Reflection: A Tool to Deepen Learning and Make It Visible

December 15th, 2020 | RESEARCH

As professionals, we often assume that the engaging experiences visitors have in our exhibits and programs will lead to long-term learning. But how do we know this is happening, and, moreover, how do we design exhibits, programs and interactions to maximize visitors’ ability to learn from their experiences?  At Chicago Children’s Museum a long- standing research collaboration with Northwestern University and Loyola, Chicago University has allowed us to examine how families’ conversational reflections during and after their in-museum experiences impact children’s ability to process and recall what they did during hands-on experiences.  Based on our work, this article suggests a number of tips and techniques for supporting children's STEM learning.

Document

Reflection-Strategies.pdf

Team Members

Tsivia Cohen, Principal Investigator, Chicago Children's Museum
Kim Koin, Project Staff, Chicago Children's Museum

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: AISL
Award Number: 1515771
Funding Amount: $387,628

Related URLs

Collaborative Research: Advancing Early STEM Learning Opportunities Through Tinkering and Reflection

Tags

Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Families | Middle School Children (11-13) | Museum | ISE Professionals
Discipline: Art | music | theater | Education and learning science | Engineering | Technology
Resource Type: Blog Post | Reference Materials
Environment Type: Making and Tinkering Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Public Programs