ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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As a developmental psychologist by background, it has been my experience  
that museums favor particular theories of intellectual development that are  
currently in vogue and attempt to design exhibits and/or programs that use a  
particular theory -- multiple intelligences, for example -- as THE  pedagogy.
 
Piaget's theory of intellectual development, Gardner's theory of multiple  
intelligences, and Vygotsky's theory of social learning have all had their time  
and all have some good points to take into consideration when designing an  
educational program.  There are, of course, many other psychologists who  also 
have much to tell educators and designers, such as Albert Bandura, whose  
theory of social learning can tell us much about the role of people, imitation,  
and role models in development.
 
So I would caution museum educators against fully embracing any particular  
theory and adopting it as THE framework.  Rather, I would suggest becoming  
familiar with useful theories and applying some key points as they are  relevant. 
 
 
Some years ago, I wrote two articles for the Informal Learning Review that  
informal educators may find useful:
 
1.  "Experience-Based Learning Theories" (compilations/overviews of  the 
theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, etc. including brief bibliographies).
 
2.  Bob's Top Ten Points (a framework of key points, derived from  learning 
theories, that educators and designers can consider when  developing exhibits 
and programs).
 
Designers may also find another article by Ted Ansbacher providing an  
overview of John Dewey's theory as it can be applied to exhibit design, What Do  You 
See and Do: An Introduction to Experience Based Exhibits."
 
These articles are available online under the heading Exhibition Design  
Resources at:
 
_http://www.informallearning.com/links.htm_ 
(http://www.informallearning.com/links.htm) 
 
 
I encourage any educators and designers to put "learning theories" or  
"intellectual development" into Google; you find a myriad of theories and not  much 
closure.
 
As a further resource, educators and designers may want to read any of  
several books by John Falk, Lynn Dierking, and others of the Institute of  Learning 
Innovation, where learning theories are integrated into an overarching  
framework for informal educators.  You can find titles and other useful  resources 
at their website:
 
_www.ilinet.org_ (http://www.ilinet.org) 
 
 
Bob
 
Robert L.  Russell, Ph.D.
Science Advisor, Self-Reliance Foundation
Project Director,  Celebra la Ciencia & ConCiencia/Hispanic Science Newswire
(202) 360-4117  (office) (202) 997-5539 (cell)
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_www.celebralaciencia.org_ (http://www.celebralaciencia.org/) 
_www.selfreliancefoundation.org_ (http://www.selfreliancefoundation.org/) 

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In a message dated 5/16/2008 9:06:19 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
institutions.
*****************************************************************************

There  is a tradition in some art museums of presenting art without   
interpretation on the theory that visitors can and should engage on   
their own terms.  So here's the question:  does that qualify  as  
transactive?  Certainly it is open-ended and allows the  visitor to  
bring whatever multiple intelligences they wish to  explore the art in  
whatever way they find satisfying?

Before  you say that this has nothing to do with science centers, I  
have  heard more than one visitor to the Exploratorium complain that  
they  are ill-equipped to deal with the real intellectual challenges  
the  place presents (just as some of us are intimidated by art  
museums),  and that they find the experience inaccessible as a result,  
while  others such as myself love the place and find it both engaging  
and  stimulating.

James Bradburne, whom I have not had the pleasure to meet,  argued in  
a 2002 article that interactivity is a property of people,  not  
exhibits, and that an artifact-based display can support very  real  
and meaningful interactions—or not.  Same with  push-button  
electromechanicals in a science center—some promote  interactive in a  
real sense, and others don't.  Depends on what  the visitor does with  
them, and the experience they  have.   Bradburne has been director of  
a science center  (newMetropolis) and an art museum (Museum für  
Angewandte Kunst) so  he is speaking from personal experience here.

Bradburne didn't discuss  transactive experiences because his article  
was written six years  ago and the term wasn't yet much in use in the  
museum context, but I  imagine he would make the same point:   
transactive experiences  act at the level of the individual visitor  
(it is the visitor doing  the transacting, not the exhibit), and such  
experiences may or may  not include any sort of physical interaction.   
And more:   some visitors will require help, and maybe lots of it, to  
get to the  point where they can have meaningful open-ended  
experiences, while  others with different backgrounds are ready to  
jump right  in.   So what we really need to be talking about are   
exhibits that can be used in multiple ways by multiple users   
depending on where they are in their individual learning curves,  no?

Chuck Howarth
Gyroscope
283 4th Street
Oakland, CA   94607

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