Contextual learning model in the museum, and manipulating Frames of Reference - Sam S.

How does the Contextual Model of Learning apply to evaluation in Informal Learning Environments? 
What aspects of the Contextual Model of Learning (or the large Museum Visitor Experience Model) are most interesting and why? 

As the authors state, the Contextual Model for Learning doesn't explain learning per se, but provides a framework for understanding conditions that affect learning. For the sake of evaluation in informal environments, it would be important to get information from a guest before or at the beginning of thier visit to determine their motivation, frame of reference, and their expectations. Then, tracking the dynamics of their group, and how they react to exhibit design and facilitation, further inform how they are learning and what can be improved in any of these facets. One problem this raises for me is that evaluating learning in an informal space seems incredibly intensive. In order to assess the nature of a visitor's learning context, thorough interviewing and tracking seems to be required. In the readings, the authors gave the examples of "Susan" and "Benjamin," as examples of the contextual model for learning. However, it seems like tracking a large enough sample size of visitors in such a thorough way, then extracting meaningful information from each data point, would be a huge investment.

Pivoting to the second question, I found the concept of frame of reference very interesting in informing how a visitor learns in a museum, and their overall experience. Falk mentions that most visitors generally fall into the categories of facilitator, explorer, experience-seeker, hobbyist, and recharger. In the context of MOXI, I'd venture that most visitors fall into one of the first two categories. I think that when facilitating at MOXI, keeping these identities/frames of reference in mind is really important, while also pushing visitors to adopt other roles at times. Getting a facilitating parent to do a little of their own exploring, or prompting a field tripper to explain a phenomena to a peer is always rewarding. 

It's rather obvious, but it occurred to me explicitly why we give the welcoming talk to field trip groups. It's not just to give them safety rules. The welcome talk gives them an advanced organizational concept of the museum, which Falk says increases confidence and makes learning much easier. It also serves the purpose of clarifying their frame of reference. Telling elementary-aged children that they are here to BE SCIENTISTS probably imparts them with slightly different expectations and learning behaviors then they may have otherwise. I think it would be really interesting to see an evaluation of field tripper behavior for those who are given that frame of reference, versus those who may be told that they are here simply to have fun with their friends.

-Sam S.