Children's multiple interests intersect with their participation in informal learning practices in dynamic ways. Using a theoretical framework illustrating interest as a multifaceted construct that has different forms and a range of scope and durability, this study investigates how children's situational interests and individual interests are…

Natural history museums are great places for learning new concepts and enhancing social skills and motivation. However, it is often difficult for teachers to make full use of the museum as a learning environment. Some teachers seem to be more successful than others in crossing the boundaries--they enjoy and value field trips and advocate for them…

This article describes a student-led assessment of a writing showcase event sponsored by a composition learning community at an urban R1 university. Participants conducted student-to-student interviews at the semi-annual writing showcase event to help assess whether and how the learning community event supported learning outcomes. The interviews,…

The aim of this paper is to share part of an ongoing study in which we are interested in introducing a Gallery Walk (GW) as an instructional strategy to contemplate in the classroom, in the context of preservice teacher training for elementary education (6-12 years old), to promote students' mathematical knowledge and skills, through problem…

This mixed-method research focuses on how school children visiting a science museum with their class perceive the overall experience of their visit to the science museum and which aspects of the science museum experience they recall as significant. The study participants were seventy two 4th grade students (age 9-10) who came to the museum with…

We examined the conversational reflections of 248 families with 6-11-year-old children shortly after they visited a tinkering exhibit. Our aim was to understand the conditions of tinkering and conversational reflection that can enhance STEM learning opportunities for young children. Some families visited the exhibit when there was a design…

Virtual museum applications allowed individuals to access the museums that are located in distant areas and those who could not visit due to various reasons independent of time and space. The aim of this study was to determine the utilisation of virtual museum applications in life science courses based on the views of classroom teachers and the…

This study is a collaborative project between university researchers and museum practitioners investigating ways to advance STEM learning opportunities for young children and their families in museums. The focus of the work is on how the knowledge resources that are available to families (e.g., prior knowledge, information provided by the museum…

In alignment with the National Art Education Association's (NAEA) 2015-2020 Strategic Vision, Enid Zimmerman conducted an evaluation of Summer Vision DC (SVDC), an NAEA-sponsored, museum-based art education professional learning community program. The purpose was twofold: to provide feedback to the leaders of the program (including Renee Sandell,…

In this study, we investigate museum visitor learning and engagement at an interactive visualization of an evolutionary tree of life consisting of over 70,000 species. The study was conducted at two natural history museums where visitors collaboratively explored the tree of life using direct touch gestures on a multi-touch tabletop display. In the…

Schools may be places of learning, but a great deal of learning occurs outside of school. A growing body of literature investigates how school field trips allow rural students to make real-life connections with their school curriculum. This paper contributes to that area of research by describing how students from five middle schools in the United…

The Human Library (HL) is an educational activity that brings together living 'Books' and 'Readers' in one-to-one dialogue to begin to bridge differences, challenge stereotypes and build new understandings. Using a survey, observations and individual interviews our case study explored a HL project organized in collaboration with a portraiture…

The use of mobile devices for informal learning has gained attention over recent years. Museum learning is also regarded as an important research topic in the field of informal learning. This study explored a blended mobile museum learning environment (BMMLE). Moreover, this study applied three blended museum learning modes: (a) the traditional…

This article focuses on the structure, challenges, and outcomes of a service-learning project experimented by an art historian in an innovative special topics course Museum Experience, cross-listed with an Honors art appreciation course. The discussion includes: creating a new course content planned according to a multidisciplinary perspective…

The Yellowstone cutthroat trout (YCT; "Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri") has become a species of special concern for Yellowstone National Park (YNP) fisheries biologists. Although this subspecies formerly occupied a greater area than any other inland cutthroat trout, the current distribution of YCT is now limited to several watersheds within the…