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Hey Heather-

You said:  "These are only my opinions and I honestly have nothing to back 
it up, but my
own experience. "

I wanted to point out a coupl eof studies that do "back it up".  My 
dissertation research showed that although most visitor groups are 
interacting a great deal with exhibits, they are not engaging in very rich 
inquiry.  On the other hand, Sue Allen's "Looking for learning in visitor 
talk" study suggests that people are engaging in some pretty sophisticated 
inquiry at ehibits that are not at all "hands-on".  This certainly does not 
close the case on this debate, but does illustrate that interactivity and 
inquiry do not always go together.

Scott

Scott Randol, Ph.D., Museum Research Specialist
Center for Research, Evaluation, & Assessment
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-5200
510 643-1984
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----Original Message Follows----
From: Heather Gibbons <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Informal Science Education Network              
<[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Non-interactive inquiry?
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 13:47:56 -0800

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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In my humble opinion inquiry does not at all equal interactive or vice
versa. I have participated in many an interactive activity without
experiencing a lick of inquiry. Just because I let you touch the materials
does not mean you will be engaged in inquiry learning. Just because I ask
you questions, does not mean I am opening up the learning experience to your
own inquiry of the subject matter.



On the other hand, I have indeed had inquiry experiences without any
interactivity. The trouble with "lecture" style and inquiry is that the
inquiry can be very subtle and it is more highly dependant on the internal
workings of the individuals involved.



What I mean by that is that when something is interactive, there is
opportunity for individuals to act on one another to generate questions,
alter perspectives and to motivate more investigation. When you are
witnessing a lecture or one sided presentation, whether inquiry occurs
depends on an individual's interest in the subject matter, ability to let
the information interact with previous knowledge and the willingness of the
individual to change his thoughts on the matter. It also depends on the
presenter's ability to engage the audience to level where those things can
occur.



These are all big variables when you are talking about engaging people in an
inquiry experience. I think that is why interactivity is the preferred
technique to engage people in inquiry. An educator can be more deliberate,
assess the individual in front of her and adjust technique to engage the
individual in an inquiry experience.



Again, however, this is not to say that inquiry cannot occur without
interactivity. I believe all of us could identify a time where we were
engaged in a lecture or presentation in such a way that our perspectives
were changed and we walked away asking more questions and seeking the
answers on our own. The trouble is we can probably identify even more where
that was not the case.



These are only my opinions and I honestly have nothing to back it up, but my
own experience. But I am willing to engage, hear what more of you have to
say and even change my mind. Inquiring minds want to know :-).





Heather Gibbons

Education Enrichment Manager



Pacific Science Center

200 Second Ave N| Seattle, WA 98109

Phone: 206/443-3636 | Fax: 206/443-6600

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