-Posted to GEM-
Pre-registration is due 1 April. Hope to see you in New Orleans!

*Future Directions in Understanding Learning in And Outside the Classroom*

A special joint meeting of the National Association for Research in 
Science Teaching (NARST) Informal Learning Strand and the American 
Educational Research Association (AERA) Informal Learning 
Environments Research (ILER) Special Interest Group

Friday, April 28, 2000  8:00am to 2:30pm
New Orleans - Raddison Hotel

Purpose: To draw together the memberships of the NARST and AERA 
organizations who hold an interest in the area of "informal learning" 
for the purpose of exchanging ideas, perspectives, and insights 
concerning the understanding of learning in and outside the classroom.

Format: The meeting will consist of
1) A keynote address by Barbara Rogoff
2) Three chaired sessions in the form of a symposium/roundtable 
hybrid to outline key issues and stimulate vigorous discussion and 
dialog among participants.
3) A concluding address to focus the issues discussed during the 
course of the day and to synthesize directions in understanding 
learning in and outside the classroom.
(See complete agenda below.)

Registration: **All participants must preregister through the NARST 
2000 conference registration OR the ILER SIG of AERA.** There is a 
$35 USD workshop fee to cover lunch, refreshments, and printed 
materials.
To register through the NARST conference, see www.narst.org or 
contact Arthur White at (phone) 1-614-292-3339, (fax) 1-614-292-1595, 
or (email) [log in to unmask]
To register through the ILER SIG, see form below.
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Future Directions in Understanding Learning in And Outside the 
Classroom Registration

Name:

Institution:

Address:

Email Address:

Enclose a check for $35 USD, payable to AERA SIG.
Mail to Kit Klein, St. Louis Science Center, 5050 Oakland Avenue, St. 
Louis, MO 63110, USA by 1 April 2000.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAVID ANDERSON AT [log in to unmask]
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MEETING AGENDA

8:00 Pre-meeting socializing (Coffee, muffins, etc.)

8:30 Opening welcome from NARST and AERA representatives

8:45 Session 1 (organized by NARST Strand)
Links between formal and informal education settings and learning outcomes
Chair: David Anderson (Towson University). Panelists/Contributors: 
Lynn Dierking (Institute for Learning Innovation) and Terry 
McClafferty (Western Australian Museum / Curtin University).

This session will focus on issues pertinent to formal and informal 
education settings in terms of the interplay of their philosophies 
and agendas, the nexus of educational research between these 
settings, and the museum practitioner's perspective on learning 
outcomes and research. The session is designed to stimulate vigorous 
discussion and debate among the meeting's participants concerning the 
nature and meaning of links between formal and informal education 
settings and learning outcomes.

10:00 Break

10:15 Session 2 (Organized by AERA SIG)
Children and Museums as Resources for Learning: The Primary Sources Network
Chair: Scott Paris (University of Michigan), Panelists/Contributors: 
Ronald W. Marx, Joseph Krajcik, Elliot Soloway, Robin Bain, Barry 
Fishman, and Pyllis Blumenfield (University of Michigan).

The goal of this work is to promote the use of new learning 
technology in support of students' inquiry in learning in science and 
social studies. This work is based on a framework that assumes a 
close integration of curriculum and technology; we assume that new 
learning technologies, such as digital libraries and web-based search 
engines, will be more productive and lead to enhanced student 
learning if curriculum materials are designed to capitalize on the 
functionalities that these technologies provide. Retrofitting 
curriculum that was designed with older learning models will not be 
successful. We also assume that new approaches to curriculum and 
technology design will enable schools to use the vast and hitherto 
underused resources that are available in organizations such as the 
Henry Ford Museum. The presentation will describe the early phases of 
the curriculum and technology development efforts in which the 
Primary Sources Network has been engaged.

11:30 Lunch (provided)

11:50 Keynote Address: Barbara Rogoff
So what is the essence of informal learning and how can it be 
facilitated? Open forum for questions of the guest speaker to follow 
address.

1:05 Session 3 (Organized jointly by NARST Strand / AERA SIG)
Science in Public: Considering Family Perspectives
Chair: Kirsten Ellenbogen (King's College, London). Panelists: Joan 
Solomon (The Open University) and Gay Bisanz (University of Alberta). 
Discussant: Eric Pyle (West Virginia University).

Outside the classroom walls, the public is being challenged to 
examine and understand scientific information for their own decision 
making. This session is designed to consider recent research on 
science-related activities outside of schools. Panelists will discuss 
the multifaceted issues involved in developing resources to assess 
and shape the publics' understandings of science, particularly in 
relation to family life.

2:15 Reflection / Closing Remarks / Concluding Resolutions

2:30 Adjourn


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