Erik Robelen Assistant editor and reporter for Education Week and co-author of the blog Curriculum Matters.

Learning Science Outside the Classroom

Expert Presenters:

Dr. John H. Falk is Professor of Free-Choice Science Learning and Director of the Center for Research on Lifelong STEM Learning, both at Oregon State University.

Alan J. Friedman, former director and CEO of the New York Hall of Science, consultant in museum development and science communication, and member of the National Assessment Government Board

When and Why Do People Learn Science and What Sources Do They Use?

John H. Falk, Ph.DSea Grant Professor of Free-Choice Learning

Oregon State University

When Do People Learn Science?

Big Picture

• Learning is lifelong: 24-7-70+

• Less then 3% of life spent in formal instruction

• Traditional gatekeepers of knowledge – schools, libraries, government – no longer in total control.

• The boundaries between where, when and why we learn are disappearing

• Learning is continuous & cumulative

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

LIFE SPAN

11:00PM

7:00PM

3:00PM

11:00AM

7:00AM

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2K-12 Colle

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Why Do People Learn Science?

People Learn Science

• Satisfy Personal Curiosity/Interest

• On-the-Job Experience/Training

• For a Hobby

• To Support the Needs of Others (e.g., children)

• Satisfy a Need (illness, environmental problem, etc.)

• For School or other Career-Related Need

Probability of a degree in science as function of whether in 8th Grade a child expected (dark line) or didn’t expect (light line) to pursue a science career.

What Sources Significantly Contribute to STEM Learning?

Science Learning Infrastructure

LEARNER

InternetPrint Media

(Books, Magazines, Newspapers

WorkplaceCommunity Organizatio

ns

Friends & Family

Electronic Media (TV, radio,

film)

Schools &Universities

Hobby Groups

“Museums”

A Review of Over 50 Studies of Afterschool Programs

• Quality afterschool programs improved school attendance, engagement in learning, test scores and grades

• Frequency and duration of afterschool participation increases benefits

• High-risk youth show the greatest benefits

Regression Analysis Predicting Science Knowledge

R2 F-value p-value Formal Education Model 0.18 209.71 < .001 Childhood Free-Choice Learn. Model 0.17 22.55 < .001 Adult Free-Choice Learning Model 0.35 51.44 < .001 Workplace Model 0.17 65.24 < .001 Privilege Model 0.20 34.65 < .001

Only statistically significant (p < .05) independent variables shown for full model. Adjusted R2 = 0.45, F = 66.52, p < .001

Conclusion• The public learns science across a lifetime, from

many places, for many reasons, most of them related to their own personal needs and interests

• Out-of-school experiences make a significant contribution to the public’s science learning

• Science learning is a never-ending cumulative process so all educators should design their educational interventions in ways that build upon prior experiences and lead to subsequent experiences

What’s Happening in Informal Science Education?

Alan J. Friedman

Consultant

Museum Development & Science Communication

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 17

Informal Science Education

Learning during the 95% of our lives which we spend outside the formal education system

Also called “free choice learning,” because learners set their own agenda

Includes aquariums, museums, zoos, botanic gardens, and visitor centers, plus television, magazines, books, libraries, the Internet

61% of all adults visit an ISE institution at least once a year

Science Museums are the Fastest Growing Sector of the Museum World

Several new “hands-on” science museums open each year

350 now in USA alone

$1+ billion per year total budgets

177 million visits per year in USA

about 60 million visitors on school field trips

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 19

Science-Technology Centers Share a Lot, Yet Each is Different from the Others

tryscience.org Find just

about every science museum on the planet; dozens of vetted activities from science museums for use on or off-line; in 9 languages

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 20

CW from top left: Vancouver BC, Paris FR, Duxford UK, Richmond VA, Indianapolis, IN

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 21

Citizenscience.org

– Individuals, families, students do data collection and analysis for real science research

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 22

Nobelprize.org

– Exquisite simulation activities of real experiments, inspiring stories, and more

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 23

Sciencebuddies.org

– Hundreds of inquiry science fair projects, way beyond that model volcano; career advice and more

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 24

pbskids.org/designsquad/

– The TV show is cool, but even better are teens doing engineering for delight at school or at home

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 25

Sciencefriday.com

– Millions listen, but even more get it through the Web, Podcasts, Blogs, Tweets ….

27,500 Inservice Teachers Take In-Depth Training in Science Museums Each Year

Museum staff know both content and pedagogy

They are used to paying attention to learners

Museums have a culture of ongoing iterative improvement

Apprenticeships for Students and Pre-Service Teachers Are Increasingly Popular

Exposure to real phenomena, scientists, technologies

Culture of inquiry, love of science and technology

Good balance of intensity, evaluation, and enjoyment, well suited to most youth

Some Connection with Formal Education Has Always Been a Feature of Informal

Education, But Should We Expect More?

For schools the use of informal learning is typically an optional “enrichment” rather than an essential piece of the core curriculum or strategy

Should informal learning prize retaining its unique differences from what happens in classrooms?

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 29

How Should The Relationships Between Formal and Informal Education Change?

Should schools incorporate informal learning pathways in a more serious, structured, integral manner?

Should museums and other informal learning organizations redesign their programs to serve formal education more directly?

Should museums become more like schools?

Should schools become more like museums?

Alan J. Friedman, Consultant 30

The Informal Learning Realm is Well Organized—Sector by Sector.

See CAISE at www.insci.org

www.astc.org for science centers & museums

www.ips-planetarium.org for planetariums

www.aza.org for zoos and aquariums

www.publicgardens.org for botanical gardens and arboreta

www.cpb.org/aboutpb for public radio and TV

www.scienceafterschool.org for community afterschool providers

4-H.org/programs_mission_mandates/set.html for community science programs nationwide

An on-demand archive of this webinar will be available at

www.edweek.org/go/webinar in less than 24hrs.