Zoo Talk

Parent–Child Conversations About Animals in Informal Learning Environments

“…Prior research has found that differences in early opportunities for direct experience with animals (e.g., Anggoro et al, 2010;Medin et al, 2010;Ross et al, 2003;Unsworth et al, 2012; and conversations with parents (e.g., Tarlowski, 2006) impact early biological reasoning. Especially for urban children who may have few opportunities to encounter live animals, zoos and museums are an ideal setting for exploring the content of parent-child interaction about animals (Allen, 2002;Ash, 2003;Kisiel et al, 2012;Kopczak et al, 2015;Patrick & Tunnicliffe, 2013;Rigney & Callanan, 2011;. Thus, exploring parent-children interactions about animals in these ILEs can reveal the kinds of opportunities for learning that can impact the development of children's early biological and psychological theories about living things.…”

“…A growing body of research has examined how parents and children interact at live animal exhibits in both zoos and science museums (Allen 2002;Ash, 2003;Kisiel, Rowe, Vartabedian, & Kopczak, 2012;Kopczak, Kisiel, & Rowe, 2015;Patrick & Tunnicliffe, 2013;Rigney & Callanan, 2011;. Surprisingly, few studies of family engagement at live animal exhibits have focused on conversational analyses specific to the development of biological or anthropomorphic knowledge about animals.…”

Supporting Zoo Visitors’ Scientific Observations through the Picture-story Show

“…However, zoo visitors do not observe animals scientifically. It has been noted that most people visit a zoo to spend leisurely time with their family and friends; they do not go there to learn about the animals (Namiki, 2005;Patrick & Tunnicliffe, 2013).…”

“…Zoos, the focus of this study, are expected to become informal environments for learning science (Tunnicliffe, 2004;Patrick, Matthews, Ayers, & Tunnicliffe, 2007). Scientific observation is one of the most important learning at zoos (Patrick & Tunnicliffe, 2013). However, zoo visitors do not observe animals scientifically.…”

Dioramas as Important Tools in Biological Education

“…The type of museum 'tour' can affect the attitudes of the participants, too (Stronck 1983). Families create interactive discourse as they move between exhibits in a natural history museum as they do in zoos (Patrick and Tunnicliffe 2012). Museums contribute to the organizational frameworks of childhood in that they deliberately attempt to teach particular 'lessons' to children through planned activities for families and school groups.…”