Studying learning in teaching practices in the museum

INDsigt by Jesús Piqueras, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Science Education, Institutionen för matematikämnets och naturvetenskapsämnenas didaktik (MND), Stockholms Universitet.

Museums and other informal learning venues as botanical gardens, aquaria or science center are commonly used in science teaching. Most of the teachers know that a visit to a museum can be a great learning experience for their students. However it can be difficult to plan meaningful teaching activities where the potential of the museum objects and exhibitions and, in many occasions, the visit at the museum reproduces the school teaching. It is also difficult to define what students learn in a visit. In school contexts, it is usual to think of learning as cognitive or conceptual change and outcomes, but these views do not fully address the complexity of learning in informal settings, especially the role of communication and social interaction. In the seminar I will present some experiences of the school program developed by the educational team at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. During the seminar we will also have the opportunity to work with collected data and analysis from our research on teaching activities for school groups and student teachers.

The seminar is free of charge. Please register no later than April 21.