We talk about engagement a lot in our work, it is at the heart of everything that we do and we use it to describe and measure the value and benefit of our experiences. However, it can be a hard word to define. Beth Hawkins explores ‘what exactly do we mean when we talk about engagement?’.
Our Great Object Hunts invite people to follow their curiosity and find everyday examples and applications of STEM both in and beyond our museums. Charlotte Pike, resources Learning Producer shares why these are such a popular activity, and the work that goes into developing them.
Research around science capital highlights that there isn’t a single place, action or experience alone that will help improve engagement and equity around STEM. Our booklet pulls together science engagement and science capital research to answer the question, what role can informal learning environments play?
In the latest ‘Out and About’, Maxwell Hamilton took his niece to Eureka! The National Children’s Museum. He shares how they were made to feel welcome, and how the experience encouraged science talk and helped them link STEM to their everyday lives.
Maxwell Hamilton catches up with Frederike Gerstner, half of the ‘Ben and Fred’ duo who won the 2019 Josh Award for STEM communication. Find out how they created ‘The Juggling of Science’, and how they adapted it for the Science and Industry Museum’s half term crowd.
For the latest installment of ‘out and about’, Scout Davies explored the Yorkshire Museum. In this post she provides examples of exhibits and activities that help visitors feel welcome and confident to take part in the museum’s experiences.
This summer the Science and Industry Museum had a full programme of solar related shows and workshops to coincide with the new temporary exhibition ‘The Sun’. Maxwell Hamilton reflects on the application of science capital research in this programme of Explainer-led activities and beyond.
In September, the Explainer team at the Science and Industry Museum reflected on their current practice and refreshed their knowledge of science capital. This posts shares the good practice happening within their programme and the opportunities the science capital approach offers.
How can we help people feel that science is something that they can do? Helen Loft, a Science Museum Explainer, reflects on her work engaging visitors in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery.
Each year the Royal Society hosts their Summer Science Exhibition. As part of the team who deliver training to researchers and STEM professionals involved in the programme, Scout Davies visited the exhibition looking for examples of good engagement practice.
In the second of two posts, Maxwell Hamilton explores how a science capital approach helped to transform visitor interactions in the newly refurbished Textiles Gallery, at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.
For the bank holiday weekend Scout Davies, one of our Academy Programme Leaders, headed ‘out and about’ to Battersea Park Childrens’ Zoo. Here she shares some examples of good science engagement practice from her recent trip.