Team-Based Inquiry

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Team-Based Inquiry ASTC Preconference Workshop,
October 18


www.nisenet.org
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Workshop Goals

• Encourage and empower museum professionals to use
  team-based inquiry to improve informal education
  experiences
• Understand what TBI is and how it can be used to
  more effectively develop educational experiences
  and improve professional practice
• Value TBI as a tool
• Develop skills to use TBI
• Use professional resources to try implementing
  TBI in your own work

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Speed Dating

• What are three surprising things that most people
  might not know about you?
• How do you currently get information to help
  improve your work or the educational experiences
  you create and deliver?
• How did you become involved in ISE or museum
  work?
• What experience have you had with evaluation?
• What is your best (or worst) science-related
  childhood memory?
• What is a current challenge in your work or at
  your institution that you would like to address
  within the next year?

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Team-Based Inquiry

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Team-Based Inquiry

An approach to empowering professionals to get
the data they need, when they need it, in order
to improve their products and practices and
create successful educational experiences

• Systematic
• Led by non-evaluation professionals
• Collaborative and team based
• Small scale and focused
• Embedded in work

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Horton Senses Something Small

Does the program engage young children? How could
it be improved?

• Data collection
• Observations of participants
• Surveys with caregivers and parents
• Example improvements
• Shortened story
• Prompted participation

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NanoDays 2012 Posters

Are educational posters worth including in the
NanoDays 2012 kit?

• Data collection
• Interviews with 30 visitors at three museums
• Informal observations
• Debrief with educators
• Example lessons learned
• Visitors liked the graphics and suggested
  improvements
• Educators felt graphics attracted attention and
  defined space

8
NISE Regional Meetings

Are we achieving our meeting goals? How can we
better support participants?

• Data collection
• Butcher paper and sticky notes
• What do you value most about this meeting?
• Whats one thing youre taking from this meeting
  to bring back to your institution?
• In what ways can the Network further support you
  nano education work?
• Example lessons learned
• More opportunities for partners to share

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Team-Based Inquiry

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TBI In Action

How could this activity be improved?
Brainstorm, prioritize, and implement solutions.
Collect feedback by interviewing visitors after
activity.
Review interview responses to identify common
patterns.
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TBI In Action

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Phase 1 Question

How can this activity be improved to be more
engaging for visitors and better communicate the
main message about nanoscience?
Brainstorm, prioritize, and implement solutions.
Collect feedback by interviewing visitors after
activity.
Review interview responses to identify common
patterns.
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Phase 1 Question

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Ferrofluid Activity

How can this activity be improved to be more
engaging for visitors and better communicate the
main message about nanoscience?
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Phase 2 Investigate

Brainstorm, prioritize, and implement solutions.
How could this activity be improved?
Collect feedback by interviewing visitors after
activity.
Review interview responses to identify common
patterns.
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Phase 2 Investigate

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Phase 3 Reflect

Brainstorm, prioritize, and implement solutions.
How could this activity be improved?
Collect feedback by interviewing visitors after
activity.
Review interview responses to identify common
patterns.
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Step 3 Reflect

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Phase 4 Improve

Brainstorm, prioritize, and implement solutions.
How could this activity be improved?
Collect feedback by interviewing visitors after
activity.
Review interview responses to identify common
patterns.
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Phase 4 Improve

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Wrap-Up

1. At the end of this workshop, are there new TBI
   questions that you might want to investigate
   related to your own work or projects at your
   institution?
2. What are the three most important things you will
   take away from this workshop?
3. What are three things you would like to do at
   your institution or as part of your work based on
   what you've learned or practiced today?

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Wrap-Up

• How can we make staff meetings more useful and
  efficient?
• What exhibit topics are visitors interested in?
• What communication strategies are working well
  and not so well on this project?
• What would my staff like the department to focus
  on over the next year?
• How do local community organizations currently
  perceive the accessibility of our institution?

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TBI Guide

www.nisenet.org/catalog/tools_guides/team-based_in
quiry_guide
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Questions and Comments

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This presentation is based on work supported by
the National Science Foundation under Grant No.
0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions
or recommendations expressed in this presentation
are those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Foundation.