A Tuscarora farmer reminisces about growing up on the farm and discusses agricultural practices and food preservation then and now, the central place of corn in Indian culture, community gatherings to accomplish large farm tasks, and teaching his children both agriculture and traditions through hands-on experience. (SV)

A practice-based learning model, involving self-directed learning, critical self-reflection, intentional active learning, and learning community, provides a way to structure informal continuing professional education (CPE) that occurs in practice. As individuals assume more responsibility for their learning, the legitimacy of informal CPE should…

Points out that learning in Western cultures is predominately concerned with left-brain, or rational, knowledge. Discusses the importance of balancing our learning systems with right-brain, or intuitive, knowledge; how outdoor and experiential learning can help foster this balance; and the role of the instructor as facilitator rather than teacher.…

A soliloquy on how to foster lasting, meaningful connections with nature considers facts, morality, problem solving of real environmental issues, and new high-tech tools, and rejects them all. Most environmentalists attribute their commitment to nature to having spent time outdoors in a keenly remembered wild place during youth. Spending time in…

This paper traces the evolution of a theory of learning in nature in order to explain how people learn in natural settings. The intellectual roots of the theory in informal learning, cognition, affective development, experiential and meaningful learning are described and the synthesis into a comprehensive theory of learning in nature are…

This paper discusses the evaluation of an informal science education project, The Birdhouse Network (TBN) of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. The Elaboration Likelihood Model and the theory of Experiential Education were used as frameworks to analyse the impact of TBN on participants' attitudes toward science and the environment, on their…

Provides an overview of NATURESPACE, 4-H's new approach to environmental education. Explains its origin, philosophical orientation, and program possibilities. States how the goals of environmental literacy, personal resource management, citizenship, life-long learning, and career awareness are addressed through a variety of programs. (ML)

Field trips don't have to be grueling. This practical guide helps teachers work together with science educators in the community to avoid common pitfalls that interfere with the many science-learning opportunities that exist in museums, parks, and science centers. The book offers tips and strategies on selecting community resources for field…

A study of paramedics revealed the following modes of informal learning: during task performance, from performance mistakes, through reflection while documenting performance, and from the experience of others. Routine and nonroutine partnerships played an important part. (SK)

Aims to acquire better understanding of how informal learning experiences may interface with classroom science instruction by investigating one aspect of science learning, that of scientific reasoning ability. Investigates possible differences in students' scientific reasoning abilities relative to their informal learning environments, classroom…

Tests the use of modeling and wait-time as guided-tour procedures and their use by docents as a strategy for increasing visitor questions. Modeling and wait-time seemed clearly important in encouraging visitors to begin to ask questions. Visitors asked an average of seven times more questions than had been asked on pre-experimental tours. (PVD)

Computer screen-based interactives can be very effective exhibits and are especially popular with children. Summarizes what museum researchers at London's Science Museum learned while testing computer-interactive exhibits. Topics include typical modes of behavior at computer exhibits, features that improve exhibit attractiveness, effective use of…

Offers reminders and tips for improving interpretive walks, including having a theme, drawing on basic teaching methods, drawing on all senses rather than just talking, being a role model to show how learning can be fun, using picture books, using tools of the trade to encourage visitors to learn for themselves, and playing games. (PVD)

In this article we describe an instance of free-choice learning in the context of an eelgrass mapping and stewardship project (the "Project") that covers over 500 kilometers of coastline in British Columbia, Canada, and involves 20 volunteer groups. In this ethnographic case study we sought to (a) explicate the relationship between…

The purposes of this investigation were to describe the curricular elements of a museum and to determine if the framework for interpreting a school curriculum found in "A Study of Schooling" (Goodlad & Associates, 1979) is applicable to the informal curriculum of the non-school setting. Eight museums were studied; curators were…