[on] how people learn science - Learning Research and ...

National Science Foundation Seen
as leader in advancing informal learning
BY
eriK W.
rOBeleN
At the Golden
Gate Bridge, a
set of exhibits is
being built to educate
millions of
annual visitors
on the science
and engineering
behind the
San Francisco
landmark. In Washington state,
local Girl Scout troop leaders are
getting trained to teach children
about scientific inquiry. And a
giant-screen film titled “Tornado
Alley” that debuted in March—
and is being accompanied by a
comprehensive outreach program—aims
to help audiences
explore the science behind severe
weather events.
Those disparate enterprises to
advance public understanding
of science—along with hundreds
of others over the years—have
been fueled by the federal Informal
Science Education program
at the National Science Foundation.
Federal agencies have long
supplied money and overseen
initiatives that support learning
outside the classroom. They
include the U.S. departments of
Energy and Agriculture, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the National Institutes
of Health, and the Institute for
Museum and Library Services.
The U.S. Department of Education
also supplies some dollars
that reach science-focused afterschool
activities through the 21st
Century Community Learning
Centers program.
But many experts assert that
the National Science Foundation
stands apart in the role it
has played in advancing the field
often referred to as “informal science”
learning.
“The heart of the federal government
that has really shown
leadership over the years is the
National Science Foundation,”
said Kevin J. Crowley, a professor
of education and psychology
at the University of Pittsburgh
who directs the university’s Center
for Learning in Out-of-School
Environments. “They’ve really
transformed the field.”
“It has been absolutely essential,”
Alan J. Friedman, the former
longtime director and chief
executive officer of the New York
Hall of Science, said of the science
agency’s role. “The growth
of the field of informal science
learning has been hugely influenced,
accelerated, and qualitycontrolled
by n s f. It has been the
single major factor.”
‘aNYWHere,
aNYTiMe’
The n s f first launched a program
for informal science learning
in the 1950s. At the time, it
was called Public Understanding
of Science. In 1983, that initiative
was replaced by the the Informal
Science Education program, which
is the main but not only source of
“ The
growth of the field
... has been hugely
influenced,
accelerated ...
by NSF.”
alaN J. FrieDMaN
Former ceO, New York Hall of Science
n s f funding in this domain.
The agency provides about $65
million a year through the program,
which supports a wide variety
of activities, including the
production of films and community
projects, traveling museum
exhibits, after-school initiatives,
and cyber-enabled learning. Of
that amount, about $25 million
is available for new awards,
while most of the rest goes
toward the continuation of
prior grant commitments.
Every project grant requires
an evaluation to assess
impact. The science foundation
also provides grants specifically
for research and has helped support
the establishment of organizations
such as the Center for
Advancement of Informal Science
Education, a partnership of several
institutions that aims to improve
informal-science-education
practice, document evidence of its
impact, and communicate the contributions
of the field.
The emphasis of the n s f’s Informal
Science Education program
is learning outside formal school
settings.
“The way we describe informal
science education is ... anywhere,
anytime, lifelong learning,” said
Alphonse T. DeSena, a program
director at the n s f. “Sometimes it
happens in school, but it’s not part
of the curriculum.”
The agency, he said, tries to have
a broad reach in terms of content,
audience, and the nature of the
learning experience.
“In all of this, we’re trying to
promote successful interactions
with the public and improvements
in how to do that,” Mr. DeSena
said, adding that “educational innovation
is a key element for any
award that we make.”
Martin Storksdieck, the director
of the Board on Science Education
at the National Academies,
said he appreciates the way the
n s f has pushed grant applicants.
It doesn’t simply underwrite good
ideas, he said; rather, it insists
that any new grant support an
idea that somehow advances the
field and moves beyond current
practices.
“I like the idea of the n s f saying:
Make the case for me why this is
important. Build on what’s been
done before. Create partnerships
that work, and ask yourself if
what you’ve created is effective,”
Mr. Storksdieck said. “The culture
of that type of thinking has been
created by n s f.”
Observers note that the agency’s
work in informal science has
evolved over time, and that over
the past decade or so, it has ratcheted
up requirements for evaluating
the impact of projects.
Sue Allen, the director of the
n s f’s division of learning in formal
and informal settings, said
S14 Education WEEK: sciEncE lEarning outsidE thE classrooml www.edweek.org/go/sciencereport l april 6, 2011
she sees a number of important
changes over time in
the agency’s work.
“What it takes to get
funded gets harder and
harder,” she said. “Nsf has been
moving the bar higher in terms
of evaluation, disseminating and
learning from prior work, and connecting
with other research areas
and traditions.”
She added: “We’re pushing
for a more compelling
and nuanced rationale
for what
[applicants]
do.”
FiScal aiD
the National science
Foundation supports a wide
range of initiatives through its
Informal science Education
program, distributing about
$65 million in grants each year.
Among the new or continued
grants announced over the
past two years are:
SOMe
graNTS
QUeSTiONeD
To be sure, the n s f’s work has
faced criticism at times.
Last year, some bloggers who
have been critical of the Obama
administration blasted the science
agency for committing
$700,000 for an experimental
theater troupe in New York City
to produce a musical on climate
change and conservation. Critics
called it a questionable use of
public money, especially in light
of the severe federal budget deficit.
Mr. DeSena of the n s f defends
the project, saying that it was
highly rated by external reviewers
and that “the use of dramatic
techniques in informal science
learning has a very long and solid
history.”
Some observers
lament that
funding for the NSF
informal Science
education program
has grown little in
recent years.
engaging latino audiences
in informal Science
education
$286,000
Addresses the low participation
rate of Latino youths and adults
in activities conducted by parks,
refuges, nature centers, and other
informal science education venues.
go-Botany: integrated
Tools to advance Botanical
learning
$1.63 million
Integrates Web tools and mobilecommunication
devices to facilitate
learning about botany and plant
conservation, with a focus on native
and naturalized plants in New
England
gulf Oil Spill Disaster
coverage
$199,000
supports National Geographic
television’s creation of a multiplatform
media effort to communicate the
scientific and engineering stories
unfolding in the Gulf region as a
result of the major oil spill in 2010.
Making Space Social:
exploring the educational
Potential of the Facebook
Social Network
$594,000
Underwrites a pilot investigation by
the space science Institute on the
use and effectiveness of stEMrelated
games within contemporary
Web-based, multiuser socialnetworking
platforms.