The Reflective Museum Practitioner

Laura W. Martin is Senior Advisor and former Vice President of Education and Research, Arizona Science Center, USA. She has developed and studied programs in informal and formal settings examining the functions of media and interpretation in learning. She is a coauthor of Learning Science in Informal Environments (2009). Lynn Uyen Tran is Research Director in the Learning and Teaching Group at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California Berkeley, USA. Her work focuses on relating the science of learning to the teaching practices of informal educators and university faculty and cultivating reflective practice and professional learning among these communities. Doris Ash was formerly Professor of Science Education from the University of California Santa Cruz, USA. She conducts research on learning and teaching in formal and informal environments, specifically collaborating with students and families from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds.

Introduction 1. What is Reflective Practice? 2. Using Reflective Practice in Museums: Moving Beyond the ‘Standard Model’ 3. Can Reflective Practice Be Sustained in Museums? 4. Team Based Inquiry: A Tool for Reflection and Professional Learning 5. Data as a Driver of Reflection: Research+Practice Tools as Means for Engaging with Data 6. Reflecting on Practice Through Action Research: The Zoo and Aquarium Action Research Collaborative 7. Reflecting On Practice: Empowering Education Professionals in Informal Science Education 8. REFLECTS: Linking Museum Educator Professional Development to Increasing Visitor Diversity 9. Portal to the Public: Developing Scientists as Reflective Communicators with Public Audiences 10. Concluding Thoughts: Advancing the Field