LabVenture: Leveraging the Power of Reflection and Visual Representation in Middle-Schoolers’ Learning During an Informal Science Visit and Beyond
LabVenture annually hosts nearly 70% of Maine’s 5th and 6th grade cohort for a 2.5 hour exploration of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem, and is free to schools to ensure equitable access. The LabVenture program offers an ideal context for addressing the research questions concerning (1) whether and how interpreting and constructing visual representations, such as drawing, improves students’ understanding of science; and (2) what further benefits are conferred by combining engagement with visual representations and prompts for reflection. The project addresses a longstanding problem of practice in informal science education: how to increase the likelihood of retention and subsequent use of learning from short-duration experiences. Outcomes focus on students’ memory of informal science learning experiences and subsequent use of science information and practices in their classrooms and at home. The project will also yield resources and video demonstrations of empirically based and field-tested practices that promote engagement with visual representations and reflection, and science understandings that can travel within students’ learning ecosystem.