UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIONS AT SCIENCE CENTERS AND MUSEUMS -- TABLE OF CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- NOTES -- USING SOCIOCULTURAL FRAMEWORKS TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERACTIONS AT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTERS AND MUSEUMS -- INTRODUCTION -- THE NATURE OF ARTEFACTS -- MEDIATION THROUGH ARTEFACTS -- APPROPRIATION OF THE MEDIATIONAL POTENTIAL OF ARTEFACTS -- EXPANDING THE MEDIATIONAL POTENTIAL OF ARTEFACTS IN EXHIBITIONS -- HUMAN MEDIATION -- A MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIONS IN STCS AND MUSEUMS -- METHODOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES AND THE ANALYTICAL UNIT -- CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCES -- CHANGING PRACTICES, CHANGING IDENTITIES AS MUSEUM EDUCATORS: From Didactic Telling to Scaffolding in the zpd -- INTRODUCTION -- RELATED RESEARCH -- WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CHANGING IDENTITY? -- MULTIPLE AND MIXED METHODOLOGIES -- DIFFERENT LAYERS AND TYPES OF ANALYSIS -- A) Changing Practices: Understanding Scaffolding -- B. Changing View of what Success Means -- C) Missed Opportunities -- D) Gained Opportunities -- E) Meta-reflections on Changing Roles -- F) Changing Identity -- a. Reflection on Pre-training Facilitation -- b. Post-training interactions -- DISCUSSION -- Working in the zpd -- Sharing Power -- The Roles of Conflict and Contradiction -- NOTES -- REFERENCES -- THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE: Unravelling Visitors' Views of Body Worlds and the Story of the Heart -- INTRODUCTION -- SETTING THE CONTEXT -- THE MEDIUM AND THE MESSAGFE: BODY WORLDS AS OBJECT & MEANING -- METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSES -- VISITOR RESPONSES TO BODY WORLDS -- The Medium -- Personal Narratives/Stories -- Transposing and Universality -- The Message(s) -- Health -- Education: Teaching and Learning -- Mystery -- The Tensions -- Dissonance -- (Re)presentation -- IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSION -- NOTES -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: -- REFERENCES.

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AT AQUARIUM TOUCH TANKS-EXPLORING INTERACTIONS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LEARNING -- INTRODUCTION -- FRAMING THE INVESTIGATION -- DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS -- THE PLACE OF TOUCHING AT THE TOUCH TANKS -- BEYOND TOUCHING -- Post-Debrief Activities -- Other Activities -- CONCLUSIONS -- NOTES -- REFERENCES -- STUDENT TEACHERS' MOMENT-TO-MOMENT REASONING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISCURSIVE THEMES - AN ANALYSIS OF PRACTICAL EPISTEMOLOGIES -- INTRODUCTION -- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK -- THE STUDY SETTING AND THE DIORAMA -- ANALYZING THE CONVERSATION -- FINDINGS -- Detailed Analysis -- Large Scale Analysis -- Relation between themes. -- The role of the teacher. -- Curational intent: a third-person analysis. -- FINAL CONCLUSIONS -- NOTES -- REFERENCES -- THE IMPACT OF EXHIBIT-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON TEACHERS' PCK -- INTRODUCTION -- INQUIRY AND COLLABORATION IN INFORMAL EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT -- THE STUDY -- Sample -- Design -- All About You (Life Sciences) -- DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS -- RESULTS -- Guided Tours -- Free Exploration -- Personal exhibit related conversation -- Content-based exhibit related conversation -- Pedagogical exhibit related conversation -- Use of a Worksheet -- Personal exhibit related conversation -- Content-based exhibit related conversation -- Pedagogical exhibit related conversation -- DISSCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS -- REFERENCES -- EXPLORING AND SCAFFOLDING LEARNING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND MUSEUM EDUCATORS -- INTRODUCTION -- THEORETICAL BACKGROUND -- STUDY 1: EMBEDDED STUDENT LEARNING ABOUT TEACHING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM -- THE LEARNING PROCESS - A THEORETICAL BASE -- THE LEARNING PROCESS - IMPLEMENTING THE INITIATIVE -- EVALUATION DATA.

STUDY TWO: PURPOSE, CHOICE AND OWNERSHIP IN TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: TEACHERS LEARNING TO FACILITATE STUDENT LEARNING ON EXCURSIONS -- METHOD OF INQUIRY -- RESULTS -- EDUCATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- LOOK AND LEARN: Young Children's Behaviour at an Interactive Exhibit -- INTRODUCTION -- THE MITEY QUARRY -- EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF MITEY QUARRY -- THE RESEARCH STUDY -- CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES WITH THE MITEY QUARRY -- Description of Group Activity -- Description of Individual Children's' Activities -- CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS OF THE MITEY QUARRY -- Children's Understandings of the Mitey Quarry -- DISCUSSION -- The Relationship between Activity and Understanding of the Mitey Quarry -- Creative Thinking and Challenge at the Mitey Quarry -- Doing, Thinking and Talking in a Collaborative Situation -- REFERENCES -- ACTIVITY THEORY AS A LENS TO EXAMINE PROJECT-BASED MUSEUM PARTNERSHIPS IN ROBOTICS: Tools, Challenges and Emergent Learning Opportunities -- THEORETICAL GROUNDING OF THE STUDY: ACTIVITY THEORY -- METHODOLOGY -- 1. The Supporting Montreal School Program or SMSP -- 2. Science Center -- 3. The Two Participating Classrooms -- Case 2: Capitol -- Data Collection and Analysis -- RESULTS -- TENSIONS, CHALLENGES AND EMERGENT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES -- 1. Goals and Motives for Participation -- 2. Tools and Lived Challenges -- 3. Emergent Learning Opportunities -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- SCAFFOLDING STUDENTS' POST-VISIT LEARNING FROM INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS -- INTRODUCTION -- METHODS -- OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCAFFOLDING -- Scaffolding Understanding of Pulleys -- Extending understanding of friction -- Building vocabulary -- Getting to grips with force and pressure -- Bernoulli Blower - Too far outside of the ZPD? -- DISCUSSION -- NOTES -- REFERENCES -- APPENDIX: EXHIBIT DESCRIPTIONS.

IMITATING THE FAMILY VISIT: Small-Group Exploration in an Ecological Garden -- INTRODUCTION -- WHAT RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT CLASS VISITS TO ISI -- The Ecological Garden and the Visit Principles -- THE STUDY -- FINDINGS -- Meaningful Learning -- Teachers and Parents-Roles and Learning -- DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- INDEX.