Empowering Future Generations With Science And Technology: 2-3 August 2008 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Symposium on Public Understanding of Science and Technology (PUSAT 2008)

Empowering Future Generations with Science and Technology 2-3 August 2008 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Science Centers: Impact, Learning, Skills YM Tengku Nasariah Ibrahim & En. Kamaruddin Kassim

Petrosains The Discovery Center Suria KLCC

Our Headquarters is at Suria KLCC PETRONAS Twin Towers

PETROSAINS Our Vision: A world class science discovery centre that inspires fun-learning, creativity and innovation

Brand Promise: Creating wonder through discovery and learning Building future talents through the science of energy

Our Approach: We try to create ‘holistic’ environments for engaging audiences and making them feel ‘safe and supported’ to observe, play, explore, investigate, experiment, create, contemplate, discuss, debate, INQUIRE and WONDER into or about the natural and human-made world

Some basic facts about Petrosains •100% owned by PETRONAS (national petroleum corporation of Malaysia) •Opened to public 25 March 1999 •70,000 square feet of exhibition area •Manned by about 200 staff for Science Centre (including 2 Gift Shops), Travelling Exhibition and PETRONAS Twin Towers Skybridge visitation management

Geographically today…… TRAVELING EXHIBITION (since 2004)

TRAVELING EXHIBITION (since 2001)

Langkawi

BKE

Johor Bahru

Petrosains KLCC Main exhibtion center:  70,000 sq ft of exhibition  > 300 interactive exhibits  300,000 visitors per year.

Traveling Exhibition... 1. PETRONAS StreetSmart • The exhibition behind the science of road safety • We want to start from young (“melentur buluh biarlah dari rebung”) PETRONAS StreetSmart in Sabah Centre Point Kota Kinabalu (April 2003) Dewan Masyarakat Sandakan (February 2005) Dewan Masyarakat Tawau (April 2007) Dewan Masyarakat Lahad Datu (May 2007) Dewan Masyarakat Damai, Kota Kinabalu (June 2007) Dewan Tun Mustapha, Kudat (September 2007) Dewan Pa’ Musa Tapak Tamu, Beaufort (December 2007)

1. PETRONAS StreetSmart •It is in response to an identified national need for a greater awereness about road safety. •Example of how Science Center is serving a social need and presenting the information through the lens of science.

2.

Petrosains DinoTrek

•An interactive science exhibition that explores dinosaurs and prehistoric life •Place where children and families share the joy of discovery and practise science process skills Petrosains DinoTrek at Sabah Dewan Foo Chow, Kota Kinabalu Mac-June 2006

Lao Tze • If you tell me, I will listen • If you show me, I will see • If you let me experience, I will learn

EFFICIENCY OF LEARNING Approximate content learned from different activities Reading 10% Hearing 20% Seeing 30% Hearing and seeing 50% Discussion with others 70% Direct experience or ‘smart play’ 80%* Teaching others 95% * Science Centres operate in a zone of optimal learning efficiency Source: Agastya Foundation, India

Impact: What We Know Science centre researchers / evaluators worldwide have generally agreed that science centers and museums impact our audiences in the following areas: • • • • •

knowledge engagement attitude behavior skills

Knowledge • Things that our audiences consciously “know” • Includes knowledge, awareness, and/or understanding that can be expressed by learners in their words or images during, immediately and long after their experience • We help audiences understand a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related topic, principle or theory, the history or philosophy of science, or science as a process

Engagement • Captures the excitement and involvement of learners in a topic, area or aspect of science • Key assumption of the science centre field is that we engage • Range of common “affective” experiences include joy, delight, awe, wonder (our new brand promise!), appreciation, surprise, inspiration, etc. as well as a range of possible negative emotions (intended and unintended)

Attitude • Goes beyond engagement in activities and exhibits to encompass longer-term stances that audiences take towards groups, issues, or topics e.g. the environment, their thoughts and feelings about science or scientists, engineers, etc. • May involve changes of mindset or opinion, e.g. no longer think that science or a particular topic is boring

Behavior • Involves changes to audience’s long-term behaviors, in their lives, beyond the exhibit, facilitated experience or program • Behavior is often the targeted impact for exhibits or programs on the environment • May lead to further curiosity, investigation about particular topics, or changes of habits, such as conservation and/or increased commitment to environmental stewardship (e.g. buying high efficiency light bulbs, etc.)

Skills • Targets the procedural aspects of knowing, as opposed to “declarative” aspects captured by the “knowledge” category • Reinforces science process skills through practice and rehearsal, esp. in social context • In science centers and their outreach satellites and activities, skills are learnt or enhanced by observing, mimicking and jointly participating with more experience family members, school mates or other participants

Science Process Skills and School Curriculum •Observing •Classifying •Measuring and Using Number •Making inferences •Predicting •Communicating •Using space and time relation •Interpreting information •Defining operationally •Controlling variables •Making hypothesis •Experimenting (Skills: To be addressed by En. Kamaruddin)

Learning • Learning Dimensions As recommended by renowned science center researcher Dr. David Anderson, Petrosains Service Provider Index (SPI) Survey is structured to align the feedback from respondents regarding their learning experience against the five learning dimensions. Dimensions that we measure are: • Cognitive • Appreciation • Social • Affective • Motivation

Learning Dimensions •

Cognitive: Are learners able to make sense of the learning at hand with clarity and understanding?

•

Appreciation: Did learners recognise the potential value of their learning experience? Has the learning experience been positive and acknowledged?

•

Social: Did learners interact and engage with others during their learning? Is the learning experience shared?

•

Affective: Are learners engaged and involved? Did visitors have a positive and memorable experience?

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Motivation: Are learners encouraged to further explore? Did they feel keen to further engage?

Montage of Petrosains

Petrosains Process Skills

Observation Plasma Tube • beautiful just to watch it go through its paces and react to visitors’ and facilitators’ touch

Observation Step Into Infinity • notice the multiple images of yourself on either side of you, as well as above you!

Observation Examine These Fossils • look closely, there is a lot to see here!

Observation Real Image • don’t just look from one angle, you may miss something!

Questioning

Plasma Tube • What is that funny purplish-white “worm” of light in the tube? • What is creating it and what makes it respond to people’s touch? • What does “plasma” have to do with it?

Questioning Colored Shadows • What is causing the colored shadows? • Why these particular colors?

Questioning Sliding Magnets • Why does the ring with the gap in it pass by the magnets more quickly?

Questioning Polarization of Light • What is the relationship between the angle of the Perspex pieces and the colors they appear to be?

Predicting Resonant Rings • After playing with this for while, I can predict which frequencies will make which rings bounce!

Predicting Jump Energy • You’ll love to guess how high you, your friends and family can jump, based on their height and weight

Predicting Gravity Race • Predict which car designs will win a race!

Hypothesizing, Planning and Investigating

Cycloid Gravity Race • In all of these exhibits, you can change variables based on your curiosity, what you observe as well as your past experience…

Hypothesizing, Planning and Investigating Energy Conversion Loop the Loop • In all of these exhibits, you can change variables based on your curiosity, what you observe as well as your past experience…

Interpreting Charles’ Law Boyle’s Law • Both of these exhibits invite you to interpret the relationship between the variables you are guided to manipulatepressure, volume and temperature

Communicating • All Petrosains’ exhibits showcase our own attempts to communicate science, technology, engineering and math to our audiences, and every one of them also provides you with an opportunity to share your experiences with your family, friends, other visitors and Petrosains’s staff. It’s what we’re all about!

Communicating • All Petrosains’ exhibits showcase our own attempts to communicate science, technology, engineering and math to our audiences, and every one of them also provides you with an opportunity to share your experiences with your family, friends, other visitors and Petrosains’s staff. It’s what we’re all about!

THANK YOU AND SEE YOU AT PETROSAINS