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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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For our field trips, we accept reservations from all grade levels on any given day and they can be a mix of public, private and home school. (Andrea's posting about hosting one grade level per day was intriguing to me).
I think the idea of limiting the number of children in the building is an interesting struggle. When we first reopened last November, we chose not to begin field trips until February, so that our staff could "live" in the building and get used to the flow of guests and members. After a few amazing days of over 2,400 school children in the building, we decided to cap each day at 1,500 and have found that number works well for us, based on our size.
Thanks for all the postings. We had a meeting with staff today around this idea and your ideas were great conversation starters.
Best,
Anne
Anne Herndon
Director, School and Group Programs
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
1600 Gendy Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817-255-9521
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-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Erich Rose
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 12:58 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Enriching field trip experiences - another point of view
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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How does that 1,500 visitor number break down? Do you get entire "grades" at one time or an entire elementary or middle school? In NYC they had to fill a bus or two so that could be 2-3 or more classes. In Austin it was often an entire grade level that showed up. Do you get multiple groups from the region at one time? Private and home schoolers?
I hate to discourage any form of attendance but if the experience is denigrated by the shear size of the crowd would you be better off limiting the numbers and improving the experience? Quality of over quantity. In the long run that could lead to more attendance as the word spreads.
It has also ben my experience that shifting from "run and scream" to a directed visit takes some pitching to the teachers. Some like the idea that they can just show up and their only concern is getting them all back on the bus at the end. But in the end it always became the preferred experience for both kids and teachers.
Erich Rose
Erich Rose Design
807 The Living End
Austin, TX 78746
512-626-9930; [log in to unmask]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/erichrose/
On Nov 5, 2010, at 9:24 AM, Jeff Courtman wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> **********************************************************************
> *******
>
> Erich and others have made some great points.
>
> 1. With 1500 people, mapping it all out seems contrary to the reality of the situation. The phrase that comes to mind is herding cats.
> 2. Tying back to curricula is as much a rationale as it is an altruistic motive - it gives the teachers a perfectly defensible reason to come. Again, even if a class is exceptionally motivated, exceptionally well behaved, is it not likely in a sea of other students, that there will be a chance for much reflection on the experience - and yet the latter is a necessary component to coming closer to meeting our altruistic goals.
>
> If someone were to ask me how to enrich the teacher experience, it would be to educate the teacher about how such large groups are going to impact the experience and to expect controlled chaos, then work with them on creative ways to use it to their advantage. Knowing what to expect would certainly help me as a teacher. I might suggest, as others have, that the buddy system could be used to support the social dimension of learning. For instance, I might suggest students, in their explorations, find one or two exhibits that excite or attract them and discuss that with their friends.
>
> Trying to make peak periiods somehow work the same as quieter times in the center seems counterproductive. I know some institutions are upfront and share with teachers and other visitors that they may have a better experience if they book during off peak times. Obviously, that's not always possible, especially for school groups who have a tradition of spring field trips. Nevertheless, I see nothing wrong with being realistic in our communications.
>
> Finally, the whole question seems ripe for a focus group with your teachers, particularly those who have experience of those peak times - what have they learned and how can we help?
>
> Just my 2 cents....
>
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Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
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