Talk, Tools, and Tensions: Observing biological talk over time

Ash, Doris; Crain, Rhiannon; Brandt, Carol B.; Loomis, Molly; Wheaton, Mele; Bennett, Christine

doi:10.1080/09500690701494118

Cited by 32 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…But while such ecological talk did occur, it represented only 9% of the total conversation time of these groups. The occurrence of ecological talk in this study is consistent with the examples provided by Ash et al (2007) that clearly show the occurrence of ecological talk by family groups visiting a marine biology center in northern California. Of course we are then left to consider what else families were talking about for the bulk of time during these encounters.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Like Ash et al (2007), who developed an analytical tool for observing biological talk, this analysis recognizes the learner as an active agent within a sociocultural setting. Initially, the transcribed data were examined to identify what seemed to be natural conversational segments that included the expression of ecological talk, not unlike Ash's (2002) use of Significant Events -segments of sustained dialogue just large enough to incorporate a meaning-making event.…”

Section: Data Collection and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The assumption in those studies is that when we speak, we are externalizing what we already know. In other studies (Ash 2002;Ash et al 2007;Leinhardt, Crowley, and Knutson 2002;Leinhardt and Knutson 2004), conversation is seen not only as evidence of learning but is theorized to play a central role in learning. The claim underlying these studies is that learning is the active construction of knowledge, beliefs, skills, attitudes, etc.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

“…In fact, studying the content of conversations of visitors to museums, science centers, aquariums, and zoos has been used by numerous researchers and can yield important evidence of the learning that is taking place in such environments (Allen 2002;Ash 2002;Ash et al 2007;Borun, Chambers, and Cleghorn 1996;Leinhardt, Crowley, and Knutson 2002;Leinhardt and Knutson 2004). In some of these studies (Allen 2002;Borun, Chambers, and Cleghorn 1996), conversation is treated as the external evidence of learning or prior knowledge and experience.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

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Families talking about ecology at touch tanks

Kopczak

Kisiel

Rowe

2013

Environmental Education Research

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Research has demonstrated that conversations among museum, aquarium, and zoo visitors can be a clear indication of active learning, engagement, and participation in scientific reasoning. This descriptive study sought to determine the extent of talk about ecology-related topics exhibited by family groups visiting marine touch tanks at four Pacific coast aquariums. In particular, conversations were examined to determine the kinds of ecology topics discussed and the influence of exhibit features such as tank format and interpretive staff interactions on the extent of talk about ecological topics. Findings suggest limited talk about ecology by families during their visit to the exhibit -regardless of whether the tank resembled a real tidepool habitat or not. However, data revealed that talk about ecology between guests and staff was significantly longer than was ecology-talk among guests only, suggesting that supplemental interpretation by staff members or volunteers may be necessary to explicitly encourage such discourse at touch tanks.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Data Collection and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 94%

mentioning

confidence: 98%

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Families talking about ecology at touch tanks

Kopczak

Kisiel

Rowe

2013

Environmental Education Research

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“…A través de la interacción con estos objetos, fabricados y conceptualizados por el propio museo, se intenta que el visitante no especializado adquiera información científica y técnica en forma accesible y novedosa, ya que en la construcción de estos objetos se incluye una gran variedad de medios, desde mecanismos físicos, electrónicos, de cómputo, maquetas, demostraciones, etc. Para el caso de las visitas escolares, se supone que al accionar dichos equipos maestros y alumnos pueden reconsiderar sus ideas intuitivas acerca del mundo natural (Ash, 2007). Sin embargo, autores como Allen (2004) cuestionan la efectividad de los equipos como herramientas de enseñanza, ya que en su opinión la sola interacción no garantiza la comprensión de lo que los diseñadores y educadores del museo quisieron transmitir.…”

Section: Los Museos Como Medios De Comunicación De La Cienciaunclassified

Museos de ciencias, escuelas y profesorado, una relación a revisarse

Mora¹

2013

Rev_Eureka_ensen_divulg_cienc

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[Recibido en junio de 2012, aceptado en marzo de 2013] La importancia que se ha dado a la búsqueda de la cultura científica para la formación de ciudadanos informados ha trascendido a la escuela formal y se ha extendido a las instancias de educación informal, entre las que destacan los museos de ciencias. Debido a las características de estos espacios, entre las que se encuentra la exhibición de algunos objetos, pero principalmente de equipos interactivos que permiten vivir las ideas, fenómenos y procesos científicos, y de exposiciones temáticas que actualmente se inclinan hacia una postura crítica, es que los museos de ciencia parecieron ser lugares para apoyar o complementar la enseñanza formal de las ciencias. Pero la realidad ha mostrado que cuando las escuelas visitan el museo, el aprendizaje que en estos ocurre es de naturaleza afectiva (motivacional) más que cognitiva, y que la complicada logística y la organización de las visitas, aunada al desconocimiento del ambiente educativo informal o de las características de los eventos extraescolares (out of school) por parte de los docentes, parecen indicar que no todos los resultados de esta opción educativa propician el aprendizaje con la formalidad que la escuela demanda. Así que, salvo para las escuelas que carecen de recursos materiales para el estudio de la ciencia, se empieza a mirar con reservas la posibilidad de que los museos de ciencias sean las herramientas idóneas para el aprendizaje de estas disciplinas, mientras no se superen muchas de las dificultades enumeradas en este artículo. Lo que sí se ha visto como opción exitosa en la relación museoescuela es aprovechar los museos de ciencia para la formación y capacitación del profesorado.Palabras clave: Cultura científica; Aprendizaje informal; Educación extraescolar; Museos de ciencia. Museums, schools and teachers: a relationship to be reviewedThe importance given to the pursuit of a scientific culture for the formation of informed citizens, has transcended the formal school and has spread to institutions of informal education, among which are science museums. These spaces display objects, but mainly, interactive equipment that permit visitors to live ideas, phenomena and scientific processes. Science museums also develop thematic exhibitions that nowadays tend to adopt a critical position. All these characteristics have pretended to consider science museums as places to support or supplement the formal teaching of science. But reality indicates that when schools visit the museum, the learning that occurs there is of affective (motivational) rather than cognitive nature; and that the complicated logistics and organization of the visits, plus the lack of knowledge by teachers of the informal educational environment and the extracurricular events (out of school) features, seems to indicate that the results of this educational option, do not produce the kind of learning expected by formal schooling. So, except for schools that lack resources for the study of science, the common idea that science muse...

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Evidence for family engagement in scientific reasoning at interactive animal exhibits

Kisiel

Rowe

Vartabedian³

et al. 2012

Science Education

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While the opportunity to engage in scientific reasoning has been identified as an important aspect of informal science learning (National Research Council, 2009), most studies have examined this strand of science learning within the context of physics‒based science exhibits. Few have examined the presence of such activity in conjunction with live animal exhibits at zoos and aquariums. A video study of 41 families at four touch‒tank exhibits, where visitors can observe and interact with live marine species, revealed that families engaged in making claims, challenging claims, and confirming claims as well as other actions associated with scientific reasoning such as applying prior knowledge, making and testing predictions and hypotheses, and constructing arguments. We provide examples of scientific reasoning and examine the role of claims in promoting scientific reasoning. Implications for rethinking learning opportunities and interpretational approaches at touch tanks, as well as examination of the unique characteristics of these and similar exhibits, are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96: 1047–1070, 2012

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Talk, Tools, and Tensions: Observing biological talk over time

Cited by 32 publications

References 30 publications

Families talking about ecology at touch tanks

Families talking about ecology at touch tanks

Museos de ciencias, escuelas y profesorado, una relación a revisarse

Evidence for family engagement in scientific reasoning at interactive animal exhibits

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