The science museum field has made tremendous advances in understanding museum learning, but little has been done to consolidate and synethesize these findings to encourage widespread improvements in practice. By clearly presenting the most current knowledge of museum learning, In Principle, In Practice aims to promote effective programs and exhibitions, identify promising approaches for future research, and develop strategies for implementing and sustaining connections between research and practice in the museum community.
John H. Falk Sea Grant Professor of Free-Choice Learning at Oregon State University. Lynn D. Dierking is professor of science and mathematics at Oregon State University. Susan Foutz is a research associate at the Institute for Learning Innovation in Annapolis, Maryland.
Table of Contents
1 Foreword 2 Preface 3 Part I: How People Learn in Museums 4 1. Towards an Improved Understanding of Learning from Museums: Filmmaking as Metaphor 5 2. Family Learning in Museums: Perspectives on a Decade of Research 6 3. Students, Teachers and Museums: Toward an Intertwined Learning Circle 7 4. Exhibit Design in Science Museums: Dealing with a Constructivist Dilemma 8 5. Research on Learning from Museums 9 Part II: Engaging Audiences in Meaningful Learning 10 6. Envisioning the Customized Museum: An Agenda to Guide Reflective Practice and Research 11 7. Museums and Cultural Understanding 12 8. Raising the Relevancy Bar at Aquariums and Science Centers 13 9. Challenging Convention and Communicating Controversy: Learning Through Issues-Based Museum Exhibitions 14 Part III: Fostering a Learning-Centered Culture in our Institutions 15 10. New Ways of Doing Business 16 11. Optimizing Learning Opportunities in Museums: The Role of Organizational Culture 17 12. Fostering Effective Free-Choice Learning Institutions: Integrating Theory, Research, Practice and Policymaking 18 13. Meaningful Collaboration 19 Part IV: Investigating Museum Learning in the Next Ten Years 20 14. Understanding the Long-Term Impacts of Museum Experiences 21 15. Investigating Socially Mediated Learning 22 16. Research in Museums: Coping With Complexity 23 17. An Emerging Research Framework for Studying Free-Choice Learning and Schools
