The distinction between formal education and museums and science centers has become less obvious over time as museums meet more needs of schools. This study examines two different cultures in the form of the school/museum partnership. The objective of the study was to identify the points at which two institutions, schools and museums, could merge…

This paper reports on an inquiry into the use of zoos as a source of informal or free choice learning. The study was contextualized within the zoo's environmental enrichment program - an animal husbandry principle that seeks to develop species-typical behavior for captive animals by using naturalistic enclosures or artificial items that stimulate…

Informal science programs play an important role in reinforcing the fact that science and mathematics are not difficult to master. This report is based on a survey of informal science programs supported by the National Science Foundation and exemplary programs in science and mathematics supported by the U.S. Department of Education. The survey…

Discusses the cognitive consequences of education, and reviews evidence which supports the hypothesis that differences in the social organization of education promote differences in the organization of learning and thinking skills in the individual. Proposes that new accommodations are needed between school-based learning and learning experiences…

Recommends that social scientists undertake research on the role of the street as an institution of youth education and socialization. Discusses related literature and presents information on a project undertaken on street socialization in some of the old town quarters of Wiesbaden, Germany from 1975-1978. (DB)

This article focuses on the issue of creating a national museum laboratory to provide opportunities to test what is called, "the field of action." Also included is a discussion of creating an interinstitutional computerized retrieval system to provide information about the location of specific research. (Author/SA)

A 3-year study of 50 health occupations and trade and industrial preservice teachers in an alternative teacher education program included a simulation work exercise and analysis of instructional materials. Informal workplace learning resulted in implicit knowledge in the first year of practice. Critical practice was shown to be an important model…

Richard Lewis, founder and director of the Touchstone Center (New York City), discusses how the move toward national education standards works against individualism and expressive learning. He suggests that teachers get so involved in meeting standards and goals that they fail to obey the natural laws of learning. (LP)

Investigates the relationships between students' free exploration of interactive science museum exhibits, conceptual understandings, and cognitive developmental levels. Classifies participating subjects (n=45), ages 5-13, as preoperational, concrete operational (empirical-inductive), or formal operational (hypothetical-deductive). (Contains 22…

A Swedish intergenerational project involving older men in schools illustrates how intergenerational learning fits into a lifelong social capital perspective. The presence of older males reinforced the social network of teachers, children, and other adults, building trust and communication. (Contains 35 references.) (SK)

Investigated how certified athletic trainers initially learned and continued to learn their professional responsibilities in the high school setting. Interview data highlighted two thematic categories: an informal induction process (aspects of organizational learning) and creating networks for learning. Results indicated that informal learning was…

A study investigated the ability of 75 Italian secondary school students to subordinate in English. The students were learning English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) through formal instruction. The differences in learning a foreign language in formal versus informal situations are discussed, and a study of two adult Italians learning ESL informally is…

Examines the appropriateness of environmental education for young children. Concludes that in helping young children become good citizens of the earth, it is better to focus on fostering a sense of wonder and awe than on facts and warnings. Children can come to know the earth through experiences in which they discover the wonder and beauty of the…

Working with unemployed youth with negative attitudes toward learning, a community educator applied Freire's methods to lead them through reflection on their circumstances and participation in a dialog on learning in which their own words would be heard. (SK)

A study of paramedics revealed the following modes of informal learning: during task performance, from performance mistakes, through reflection while documenting performance, and from the experience of others. Routine and nonroutine partnerships played an important part. (SK)