Research Question Draft

How do science exhibit labels promote learning in the way people speak about and discover new information?  My research question corresponds to the Discovery Center, where I will be spending time volunteering.  Science museums have countless exhibits, from various types and sizes, to different locations with different themes.  While none of these exhibits share the same function, all are displayed with multiple labels.  These labels are the key to viewing each exhibit; they explain how a device works and why, without labels, the patron would be hopeless in trying to figure out how to operate or understand each exhibit.  Unlike most science museums, the Discovery Center is a hands-on environment where patrons are allowed to touch and play with anything they want (quite exciting for children).  People might speculate that if everything is “hands-on,” then it must be geared for children therefore not making it very exciting for adults.  On the contrary, as Jason Mumford, Tyler Willis and I walked around the museum, toying with every exhibit, we found ourselves to be having a great time!  While we were figuring out how each exhibit worked, while speaking with each other about the reasons why it worked.  In two hours at the Discovery Center, I found myself learning about all sorts of facts and relating what I learned to what I use and see every day.  If my group members and I were learning about each exhibit by speaking with each other and arriving at conclusions, would children not be doing the same thing at a more shallow level?  It is fascinating how an exhibit is labeled and the role it plays in the way people speak about an exhibit and what they learn from their experiences.