NRC guide recommends ways to foster science learning among all age groups

National Academy of SciencesOct 28 2009

A great deal of science learning takes place outside of classrooms -- in museums and after-school programs, for example, and through TV programs, books, and online activities. SURROUNDED BY SCIENCE: LEARNING SCIENCE IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS, new from the National Research Council, recommends ways museum professionals, media specialists, and educators can create experiences that foster science learning for people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures.

With case studies of exhibits, TV programs, and web activities, SURROUNDED BY SCIENCE is a practical guide based on a Research Council report released in January, LEARNING SCIENCE IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS: PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PURSUITS, which examined research on how people learn in settings outside the conventional classroom.

The guide will be available for immediate release starting at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 30. Reporters can obtain copies by contacting the Office of News and Public Information at tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail [email protected].