Chapter 5:

It was funny to read about how much emphasis was put onto the word interest. The textbook goes through great lengths to describe the necessity of interest in informal science learning, but I thought it was obvious that interest was absolutely necessary for people to want to obtain more information. I guess you could say that sparking specific interests is necessary in a complex environment, such as a museum, so that guest can take something meaningful away from the experience, but otherwise interest should be something obviously important from the start.

I’ve never really thought of confidence as a part of learning, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Because humans generally like to feel in control of their situations, confidence is an important aspect in education. Museumgoers have to feel as though they are able to either learn a topic thoroughly (without difficulty) or share their prior knowledge with the people around them. This requires that the exhibits give visitors a feeling of confidence in their ability to learn new concepts.

Deborah Perry’s framework makes a lot of sense when dealing with the education of the general public at informal science institutions. Her method breaks down the learning process into basic human instincts and tendencies that facilitate education. While this is good for short-term interest and learning, long-term learning is something that is important for museums because it affects visitors long after they leave the museum. From the reading on the Bronx teens project, I learned that long-term interest is caused by investment in a certain topic. Because the teens started off with an empty lot and turned it into a garden, their experiences gave them a whole new understanding on working to better a community. Having the project as a foundation for their work in community projects gave the teens a whole new sense of accomplishment and commitment to their work.

Chapter 7:

Chapter 7 was so interesting because as a future educator, reading about how different age groups learn and process information was enlightening. Although I know that different age groups have different ways of learning, I never thought of adults as having different learning needs. I assumed that adults just learned however they knew how to but I never realized the impact knowledge could have on their lives. For example, the adults who took part in exploration of the Grand Canyon were inspired by its timeless nature.

I also thought the similarities between the learning processes of the elderly and the young were interesting. Both parties required clear explanations of their activities, ample amount of time for completion, and relating the situations to real life. It’s also interesting that because both the young and old have ample time, exploring informal science institutions can be a very enriching experience. Unfortunately, the elderly are more prone to disabilities that make exploring institutions more difficult, which require special accommodations. Perhaps museums can cater to the young and old by offering special days for grandparents to take their children to the museums so that both groups can learn at their own pace, although I would recommend that the museums make sure to provide ample support for the elderly who are easily tired through benches and handrails.

Chapter 7 of Surrounded by Science covers the effects that culture and different ethnic backgrounds have on the approach that informal science institutions must take in order to reach out to people from these different backgrounds. It’s an interesting issue that I have never thought of before, but I believe that it’s important enough to pursue. The fact that most ISI’s do NOT have multi-lingual descriptions and labels means that the majority of people visiting the ISI who are from a foreign country (such as tourists or first generation immigrants) will not have the luxury of printed aides that may be very important in a zoo or a museum.

Some ISI’s have undertaken the challenge of catering to a specific ethnic group. For example, the Children’s Discovery Museum launched an exhibit named Secrets of Circles specifically for the Vietnamese community as an attempt to better understand this growing population in San Jose. Some barriers to learning where primarily logistical, such as the admission cost, transportation, parking fees, and location. Some complained that the exhibit had elements that were not Vietnamese but Chinese. In my opinion, too much specificity may hurt an exhibit more than too little, because it may alienate all other group that are not Vietnamese that may also want to see the exhibit.

In addition to cultural barriers, ISI’s also need to cater to those with different learning abilities or physical disabilities. The concept of Universal Design says that the ISI should be able to accommodate visitors of all skill levels, so they may be accessible for all. I think this is a good idea. Being able to make all visitors enjoy the ISI is important for the reputation of the ISI and its goals of educating the public.

Chapter 5 discusses the importance of having an interest in the topic in order for learning to be effective. Interest in the topic can be sparked by presenting flexibility and presenting the learners a chance to explore. This can be done in informal learning settings in which allow the learner to freely choose the exhibit they visit as well as what activities they wish to participate in. Therefore, more learning can occur through this method since the learners in these settings will have a interest in the subject being presented. This chapter is accurate, in that we can relate this to school and how students perform in school. Students who enjoy the subject as well have interest in it tend to perform better. This is seen with the students currently taking Organic Chemistry. This class tends to be very difficult for many students yet, those who have interest in the subject tend to perform well despite the difficulty.

Chapter  8 of Surrounded by Science discusses how age factors into learning. The textbook states “Most adults become interested in a science topic because it has immediate relevance to their lives…. The most obvious example is in the area of health. If an adult or a person close to him or her is diagnosed with an illness, such as cancer, that individual often goes to the library to take out books on the subject or goes online to find out as much as possible.” I find this to be very true in that many adults tend to read up on illnesses they have to better deal with it. For this reason, their knowledge of the topic is very extensive. Furthermore, this reminded me of my visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Most of the visitors were adults, and the reason for their interests was because they gardened at home and came to the garden looking for ideas and to learn more about the plants they wish to cultivate as well as the plants that are back home in their own garden.

Ilanit Zada

11-10-13

Science and Technology in NYC

Professor Adams

The assigned reading for this week was chapters 5 and 8 in Surrounded by Science by Fenichel and Schweingruber. The chapter that intrigued me most was chapter 5, which discussed the importance of interest in informal science settings. It referred to the initial spark of interest and then went even further to explain that in order for this initial spark of interest to develop, “longer-term engagement and multiple experiences are likely to be necessary” (88).  In order to put things in perspective, the chapter gives an example of such a situation. The example presented was the instance when Dana Fusco, along with a group of teens, worked together to build a community garden.

Reading through the steps of this project reminded me of the final project that we will be presenting at the end of this semester and the different steps necessary to get to our final (desired) product. Similar to the teens, we were given the opportunity to explore an area that we were familiar with or simply an area that intrigued us. Then, we were forced to investigate the different things that we could do to help the problem and/or inform the public about the matter (which we would present at the end of the semester). Through this process, we had to gain a better understanding of the matter and research the area of interest.One way that we expanded our knowledge on the topic was through interviews with professionals that were learned in the field. At the end of this project, my group and I hope to inform the public about the problem that we are facing (as a nation) and inform them about the course of action that they can take (as citizens) to help solve the problem.

Chapter 5 of Surrounded by Science focused on the importance of sparking and maintaining interest during informal science learning experiences. Since the beginning of our discussions about informal science learning, we have always stressed that an advantage of learning in informal science spaces is the freedom to explore interest in a topic. But the challenge to informal science learning is to find ways to first garner that curiosity and make it a sustained interest. The goal is to make these informal science learners want to come back to learn more. The people involved in science learning need to be excited and motivated. By being able to choose what to learn, where, when, and how, they are more drawn to the material and more intent on creating valuable connections while learning. Exhibits that encourage exploration and free choice better resonate with the science learners. I know for a fact that when I force myself to learn something that I am not interested in, the process takes much longer. And while I do learn the material, I am likely to forget it faster and not be inclined to look up additional information about it later. This chapter is directly related to Stand 1 of informal science learning and proves that if learners are excited while learning, the experience becomes much more relevant and meaningful. One model that was discussed was a six-component model for creating museum exhibits that helps people learn and also helps people retain the information. The six components are – curiosity, confidence, challenge, control, play, and communication. These factors can be extended to a variety of learning spaces and experiences such as the IMAX movies that were discussed. Right after seeing films about scientific concepts, many people engage in discussion with people who saw the movie and also recommend it to people they know. But in addition to this, the film also makes a lasting impression and they are inclined to engage in activities relating to the topic they learned about. In Genetics class in high school, I watched a movie about genetically modified organisms called Food Inc. which highlighted the greed of big corporations involved in making GMOs. This movie had a profound effect on me, as I began to pay closer attention to the foods I bought and become more interested in what role they play in our daily lives. This movie is the main reason why I wanted to do a group project for this class on genetically modified organisms, because while not much is said about GMOs on a daily basis, it is something with which we interact daily.

Chapter 8 revolved around the idea that informal science learning is a lifelong and lifewide process. An adorable quote that the author included was from a grandfather that had just visited a science exhibit. He said, “You learn—it’s amazing. . . . I’m going on 74 and . . . you’re learning something new every day.” But stemming from this idea that informal science setting allows learning to occur throughout a person’s lifespan, it is important to note that people’s interests change over time. Therefore, the way in which they effectively learn also changes and this must be accommodated for. The way that people interact with science is influenced by their lifetime experiences and their approaches to learning will vary. This is why designers for informal learning spaces need to be aware of their audience. My grandmother for example, who truly enjoys learning about science, will be less comfortable learning about science through exhibits meant for the tech-savvy than my little nine-year old cousin because they were brought up in different environments. I think that the main reason for this has to do with how she was raised versus how most kids in America are raised today – with easy access to computers and other advanced technology. Catering to the needs of various age groups is important in establishing a broad audience whose interests would be satisfied.

Chapter 5 in Surrounded by Science emphasizes the vital importance of cultivating interest in informal science settings. Interest works as a catalyst to drive what is being learnt by the participant and works to further engagement with the topic under study. The chapter mentions a particular framework that can be applied to museum exhibits that promotes interest and motivation. The model is comprised of six components: curiosity, confidence, challenge, control, play, and communication. These components are illustrated in the case study examining an exhibit entitled The Color Connection: Making Colored Lights. I particularly appreciated the second component of this framework that focuses on building up the visitors sense of confidence. As a result of the exhibit labels being written in an easy-to-read style, visitors experienced a sense of competence, inviting them to move on with the exhibit. I saw the vital importance of this component upon reflecting my visit to the informal science settings. I noticed that visitors of the Prospect Park Zoo tended to spend a relatively longer amount of time at each exhibit, in comparison to visitors at the New York Aquarium. I believe that this can be somewhat attributed to the difference in the content of the plaque labels amongst the two venues. While both were catered towards simple comprehension and a younger demographic, the plaques at the zoo were, on average, much shorter. The labels contained no more than two to three short sentences about the contents of the exhibit, while the aquarium boasted large paragraphs at times. These large paragraphs posed a sense of esotericism that disengaged participants, resulting in them quickly moving on to another exhibit. Visitors must have felt on some subconscious level that mastery of the exhibit could not be attained, compromising their competence and demotivating them. On the other hand, at the zoo, the young visitors, along with their parents and teachers, were able to quickly read the labels of the exhibits, and were not bogged down by an excessive amount of information. Parents were able to quickly glance over the information and develop a sufficient proficiency in that exhibit, motivating them to share their findings with their children and students. Ultimately, this simple comparison illustrates the vitality of building up visitor’s confidence and competence within each museum exhibit.

Chapter 8 of Surrounded by Science focuses on the learning stages throughout one’s life. In its discussion of learning that transpires throughout one’s youth, it promotes the development of community and school-based programs geared towards science learning. It notes that these programs pose positive effects on the attitudes that participants have towards science. Such a point is highlighted with the case study of girls exploring Yellowstone park. This program fostered and supported the girls’ interest in science learning. It provided them with a medium through which to engage in science learning, something not readily available to them. I feel however, an important point to consider in developing these out-of-school science-learning programs, is its separation from formal school activities. I believe that in order for these programs to be successful, it must not be tied into to any factors that could seemingly determine performance levels in school. In my high school, I attended an after school science-oriented program known as E2K. It emphasized critical thinking in science. We examined various math puzzles, performed various experiments, and seemed to be engaging in science in an informal way. However, my principal ran the program. This made it hard for me to approach this learning opportunity in the free-form and informal way that I had envisioned. I felt that my academic standing or grades were somehow tied up to my performance in those informal science activities. This sort of pressure therefore prevented me from obtaining a  full informal science experience, and truly developing an interest with the topics we examined. Therefore, I believe that informal out-of-school science programs should make sure to set clear boundaries between its activities and those of the formal  academic environment. This should be done in order to synthesize the most suitable environment for informal science learning; one that is stress-less, open, and exciting.

Chapter 7 is my favorite chapter of Surrounded by Science thus far . While it has been interesting to read about the ways students and people, who are, or in my opinion, should be lifelong students, learn and the ways informal science environments and designers, and those reading assignments have made me more aware of the way people learn, I found Chapter 7 to be most fascinating!

A previous chapter mentioned that science, though considered objective or an objective field because of the importance of facts or well-supported theories, is affected by their cultural values and perspectives: “science reflects the cultural values of those who engage in it,” “the recognition that science is a cultural enterprise implies that there is no cultureless or neutral perspective on science, nor on learning science” (Fenichel and Schweingruber; National Research Council, 20). Chapter 7 addresses the latter point that science and science learning are not unaffected by culture; it points out the ways culture can be limiting when it comes to learning, and the ways informal learning spaces have tried to include those who might be limited by culture. Including translated labels and other translated language options is an improvement that is most important and relevant to me. My parents are both Chinese immigrants, so it can be hard for them to understand the exhibits at museums, which by extension make it hard for them to be interested in and to engage their children in the exhibits. My mom is fairly fluent in English for an immigrant but has trouble understanding all the words and concepts described on labels. My dad is much less accustomed to English so he has a much harder time understanding what’s going on, and my experience has been like Artur’s: explaining and having conversations with my dad about the exhibits can be frustrating because I don’t have a large enough Chinese lexicon to verbalize my thoughts. I’ve found, however, that the language barrier between us is an opportunity to stretch my Chinese limits as it encourages me to learn more about my first language to engage my dad in conversations about the exhibits I drag him to. The language barrier has also sparked interesting conversations about his thoughts and experiences about the exhibits that are unrelated to descriptions on museum labels. He tells me about what certain pieces or works remind him of in China, which is an opportunity for me to learn about his childhood or life in China, and is also a special way for us to bond.

Translated labels and translated language tools such as audio guides are helpful tools for non-English speakers and their children to engage with exhibits and engage in conversations about the exhibits, but there are still opportunities to learn and have interesting conversations without those tools.

I was astonished to find out how many New York neighborhoods, located in several boroughs and comprised of highly diverse inhabitants, surround the Jamaica Bay. I was even more astounded to read that some of the population in those neighborhoods uses the Bay and surrounding areas for religious ceremonies. Given the fact that immigration always happens in waves, it is not surprising that Irish and Italian families that settled around Jamaica Bay in the early last century, are now outnumbered by West and Asian Indians and Afro-Americans immigrated from Caribbean that moved to the area in large numbers at the end of last century. As a result of the population fabric change, the religious make-up of the area changed, as well. Roman Catholic churches of Irish and Italian immigrants are not that abundant anymore but Indian temples have appeared in the area. I knew about importance of water in Indian religion but it had never occurred to me that water-related rituals are happening on the shore of Jamaica Bay and, furthermore, create pollution issues due to religious offerings being washed to the shore. It was interesting to read how the government tries to keep the shored clean while not offending the religious feelings of the population – a very delicate subject. I was even more surprised to read about Voodoo practice on the Floyd Bennett field – so close to where I worked at the Aviator Sports Center. I expected this practice to exist only in books. As far as the pollution, it is not that much of an issue as the Indian religious offerings, but if it is live animals that are sacrificed, then it is a case where humans affect the wildlife population of the area.

Our area has had a large Jewish population for over a century which remains quite stable in numbers, so the Jewish religion is a big part of religious fabric in almost any neighborhood. I was surprised to read about Sukkot affecting the nature of Jamaica Bay because of the willow branches cut for Sukkas. Yes, it is a holiday that is meant to bring people closer to nature, but in my neighborhood, the Sukkas are made of steel and nylon, with bamboo mats used for a roof, bought at the store – very industrialized enterprise. As for the celebration in the temple, etrog and lulav are also bought at the store and no one brings willow branches. I was also surprised that the author had not mention Tashlich – a ceremony on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, when Jews go to the nearest body of water and drop pieces of bread into the water as symbols of the sins the abandon. I have seen it done in Central Park on the Coney Island Beach, so, I am pretty sure, it is done on the shore of the Jamaica Bay, as well. Maybe, it was not mentioned because it is only done once a year and, unlike the religious offerings of Hindu worshippers, the bread can be consumed by the animals and is biodegradable. In general, these chapters have raised an important question of human activities affecting the nature, even with something as ancient as religious practices.