A Closer Look at Teachers Working at the Boundary Between Formal and Informal Science

• In Event: Poster Session 20
  In Poster Session: Diverse Forms of Learning in Informal Settings

Abstract

Many science educators and professional organizations espouse the importance of using informal learning contexts (museums, aquaria and the like) to support science instruction in formal (school) settings. Despite such endorsements, the pairing of the formal and informal learning contexts has proven to be challenging. This investigation attempts to identify those factors that distinguish ‘avid-users’—those who report using informal science education institution (ISEI) as field trip destinations more frequently—from their peers as a way to better understand how we might help teachers make better use of such community resources. Might we think of these avid-users as ‘boundary agents’, teachers who are able to effectively bridge the practices of two institutions—school and museum? This presentation explores these possibilities.

Author

• James F. Kisiel, California State University - Long Beach