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Staff Facilitation that Supports Family Learning at Exhibits

December 1, 2016 | Public Programs, Exhibitions
Front-line staff are an integral part of the visitor experience at museums and science centers across the country, facilitating activities and programs, leading classes, and more. But do these staff make a difference for visitor learning? And what are the most effective facilitation strategies and approaches? In 2013, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) received funding from the National Science Foundation for a three-year study, Researching the Value of Educator Actions for Learning (REVEAL), to begin to address these questions. Building on the Design Zone exhibition, REVEAL focused particularly on staff-facilitated family learning at interactive math exhibits. Over the course of three years, the team worked with expert educators, collected video and survey data from hundreds of staff-visitor interactions, and developed and tested a model of facilitation for supporting family learning and engagement.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • 2013 06 21 IMG 0768
    Author
    Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
  • 2013 05 24 Brazil July 2006 me no graph
    Author
    TERC Inc.
  • IVEL
    Author
    Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
  • Elizabeth Andanen
    Author
    Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
  • 2013 11 21 Dierking photo
    Author
    Oregon State University
  • Citation

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: AISL
    Award Number: 1321666
    Discipline: Engineering | General STEM | Mathematics
    Audience: Families | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators | Learning Researchers
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Exhibitions | Museum and Science Center Exhibits

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