Science Maps For ChildrenWhat are the needs/challenges, how do we get there?

The Role of Science Centers

• “Communicate the excitement of science and technology to museum audiences.”

• Informal vs. formal learning• Target age group: middle school and caregivers• Employ many approaches to communicate scientific

Ideas• Try to engage audiences, rather than just show

them ideas.• Provide opportunities for discovery and inquiry—

increasingly trying to provide “open-ended” or design-based experiences that allow for tinkering.

• Find avenues for communicating increasingly complex scientific ideas data driven—eScience.

Communicate the Excitement of Science

• Provide experiences for audiences that spark their imaginations and give them insights into scientific ideas.

Informal vs. Formal Learning

• Technically informal learning is any learning that is not part of a curriculum or subject to assessment.

• But we do professional development for teachers too.

Middle School Age and Caregivers

• Why middle school?• What does this mean cognitively?

Employ Many Approaches

• Science museums employ many different approaches to communicate science:

• Labels• Artifacts• Interactives• Manipulables• Gestural interfaces, • Experiments• Design and building experiences

Try to Engage Audiences

• Most importantly, we try to engage audiences in scientific ideas rather than just show them things. This usually means some kind of hands-on experience

Discovery and Inquiry “Open-Ended”

• We also believe that kids learn best through making their own discoveries and coming up with their own questions that they can explore rather than just reading about the discoveries of others.

• By providing them with experiences that are open- ended, rather than “canned” they can tinker with, and explore scientific ideas and try new things that they themselves come up with.

Complex Scientific Ideas “eScience”

• The problem with 21st century science• Data driven • Complex / multivariate• Skills or content? or both• Making connections:• Single phenomena >> systems• Short term >> long term• Individual footprint >> societal footprint• Local/community >> national/global• Now >> future generations• Personal action >> collective action

Science Maps For Kids

• Why is science mapping for kids a good idea?• What do children need to know about it?• How can we make connections between their local

anecdotal experience to the large-scale statistical realm of science maps?

Science Maps For Kids

• What do kids know about maps now? • Are maps effective metaphors for middle schoolers

to learn about relationships?• What do kids know about science disciplines and

how they relate? How can science maps inform this, or vice versa?

Exhibition on Science Mapping

• How do we engage kids in science mapping? • Who is the audience?• What kinds of ideas, interactives, approaches can

be used?• What kinds of prototypes could test this

engagement? How should it be evaluated?