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

  Oy! It is one of those days. Sorry to send this to everyone, but, if 
you do read it and have questions or comments about anything, feel free 
to contact me. I've always game to connect and share with other museum folk.




On 11/9/2010 3:46 PM, Tabatha Yang wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
> institutions.
> ***************************************************************************** 
>
>
>  Hi Lindzy,
>
> I'm the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Bohart Museum of 
> Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology at UC Davis. 
> Formally I was with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. A few 
> years ago at ASTC in Philly I was on a panel on summer camp programs. 
> I will be going to Maryland this upcoming year and I would be very 
> interested in working with you on this proposal.
>
> We are a smaller organization, so field trips are based on tours of 
> our collections or outside insect hunts.  We try to keep the 
> experience alive (might seem challenging with only dead things). We 
> work to expose the students to fields of scientific study. This is 
> especially true of the 4-12 graders. Being at a university, we can 
> expose them to simply studying these things that they enjoy. I know a 
> lot of science centers, which don't have research programs, team up 
> with a local university to bring that real application to their 
> programs. I believe it is easier for a 6th grader to start to see 
> themselves in college taking a class on insects than it is for them to 
> imagine having a job as an entomologist. Even adults can't imagine 
> what an entomologist does for a living!
>
> We try to emphasize the steps- the next tangible goals for the 
> students.  We have a photo on display of a kid outside with rain boots 
> and an insect net. It is a photo of our current director when she was 
> 6 years old. I think that helps the parents and teachers see where 
> science education truly begins. We also have undergrads and grads and 
> senior scientists all around doing their work, so they can see the 
> process and the integration of ages and levels of knowledge.
>
> To that end we want the students and teachers to feel as though they 
> have tapped into a resource to help them become a scientist or to 
> integrate science into the classroom. We  make ourselves very 
> available to each group. This starts with the booking process and it 
> carries through to the tour.There is a staff/volunteer/intern that is 
> always with the group. There are periods of free exploration and 
> discovery, but then there are more guided moments during our tours. We 
> also have materials available for teachers to borrow, so they can take 
> insects, bones/pelts, or some of the educational drawers back to the 
> class.
>
> In the evaluations we send home with teachers the first question we 
> ask is "What were your expectations of the program?" I think meeting 
> their expectations (and then exceeding them) is as important as 
> addressing their needs (standards, low cost, access).
>
> These are just some quick thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you 
> and answering any questions you may have.
>
> Best,
> Tabatha Yang
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 11/9/2010 12:16 PM, Bivings, Lindzy wrote:
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology 
>> Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
>> institutions.
>> ***************************************************************************** 
>>
>>
>> Greetings Colleagues,
>>
>> The 2011 ASTC conference proposals are soon due and I would like to 
>> see if there is anyone interested in putting together a proposal on 
>> Field Trips and Evaluation. The questions that Wendy Derjue-Holzer 
>> from the Harvard Natural History Museum and I are interested in 
>> addressing are:
>>
>> 1.) How can museums help make field trips better and more useful 
>> experiences for teachers?
>> 2.) What is success and how do we measure it?
>>
>> If you have a thought, perspective, connection or an experience that 
>> you would like to share on this topic, please let me know.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Lindzy Bivings
>> Manager of Enhanced Museum Visits for Students
>> California Academy of Sciences
>> T: (415) 379-5188
>> F: (415) 379-5711
>> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>> www.calacademy.org/teachers/rockprogram
>>
>>
>> ***********************************************************************
>> 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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> ***********************************************************************
> 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
> http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
>
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
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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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