(Texas Tech )
"Conservation" is a socially shared concept that is framed by society through socio-cultural interactions. In order to define how learning about conservation takes place in institutions of informal learning, we must identify the stimuli within the institution that influence conservation knowledge. This presentation focuses on the social, dialogic interactions that occur between the staff and visitors, specifically questioning. I will situate the importance of good questioning skills within the nine dimensions of reflective practice model and provide ideas about how informal educators may use questioning to shape social interactions. The nine dimensions of reflective practice focus informal educators' thinking about pedagogical approaches and provide them with a way to develop a consciousness of their teaching behaviors, performance, and impact.
Dr. Patrick is a professor of Informal Science Education at Texas Tech University. In cooperation with the Houston Zoo, she developed a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction for Informal Science Education. She has published 10 articles related to informal science learning, with a focus on sociocultural theory, and her work focuses on the importance of social interactions and the relevance of those interactions within families. Dr. Patrick published the book Zoo Talk and has a new book, Preparing Informal Science Educators, coming out this year. Dr. Patrick has been a guest speaker at the Chester Zoo (England), University College London Institute of Education (England), and Sao Paulo Zoo (Brazil), where she discussed questioning skills and preparing informal educators.