This study examined whether families' conversational reflections after a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)-related experience in a museum promoted learning transfer. 63 children (M = 6.93 years; 30 girls; 57% White, 17.5% Latinx, 8% Asian, 5% African American, 9.5% mixed, 3% missing race/ethnicity) and their parents received…

Two critical challenges in science education are how to engage students in the practices of science and how to develop and sustain interest. The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which high school youth, the majority of whom are members of racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in STEM, learn the skills and practices…

This research project applied Projective Reflection (PR) as a theoretical and methodological framework to "facilitate" learning as identity exploration. PR was used to iteratively design and implement three versions of "Virtual City Planning," an augmenting virtual learning environment (AVLE) course in a science museum…

Every substance is associated to emission of electromagnetic radiation whose peaks are essentially influenced by temperature. Hot bodies (i.e., at T >700 °C) emit electromagnetic radiation in the field of visible light (incandescent light). The radiation emitted by cold bodies (i.e., at normal ambient conditions) in the visible light range is…

Engaging young people with art requires pedagogical sensitivity and skill. This paper is drawn from a larger project examining artful inquiry in the gallery. It explores a particular aspect of gallery educator practice, namely talk, which is identified as conversation, discussion and dialogue. Knowing which mode of talk to use and when, in order…

At the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, an annual art exhibition with no ties to science content provides an opportunity to explore how juxtaposing an art gallery experience within a science museum could impact audience engagement with science thereafter. Prior evidence suggests that art gallery-based workshops have value for science…

Just as engineering and computational thinking have recently gained increased attention in pre-college school-based education, many museums and science centers have also designed exhibits and experiences to promote computational thinking and engineering learning. Recent reports suggest that computational and engineering thinking can empower each…

Informal science learning environments, such as science museums, afford a variety of interactions, sense-making processes, participation modes, and roles. Accumulating research advances our understanding of the cognitive and affective dimensions of science learning in informal environments, including the development of scientific sense-making and…

Socializing and interaction are important aspects for families who visit museums. Mixed reality (MR) uses a set of technology that museums employ to encourage this behavior, but they face challenges in maintaining family cohesion with experiences across different exhibitions and kiosks. In this paper, we explore these challenges broadly to provide…

Narratives, or stories, are used every day by people as a way of making sense of and communicating events in the world. Narratives can be highly useful as a learning tool in science education. Though research on narrative-based pedagogy in science education and communication is very common, most of that research was done in formal settings. Our…

This is the first edited collection to focus on women, gender, and history education in Canada. The aim of this edited collection is threefold: to offer a historical analysis of women and gender in K-12 teaching and learning of history; to provide an examination of women and gender in relation to contemporary pedagogy, curriculum, and resources in…

The 9/11 Memorial Museum's docent program offers visitors artifact-based entry-points into a difficult, emotional history. The program's launch raised a host of questions, many centered on how to balance and convey strongly held, often traumatic, and sometimes conflicting experiences with a newly constructed institutional narrative. This article…

This paper explores the development of Civic Wellness programs at the Art Institute of Chicago, with an emphasis on how Civic Wellness teaching, partnerships, and strategy are informed by social justice-oriented values. These include equity practice, antiracism, strength in community, and democratic justice-oriented andragogy. The paper lays out…

The objective of this article is to present the creation of Junak schools after the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement was signed in London on 30 July 1941, when the Polish Army was formed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The problem has been examined from a historical perspective, in the current socio-political context, and, above all, in terms…

The inquiry-based approach in museum education often takes the form of an educator asking open-ended questions to facilitate discussions around artworks, while encouraging students in careful observation and interpretive processes. However, although art museums are emphasizing learners' experiences and their interpretative processes, adult…