort is in light of a national mandate by the China Association of Science and Technology to more fully integrate science and technology centers as partners to schools and universities to better serve China's students. Through this forum response, we reference two theoretical lens-cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and communities of practice (CoP) to expand what Kang et al. have

An experimental study of a museum-based, science PD programme’s impact on teachers and their students

“…But successful informal PD programmes also consider formal aspects of education, such as policy, theories of learning, programme design and assessment (Bevan et al, 2010). Museum and science centrebased PD programmes often collaborate with other informal education organisations such as libraries, afterschool clubs, youth programmes and cultural institutions (Bevan et al, 2010) or universities (Gupta, Adams, Kisiel, & Dewitt, 2010). Extensive teacher education programmes offered by informal science centres in the United States include those hosted at the American Museum of Natural History (Nadeau et al, 2013), Exploratorium (Heredia & Yu, 2015), Museum of Science, Boston (Cunningham, 2009) and Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (Wunar & Kowrach, 2017) among many others.…”

O Museu de Ecologia Fritz Müller: tessituras para educação científica e a pesquisa

“…Gupta et al (2010) argumentam que em nosso atual contexto histórico-social, as ideias de globalização e as exigências das sociedades contemporâneas em relação ao conhecimento tem incentivado novas parcerias entre as instituições formais e não-formais de educação científica, ampliando com os museus as formas de acesso da população à ciência e, essencialmente, buscando qualificar estas relações.…”

Clarifying the complexities of school–museum interactions: Perspectives from two communities

“…The challenges of school–museum interactions are well‐documented, and are to some extent an international phenomenon (see for instance Anderson et al, ; Davidson, Passmore, & Anderson, ; Dewitt & Storksdieck, ; Griffin & Symington, ; Kang, Anderson, & Wu, ; Tal, Bamberger, & Morag, ; Phillips, Finkelstein, & Wever‐Frerichs, ). Researchers have begun to examine both teacher and museum educator perspectives in an effort to better understand such challenges as well as clarifying the roles of both formal and informal educators in shaping successful interactions (DeWitt & Osborne, ; Gupta, Adams, Kisiel, & Dewitt, ; Kisiel, ; Tal & Steiner, ; Tran, ). These studies identify underlying assumptions regarding teachers' goals and values of museum programs designed for K‐12 students, explore and clarify perspectives and practices of informal educators, and more clearly document some of the challenges of interaction between both groups of educators.…”