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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Dear Education Colleagues:

After seven years in the Outreach Department at the Lawrence Hall of Science, I am currently attending 
the University of Washington in Seattle, pursuing a degree in Cognitive Studies (College of Education).  
My master's project involves writing the handbook that I wished someone had handed to me when I 
began my work at LHS.  As educators in informal settings, many of the rules that are appropriate to a 
fulltime class simply do not apply.  Our audiences are vast, varied, and numerous.  We often have mere 
minutes with a given learner, rather than nine entire months.

Recognizing a huge rift between research and practice, I am soliciting input from fellow informal 
educators to find out what research and theory is already in practice in our institutions.  What are we 
already doing that can be backed up by academic research?  And what ideas can we bring into our 
practice, suggested by research but that have so far not made it into our daily routines?

IÕd appreciate very much if those of you who self-identify as ÒeducatorsÓ would take a few minutes and 
fill out the web form linked to this email.  Please pass this along to colleagues who fit the ÒeducatorÓ 
profile who may not be on this list, and post to your internal listserves as appropriate.

Due to survey requirements of the University of Washington, it is imperative that your responses be 
completely anonymous.  Please do not reference your name, or the name of your institution.  
References to the type of area served by your institution (urban, suburban, rural, etc.) as it is 
appropriate to explain your responses are fine, and even helpful.

Your participation is completely voluntary and anonymous.  You may discontinue a survey at any time, 
up until the point at which you click ÒsubmitÓ.  With your input, we can all become more informed about 
the intersection of research and practice in our daily lives as museum educators.

Here is the survey, located within the University of Washington web system:
https://catalysttools.washington.edu/survey/julia123/31149

Many thanks,
Julia Berger
Long Time Outreach Educator
University of Washington Graduate Student
College of Education, Cognitive Studies
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