This book describes the nature and extent of science learning in America with particular attention to the innumerable sources of science education existing outside the formal education system. Examples are provided from research and practice on how to better understand, facilitate, and communicate about free-choice science learning including…

Skillful handling of a science complex for the State University of New York at Binghamton expresses society's concept of the goals of technology and questions about values generated by those standards. The spatial organization and systems of the buildings meet the pragmatic needs of science; however, the design does not succeed in expressing…

During the past year American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) members have been working with local science museums, giving lectures, helping design exhibits, and meeting with young people to talk about science careers. They are part of a project to improve science education programs of science/technology centers and museums.…

Highlights the creation of centers that promote the professional development of teachers including Teaching and Learning Centers, Centers for Teaching Excellence, and Centers for Faculty Development. Presents examples of such centers where teachers help one another hone skills, stay abreast of pedagogical developments, and mobilize institutional…

A high school sophomore describes his summer job at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum where he worked when a rock found in Antarctica was determined to have come from Mars. He identifies with the enthusiasm of preteen day-campers for scientific learning and is flabbergasted by the nonchalant reactions from scientists to the possibility…

Describes work done to provide staff of the Sandy Point Discovery Center with methods for evaluating exhibits and interpretive programming. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation measures were designed to assess the program's objective of estuary education. Pretest-posttest questionnaires and interviews are used to measure subjects' knowledge and…

"Learning in Places" is a concerted effort undertaken by an outstanding group of international researchers to create a resource book that can introduce academic, professional and lay readers to the field of informal learning/education and its potential to transform present educational thinking. The book presents a wealth of ideas from a wide…

The City Technology Colleges in Great Britain were developed to teach science and information technology to students from 11 to 18 years of age. The approach adopted at the Bradford City Technology College, which was to open in September 1990, is one in which emphasis is given to combining established technologies with a new educational context.…

Eight topics relating to institution activities, project developments, and bibliography preparation are presented in this newsletter issued in December, 1972. A brief history, purposes, and functions are discussed for three centers: the Center for Unified Science Education at Ohio State University, the Environmental Education Center at Portland…

Level II, General Public Access, of a 5-stage madel of public access to computers through science-technology centers is described. Tables contain categories and examples of interactive computer games and programs, and computer classes offered at various science centers. (CMV)

Describes the Science Teacher Education at Museums (STEAM) program and focuses on the approach taken at the St. Louis, Hartford, and San Francisco Centers. Includes examples of the types of workshops offered. Provides a listing of museums that have been awarded grants. (ML)

Describes a water discovery center which focuses on water ecology and conservation. Also describes nine instructional panels used with visiting school groups (or casual visitors) taking part in the four-hour program and related instructional materials containing pre- and post-visit activities. (BC)

A 19-story building on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus houses the College of Dentistry and basic science teaching facilities. It is both the focal point of an expansion of the university's health sciences complex and a prototype for other buildings that are part of the expansion. (Author/MLF)

Describes the Nehru Science Centre in Bombay (India). Includes comments on the cultural/social factors considered during development of and types of activities/exhibits at the center. The activities and exhibits (focusing on all areas of science and technology) were designed to foster experiences with inquiry and problem-solving. (Author/JN)