The Complexivist Museum: Tinkering With Conditions to Cause Emergence in Science Museums

• In Event: 45.094 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Seven - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 45.094-3 - Innovations in Complexity Theory Applications

Abstract

Educational researchers utilize complexity theory to better understand and enrich formal environments, but complexity theory hasn’t been applied to informal educational environments. Informal educational environments provide rich environments for positive emergent behaviors to be seen. When past work in science museums was reexamined through a complexivist lens, exhibit characteristics that encourage family learning were found to mirror conditions necessary for emergence as defined by Davis & Sumara (2006, 2008). Three studies altered the initial conditions, deepening the interactions and encouraging valuable behavioral patterns to emerge. These studies were partially removed from the actual active environment of the museum floor, which handicaps the research since different behavioral patterns may emerge within the larger learning ecology of the science museum.

Authors

• William Katzman, Louisiana State University

• Thomas E. Ricks, Louisiana State University