Creating Communities of Learners for Informal Cognitive Science Education (Kipling; 1113648)

1. Creating Communities of Learners for Informal Cognitive Science Education (Kipling; 1113648) What is Living Laboratory? Living Laboratory is a model for museum-academic partnerships that aim to educate the public about child development by immersing museum visitors in the process of scientific discovery. In the Living Lab model, collaborating scientists conduct their studies within dynamic museum exhibits, rather than behind closed doors. Families visiting the exhibits are invited to participate in on-going research studies and engage in one-on-one conversations with scientists. Living Laboratory embraces a “mutual professional development” philosophy, in which museum educators and scientists share their expertise with one another through a variety of regular interactions. The National Living Lab Initiative With support from the National Science Foundation, the National Living Lab initiative is connecting a growing community of museum and research professionals who are interested in bringing current research in child development to informal learning settings (science centers, children’s museums and others). Living Laboratory Adopter Sites Onsite research programs in the Living Laboratory model have been established at sites across the U.S. with support from four “hub” sites: Museum of Science & Harvard Graduate School of Education, Boston, MA Maryland Science Center & Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Madison Children’s Museum & University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI Oregon Museum of Science and Industry & Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR • We aim to: • Increase the ability of scientists & museum educators to establish and maintain effective educational partnerships. • Improve research scientists’ interest in and ability to communicate their research to lay audiences. • Increase museum educators’ interest in and ability to integrate child development science into their educational offerings for adults. • Increase adult visitors’ awareness and understanding of cognitive research. Researchers receive ongoing training in informal education practices from museum educators, improving their ability to discuss their work with the public in accessible, engaging, and easily understandable ways. Likewise, museum educators learn about the scientific study of child development, including the methods used by scientists to systemically observe children’s learning – information that can be incorporated into their own interpretive practices and exhibit design efforts Living Laboratory Impacts Recent Living Laboratory Publications Brey, E.L., & Shutts, K. (in press). Children use nonverbal cues to make inferences about Social Power. Child Development. Kibbe, M.M., & Feigenson, L. (2014). Young Children ‘solve for x’ using the Approximate Number System. Developmental Science. Corriveau, K.H. & Kurkul, K.E. (2014) “Why Does Rain Fall”?” Children Prefer to Learn from an Informant Who Uses Non-circular Explanations. Child Development Smith, C.E., & Warneken, F. (2014). Does it always feel good to get what you want? Young children differentiate between material and wicked desires. British Journal of Development Psychology. The Living Laboratory community has 350+ members from more than 200 institutions in 46 states and 14 countries. Community members represent 72 Children’s Museums, 75 Science Centers, 50 Universities and 9 Colleges. • The National Living Lab network is growing: Museum professionals from 26 potential Living Laboratory sites across the country participated in regional events in the 3rd year of the project. Participants indicate that learning about the flexibility of the Living Laboratory model at these events stuck with them: • Visitor education in Living Laboratory emphasizes the process and purpose of science. At all sites examined in formative evaluation, researchers and museum educators described study activities and the purpose of research studies to visiting groups, providing opportunities to learn about the nature and applications of behavioral research. • Living Laboratory sites implement “essential elements” of the model in their own unique ways - the characteristics of the museums and their research partners create rich diversity in implementation. • Across hub sites, museum professionals provide orientations and participate in “greetings” with research partners at every shift. Staff at hub sites develop additional strategies for mutualprofessional development betweenresearchers and educators that reflect the partner institutions’ cultures (e.g., improv activities at OMSI). • Research studies occur in open spaces on the museum floor: Each site has identified unique • open and semi-open spaces in their exhibits so that researchers can get quality data and visitors • can observe science in action. • Living Laboratories operate at different sizes and scales: • Number of research lab partners per Hub site: 1 to 10 • Number of visitors participating in Living Laboratory per month at each site: 50 to 500+ • “I really appreciated that there were experienced researchers and museum people to talk about how [the program at their sites] evolved and had grown for them…” • “Most important thing [we learned at the symposium] was understanding the expectations of the university and the museum partners as well.” • ‘Understanding that each museum will implement differently for different reasons. • In July 2014, the project team received 20 applications for educational stipends to establish or expand programs at their own institutions.