This study focuses on teachers' training in introducing nanoscience and nanotechnology (NST) topics in school. In the context of a Community of Learners (CoL) in-service teachers, in collaboration with science education researchers, nanoscience researchers and experts from science museums, developed a teaching module in NST topics which integrates…

This paper describes the application of a "biosocial" approach to informal health and science education. As an engagement between biological and critical social sciences, biosocial theory has sought to re-articulate human bodies as fundamentally the product of interrelationships between the biological and social dimensions of human life.…

In 2011, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois embarked on the creation of a program that allows middle and high school students to explore community health issues using human patient simulation. MedLab was created to engage students in an authentic exploration of medical science, biology, and human anatomy, with a particular…

This paper calls for greater use of educational research in the development of science exhibitions. During the past few decades, museums and science centres throughout the world have placed increasing emphasis on their educational function. Although exhibitions are the primary means of promoting visitors' learning, educational research is not…

The following dissertation presents findings from a year-long evaluation of informal scientific education programs at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. Science identity, rather than scientific knowledge, was the analytic lens through which the programs' effectiveness was assessed. A goal of the Museum generally, and the…

Informal science is a burgeoning field that operates across a broad range of venues and envisages learning outcomes for individuals, schools, families, and society. The evidence base that describes informal science, its promise, and effects is informed by a range of disciplines and perspectives, including field-based research, visitor studies, and…

Both the development and evaluation of one of a set of computer programs designed for use by visitors as adjuncts to museum exhibits are described. Museum displays used were (1) a static, behind-glass exhibit on evolution; (2) a hands-on primitive stone age tools exhibit; and (3) a Foucault pendulum. A computer placed next to each exhibit served…

Explains the idea of a multidisciplinary doctoral curriculum that would blend and foster activity in five areas: (1) foundational disciplinary literature, (2) research and theory about museums, (3) operation of and practices in museums, (4) research methodology, and (5) design and evaluation of practice. (DDR)

This handbook has evolved in response to the needs expressed by the museums for resources with which to interpret environmental problems and to initiate or to expand environmental exhibits and education programs. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 (Man and Environment, Population, and Environmental Problems) each contain background information and techniques…

Discusses and compares on-site and off-site exhibition development. Argues that the development and installation of museum exhibits for public urban spaces requires skill and experience that stretches beyond the expertise of a science-technology museum exhibition staff. Focuses on Science City, an outdoor exhibition created by the New York Hall of…

An experience-based exhibit emphasizes the visitor's active involvement: visitors become involved in inquiry cycles in which visitors' continued interaction with the exhibit builds upon the feedback they have received from the results of their inquiries. Presents 10 broad guidelines to consider when designing engaging experience-based exhibits.…

The permanent exhibition, the most typical form of museum exhibition, has failed to attract repeated visitation, since visitors quickly become familiar with the objects shown. The temporary exhibition evolved as a result for the need of repeated visitation. The temporary exhibition, set up for a period of one to six months, introduces fresh…

Science and technology centers, which are relative newcomers to the museum field, differ from traditional museums in a number of respects. They are concerned with furthering public understanding and appreciation of the physical and biological sciences, engineering, technology, and health and seek to accomplish this goal by making museums both…

The Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago) has created a new exhibit, "Technology: Chance or Choice?," which emphasizes the human impact on technology. Development of and techniques used in the exhibit are discussed. The latter include microcomputers placed throughout the exhibit to pose questions about critical issues raised by particular…

Aimed primarily at a museum audience, this book is also a guide for school educators who want to work in partnerships with museums. Fifteen museum school projects are described, all of which received Museum Leadership Initiatives grants in 1994. Projects involve museums focusing on heritage, arts, natural history, sciences, and industry as well as…