This Informal Science Education project is about facilitating learning STEM concepts by integrating a historical perspective (Conner Prairie Museum) and a science center-based perspective (Science Museum of Minnesota). This unique integration coupled with the well established protocol of the Conner Prairie Historical Museum interactive learning suggests the development of a new approach to learning STEM concepts that may be helpful to families. Further, this approach will be adapted and piloted in four additional historical museum venues in order to gain confidence in broadening the reach of the idea. Finally, an open source template will be generated enabling other museums to adapt the ideas generated in this project.
This project builds on the extensive studies of Conner Prairie on learning strategies in the historical context and the learning strategies and development of the exhibit by the Science Museum of Minnesota. The integration is fairly complex deriving sufficient understanding of each other's approaches and professional development. It is anticipated that both participants will gain from the experiment. Included in the plan are an additional two to four STEM concepts, but the first experiment will concentrate on energy and electricity. Museum visitors will experience the decorum of a period-dressed docent, the history of energy derivation and progressions to the present with opportunities to experiment with energy driven efficiency (wind-charger blade design, for example) and the newest generators. In addition, there will be opportunities for the families to learn more about electricity use and storage. During the development phases and on-the-floor time, visitors and staff will be evaluated not only to assess the success of the concepts, but also in an effort to enhance the learning and experience. Evaluation of visitors will occur at the site as well as various periods after the visitation. Finally, four additional history-based museums will be participating in the design and development of the exhibit from the initial phases as well actually setting up adapted exhibits in their own facilities near the end of the experiment. These museum participants include: The Museum of America and the Sea, Mystic, Connecticut; The Oliver H. Kelley Farm, Minnesota Historical Society, Elk River, Minnesota; The California State Railroad Museum, California State Parks, Sacramento, California; and The Wabash County Historical Museum, Wabash, Indiana.
The careful and documented effort of this integration and subsequent implementation is to generate a model for the concept so that it can be adapted broadly both in history museums and science centers. An open template shall be generated to facilitate adaptation by other sites. Further, the issue of learning under this regimen will be reported with the evaluation results. An additional distinction in this endeavor is that most of the visitors are rural families.
