Chapter 3 was especially interesting to me as a future educator because it taught me a lot about how people learn and process new information. It was not particularly surprising that the interactive exhibits were more effective in reaching students– it’s really hard to retain information from short paragraphs or videos, especially when you don’t give them your undivided attention. In a museum, hands on exhibits are definitely a solid way to make students feel involved and in charge of their education.

Reading about Cell Lab was especially sweet and eye opening because of the reactions children had to putting on lab uniforms. In class, when we discussed how people viewed scientists, it was evident that children strongly associated lab coats and goggles and scientific equipment with the science field. This very cold, sterile image associated with scientists makes science seem intimidating and exclusive. Cell Lab is such a unique exhibit because it helps students understand what it’s like to work in a lab and conduct experiments, and makes the field seem much less intimidating. I think it’s funny how we want students to see scientists as regular people in order to make them more approachable, but children are actually excited to don traditional science outfits to make themselves feel like “legitimate” scientists.

Another part of the reading that struck me was the short piece on the teens who taught children about botany. Towards the end of the reading, one of the participants said something about how he must indeed be smart because he was able to participate in a scientific venture and teach others about something he was knowledgeable in. It seems as though we, as a culture, put scientists on a pedestal and measure intelligence against people’s occupations. While it’s true that those who enter scientific fields are generally intelligent (I would hope my doctor knew what he was talking about…), other occupations and hobbies shouldn’t be deemed as any less capable and intelligent. In the future, I hope that there is no stigma attached to any field and instead, students are taught to embrace their natural abilities and be proud of what they can accomplish through hard work and dedication.