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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Hi Scott,
Explorit has recently opened our first long-term exhibition about
motion called "Move It! Science in Action." Here is a link: http://
explorit.org/move-it/index.html. The website will be updated very
soon to show the actual exhibits rather than the concept drawings.
This exhibition follows our long-standing exhibit style which we have
used for 25 years in our Changing Exhibitions. The only difference
is that these exhibits are larger, sturdier, and there are fewer of
them. In "Move It!", we have focused on both science content and
process throughout the development of the exhibition. We always ask
ourselves "What will people do at this exhibit?" even before we ask
"What will people learn at this exhibit?".
We have designed the exhibits to be very open-ended (uh oh, is that a
bad term now?) so that people can be involved at whatever level is
most comfortable for them. If dropping a ball from a height and
watching how high it will bounce (a simple observation) is all you
want to do, that's fine. Maybe you didn't realize a golf ball will
bounce that high. If you want to compare different balls, you can do
that too. You can also measure the height of the bounces, record
them and graph them if you want. You may be learning about elastic
collisions along the way, even without realizing you are. If you
want to know more about the physics of elastic collisions, we provide
that too. "Challenges" of increasing complexity are suggested (in a
booklet, not on the wall) culminating in a short explanation about
the topic. You can work diligently through the booklet or ignore it
completely and just drop balls for fun, which is what most of our
youngest visitors do. (By the way, these exhibits have a much longer
retention time than 1 minute. We haven't had a chance to evaluate
the actual retention times yet, but I would say anecdotally that it
is probably closer to 10-15 minutes.)
I agree with Dave Smith that you can't really separate the process
from the content. Science involves both. You can do an entire
exhibition highlighting the various science process skills, but in
each individual exhibit you have to be observing something or
inferring something or graphing something.
Process and content are linked, but you may have to point out the
process to the average visitor more than you do the content (if that
is your aim). They may not realize they are hypothesizing or
inferring. In the end, does it really matter? They are doing
science and learning and having fun.
Humbly,
Anna
On May 19, 2008, at 4:28 PM, Scott Pattison wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> **********************************************************************
> *******
>
>
> We're interested in learning more about exhibits that focus on skill
> building (e.g., science process skills, critical thinking skills),
> rather than communicating content messages. What are some recent
> examples of these type of exhibits? Any thoughts on what makes these
> exhibits more or less successful?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Scott
>
> Scott Pattison
> Senior Exhibit Developer
> Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
> 1945 SE Water Avenue
> Portland, OR 97214
> 503.797.4673
> [log in to unmask]
> www.omsi.edu
>
> Go prehistoric! Dinosaurs: China's Ancient Giants-a new exhibit now at
> OMSI www.omsi.edu
>
>
> **********************************************************************
> *
> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
>
> Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at
> www.exhibitfiles.org.
>
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__________________________________
Anna Grace
Exhibit Coordinator
Our mission: "To involve people in science experiences that touch our
lives."
Explorit Science Center
2801 2nd Street (Main Public Site)
3141 5th Street (Mace Park Branch)
P.O. Box 1288 (mailing address)
Davis, CA 95617
530.756.0191
fax 530.756.1227
http://www.explorit.org
Explorit has been growing into our new site along I-80 which opened
on September 23, 2006 at 2801 2nd St.. Learn more about our
Expanding the Explorit Experience project and on-going capital
campaign at http://www.explorit.org/expansion/index.html and upcoming
events at http://www.explorit.org/calendar.html.
***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
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