The chapters from Jamaica Bay Ethnographic Overview and Assessment by William Kornblum and Kristen Van Hooreweghe talked about the Jamaica Bay area and its social and religious importance.

The interesting part of the reading was the large role the Bay had in the religion of many of its residents. The Hindu residents use the river for cleansing themselves and for reaching a level of spiritual purity. This is essentially similar to the Ganges River that is located in India. In the Ganges river, thousands of Hindu indians bathe in the river and clean themselves as part of a ritual. I assume from the reading that  a similar process occurs in the Jamaica Bay. I liked that the Bay played the role of as a whole new world to the Hindu’s. It was as if they were replicating their homeland and doing the same ritual thousands of miles away.

I have asked many of my Hindu friends if they have actually gone to the Jamaica Bay area. What I learned was that many of them go there because they aren’t able to go to the Ganges river annually. In a way, the Bay serves as a substitute. I was also surprised to find out that some of my friends who were practicing Mallu Christians also went to the river. When asked as to why they went, they said that the Bay played a large role not just in the Hindu religion, but a large role in South Asian culture. The Bay was not exclusive to Hindu’s, but was a retreat for everyone as a whole. They also stated that the Ganges river also welcomed thousands of tourists and non-Hindu’s.

“Learning in Your Own Backyard: Place-Based Education for Museums” and “The Best of Both Worlds: A Critical Pedagogy of Place” are both articles that emphasize the importance of place based learning and how it contributes to a more complete learning experience. Place based learning can sometimes be a crucial factor in the overall learning experience of an individual. Learning in the environment that you are studying about allows you to draw unique connections and discover information not found in the text. This concept is seen in the structure of our seminar class because we formulate genuine thoughts from just being in New York City. During the Bioblitz, we were directly in contact with the setting and the subject that we were learning about. The ability to see first hand information on what I was learning about was amusing and memorable. This stems from the idea that informal learning allow for deeper learning when involving numerous interactions.

I believe that place based learning can be extended to all genre’s of learning. The reason I believe this is because I   attended the Tenement Museum and I remember most of the information that the tour guide provided. The Tenement museum was mentioned in the articles and is essentially an old building in which immigrants had lived in during their stay in New York. I remember being amazed at how crammed the living conditions were and how simple the lifestyles were. All the family members would help make extra money in anyway possible and they all had a heavy religious background. The fact that the images of the museum and the information that I learned are so vivid only further supports that place based learning can provide an incredible boost in learning, retaining information, and thinking critically.

Mohamed Adnan

10-06-2013

Professor Adams

Seminar 3

Reflection on Chapter 4

The chapter focuses on the importance of communication in learning and informal science. Children learn best when they have others around them to exchange ideas and tackle problems with. Communicating with others is interaction in itself and Chapter 3 explained the importance of interaction because it promotes extensive learning. This was shown in the frog exhibit, where the children would use prior and current knowledge to exchange ideas and learn even more about the topic. Moreover, it is important for an adult to provide the right knowledge to the children so that they are able to learn the right information correctly. The adults may also have to lay a pathway of questions and information so that the children can actually think and use their metacognition. Supported learning is also important as children may feel more comfortable learning from their peers rather than adults. I have noticed this effect while going to exhibits with my younger siblings. They tend to ask each other more questions. Growing up, many of us learned from what was around us, which is why it is important to have a mentor to guide us and to offer us an explanation for whatever questions we have.

Communication is also key among adults and those in science. Research will often talk to others in their fields or foreign fields in order to verify their findings or ask questions about it. I think that true learning comes from the exchanging of ideas from a question and answer type of method. A type of learning that I believe is an effective method that adults should use is called the socratic method. The method is essentially asking questions without providing a direct or immediate answer in order to promote critical thinking. In my experience in working in  lab, my mentor would use this method. At first the method was annoying as I just wanted to know the answer, but after a while I became familiar with the method. Through the process I started to learn more and ingrained more knowledge. I was able to figure out information quickly. My mind was sharper and I essentially became well equipped to engage in experimentation. Without communication, there is always the notion that we would be learning the wrong information. Learning incorrect information leads to incorrect decisions. Thus, the communication and exchanging of information is not an option, but is essential to learn effectively.

Mohamed Adnan

09-29-2013

Professor Adams

Seminar 3

Reflection on Chapter 3

Chapter three puts into focus the aspect of interactive learning. In order to implement the interactive aspect of learning in a informal science environment, some creators enforce juxtaposition, multiples modes, and interactivity. These three aspects can enhance how one can learn in an informal science environment.

I am a strong supporter of learning through experiencing and interacting. The Cell Lab is an excellent environment in which people can learn through interaction. I believe that in order to learn, someone should be able to break out of their comfort zone. When we are given answers readily and not offered a real challenge, we feel comfortable. If we are spoon fed all the answers to our questions, we would not be learning. Learning is about pushing past mental barriers and figuring things out yourself. For example, the  moment in which you spend hours trying to figure something out and you finally figure it out. The information you just figured out will probably be unforgettable. This is what informal science should be about. Being placed in an environment in which we are challenged to think for ourselves and learn through interactions. Trial and error is enhanced through interactive learning as we will go the extra mile just to figure something out even if we keep getting the wrong results.

Another interesting topic I found in the reading was the aspect of learning through media. As a child, I was not privileged enough to attend museums or science workshops. Instead I relied on the television and books for my scientific curiosity. The main television network that informed me about numerous scientific topics was the channel 13. There were two documentary shows that always captured my attention: Nature and Nova. Nature was about the different types of animals found in nature and Nova was about pace science. I did not understand every aspect of the shows, but all the information that I did learn did make me want to learn even more. I believe that the exposure from these shows sparked my interest in science and I hope that my younger siblings will also develop a similar interest.

Mohamed Adnan

09-23-2013

Professor Adams

Seminar 3

Reflection on “Citizen Science: Can Volunteers Do Real Research?”

           “Citizen Science: Can Volunteers Do Real Research?” by Jeffrey P. Cohn focuses on the importance of citizen engagement and interactions in scientific studies. The article discusses the issue of reliability of the data that the citizens collected. I initially believed that this data would contain inaccuracy and inconsistency. Similarly, I believed that Project Feeder Watch would have likely had numerous inconsistencies. However, I was surprised at some of the statistics given for how accurate the citizen scientists were when collecting data. For example, “Even seventh graders got them right 95 percent of the time” and “third graders were right 80 percent of the time, an acceptable accuracy rate for most ecological studies.” Moreover, I was pleased to hear that many of the participating institutions took great measures to enhance the skill sets of the volunteer citizens, resulting in a much more accurate data set. The institutions would train the volunteers or even have a specialist along side to compare data with for accuracy. Through this method, the institutions are able to acquire massive amounts of accurate data at a low relative cost.

Another aspect of the article I found interesting was the motivation and interest that the volunteers had for the studies. These volunteers were not getting paid and were not writing research papers. They conducted the studies just for their own thirst for knowledge and to aid the environment. Moreover, the citizen science program is possibly the backbone for thousands of research papers and discoveries found annually. The reason for this is because they are collecting a massive amount of data and with a minimal cost in comparison to hiring a field researcher. The article stated that each field researcher would have taken over $30,000 each year just to conduct similar studies and procedures to what the unpaid citizen scientists were doing. Additionally, what makes the citizen scientists even more astonishing is the fact that it is their own interest that drives them. Often times, students in PhD programs feel under pressure or may not have the same drive in the field of study as a citizen scientists. The citizens are volunteering because they care and they want to actually learn up close in the outdoors. This was truly astounding because of the fact that the students were studying and were almost experts in scientific research, but the citizen scientists were able to produce quality quantitative data in a similar fashion.

Mohamed Adnan

Professor Adams

Science and Technology in NYC Seminar 3

09/15/2013

Reflection on Surrounded by Science Chapter 2

            Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments by Marilyn Fenichel and Heidi A. Schweingruber explores informal science learning amongst adults and children. The authors placed emphasis on the process of learning. How we approach an informal science setting is essential for learning and grasping scientific topics. The authors wrote about the logistics behind various informal studies, including community based studies.

One aspect of the reading that struck my interest was the classification of a generic scientist. They were alone in a lab and kept to themselves and their thoughts. At a younger age, I believed this to be true. As I became more involved in science, I began to understand the complexity behind the scientific method. Science became more about mystery, chasing, and discovery. Science may be fun, but it is not always conducted within our minds alone. The authors emphasized the role of community and peer based science learning. Individual learning can sometimes be very difficult, but with the help of a group, one can come to conclusions that you would have not have otherwise. Through this, a group is able to attack a problem from all possible sides. Moreover, I have worked in laboratories where some experiments would require several staff members from different fields.

Another point the authors made was that those that were interested learned more and dwelled even deeper when given the right tools and placed in the right environment. In project feederwatch, the participants learned more than they ever had. This leads to the point that limitations prevent learning and giving freedom to those that are motivated can produce extraordinary results.

The overall purpose of informal science should be to expand on and spark the interest of any individual and allow for the enhanced learning and understanding of science. This special environment can create memorable experiences that lay the foundation of a strong science background.

Mohamed Adnan

Professor Adams

Science in the City Seminar 3

09-08-2013

The 95 Percent Solution Reflection

In “The 95 Percent Solution”, John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking point out that knowledge and learning is not limited to only the classroom. They believe that “School is not where most Americans learn most of their science” (486). The authors think that free-choice science learning through external resources such as parks, libraries, or museums exposes students to a stronger learning experience.

I completely agree with what the authors had to say in the article. Science should be learned through doing, not just reading and sitting in a classroom. As I child, I believed that if I crammed, memorized, and studied different scientific topics that I would truly grasp them. I learned that through that method, I would forget all the topics I learned within a few months. Exposing myself to a more practical method of learning that was more handson allowed me to form a stronger long term memory of each topic. I placed myself in a chemistry research laboratory and applied the concepts I had learned. This helped enforce the knowledge I learned and exposed me to a “real world” experience that made me consider every decision I made in order to obtain desired results in an experiment.

The article promotes free-choice learning and that in itself has many benefits in comparison to school based learning. In school, we go to lecture, we are assigned homework, we read textbooks, but we do not enjoy every topic as much as we would like to. However, free-choice science learning is all about going out and serving your thirst for knowledge. For example, going out to a zoo to observe species interactions is much more interesting and memorable than just reading about it.

However, learning in the classrooms is still necessary to build a foundation. Free-choice learning is just an extension of knowledge that should reinforce what we learn in our classrooms. I believe that the quality of the science education can also be improved through the teachers. As a child in elementary school, I felt that my science education was highly neglected. This is further reinforced by  “a 2007 study of San Francisco Bay–area elementary schools found that 80 percent of K–5 multiple subject teachers who are responsible for teaching science in their classrooms reported spending 60 minutes or less per week on science; 16 percent of teachers reported spending no time at all on science. ” (487). Many students attribute schoolwork of being jaded, but I believe that if your teacher is passionate and interesting, then you will be interested in learning. Free-choice learning is essential for the development of better scientists, teachers, and a scientific community. A combination of improved teaching and free-choice learning can build great scientific minds.