Hands-On Museum Components Shape Family Science Talk About Fossils

• In Event: Social and Personal Connections to Informal Learning

Abstract

We investigated family museum conversations about fossilized mammoth bones, hypothesizing that hands-on components would lead to more focused science-relevant observation. In basic exhibits, skull and femur bones were simply displayed in a case. The hands-on skull exhibit contained a small rotating skull replica. The hands-on femur exhibit was a “femur chair” where visitors could compare their own femur with the mammoth’s. Labels used were coded: “skull” or “femur,” “mammoth,” “fossil,” “bone,” and parts (e.g., “tusk”). Findings revealed that in the hands-on exhibits families used “bone” less often and either “mammoth” or specific part labels more often. The hands-on activities facilitated more specific focus on the relevant aspects of authentic objects, and encouraged families to move beyond observation and construct evidence.

Authors

• Maureen A. Callanan, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Megan R. Luce, Stanford University

• Jenni Martin, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

• Sara De Angelis, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

• Lynn Kawaratani, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose