I'd like to pick up on Linda's reference to color coding different levels of difficulty. (Sounds like a great project, Linda.) It immediately brought to mind the fun my kids and their friends have being challenged by computer games, and the satisfaction they derive from advancing to new levels. Not my cup of tea, by a long shot, but I have come to appreciate the inherent power, and addictive nature, of competition. And, in the end, the results gotta matter to participants.
I wonder, Anna, how you might harness kids' competitive juices to get them thinking about how they deal with the challenges in their lives.
Dean
Dean Krimmel, Creative Museum Services/Qm2
Helping Museums & Cultural Organizations Succeed
423 Range Road Baltimore, Maryland 21204
410-746-8350; [log in to unmask]; www.qm2.org
Check out my recent project: Go to www.pnclegacyproject.com and click on Oral Histories
----- Original Message -----
From: Linda Norris
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Existing exhibits - overcoming obstacles
Dear Anna--
The new Feigenbaum Hall of Innoviation at the Berkshire Museum (berkshiremuseum.org) addresses these issues like these. As a whole, the exhibit uses the process of innovation to explore the contributions of Berkshire innovators in art, science, culture and technology. One of the interactive sections is about overcoming obstacles and another is about creating solutions for problems (a different kind of obstacle). As a member of the interpretive team, I remember lively conversation about how to create an interactive that works for each and we did do prototyping for them. For obstacles, we have a table with metal puzzles (those bar puzzles, if you will) and a label that talks about trying and trying again. It also has paper mazes, which seem to engage different types of learners. We found that we needed to color code different levels of difficulty, so either you could try an easy one and move up; or try a hard one, perhaps not succeed, and try at a different level. For creating solutions to problems, a fun selection of materials is provided and participants are asked to design a solution to a household chore they don't like doing. My favorite from the prototyping: a u-shaped toothbrush to make brushing your teeth go faster! You can see photos of some of the exhibit elements, including, towards the bottom, the puzzle activity and the problem-solving on Katherine McKusker, the exhibition designer's website:
http://www.kjmccusker.com/Site/Katherine_McCusker_Design/Pages/Berkshire_Museum.html
Hope this is helpful.
Linda
On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 12:45 PM, Anna Lidstone <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi everyone
My team and I are currently developing an exhibit for kids 8-11 on the idea
of "overcoming obstacles" in service learning projects. The idea of the
gallery as a whole is to walk kids through the process of becoming active in
their communities.
If possible, we are trying to avoid making it just about physical obstacles,
such as in an obstacle course. We would prefer to focus on the
decision-making process to highlight the idea that any obstacle has multiple
"solutions". We are playing with the idea of some kind of process where, by
making decisions about how to handle an obstacle, kids gradually move closer
to an outcome, such an opening a combination lock. We want a low-tech
solution.
I'm wondering if anyone can think of an exhibit that does anything similar
to this, or other exhibits that deal with similar content.
I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
Thanks,
Anna Lidstone
--
Anna Lidstone
Content Developer
AldrichPears Associates
400-1455 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6G 2T3
Ph: 604 669 7044
[log in to unmask]
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Read my blog:
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Linda Norris
Riverhill
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