Designs for (Optimized) Learning

For the article, Designs for Learning: Studying Science Museum Exhibits That Do More Than Entertain by Sue Allen I found the following passage intriguing.

“This latter endeavor has been part of a research project called Finding Significance,
in which we created video-based additions to existing exhibits, and compared the effects
of “narrative” video clips (in which four different people tell a personal story about their
connection to the exhibit) with “inquiry” video clips (in which the same four people ask the
audience short questions that invite further exploration or thinking about the exhibit) and
with a control (the baseline exhibit without any video addition).”

The “narrative” vs. “inquiry” video clips reminds me of one of our roles as Sparks, engaging with guest using VTS strategies, and how we act out the “inquiry” video clips in person. I think the idea of having designated floor educators to “ask the audience short questions that invite further exploration or thinking about the exhibit” rather than rely on excited (or indifferent) guests to watch a video that asks questions is a more practical, effective method of accommodating to different learning styles.

One major challenge with Sparks communicating the material of an “inquiry” video clip is that humans are not as consistent as robots; VTS can be made omnipresent using technology, however will not be multifaceted, adaptive, and interpersonal (as a video) like when engaging with a human being.

I remember my field trip to the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum when Allen mentions the “narrative” video clips, the two movies I watched in the Munger Theater, how empty the space was, how short the only other guests stayed to watch the second movie (a documentary on the biodiversity of Santa Barbara’s oceans). I don’t recall any “narrative” learning modes at MOXI besides storytime during Toddler Tuesday (which I unfortunately haven't seen yet). I definitely think more research should go into if and how that would be an effective learning method, because Allen does suggest that there could be errors in the methodology. I definitely think a flaw with the “narrative” strategy is that the experiences are third-person or sometimes far more distant. For instance, in the Santa Barbara and the Sea documentary there was so little sensory perception during the fisherman’s tales all most people could do is feel sleepy.

-Samantha Brown