Published: April 24, 2018

In this Learning in Informal SettingsÌýtalk on May 1,Ìý, University of Washington-Bothell,Ìýwill discuss Tech Tales, an NSF-funded project that invites families to tell their stories through robotics.

If you go

Who: Open to the public
°Â³ó²¹³Ù:ÌýLearning in Informal Settings Seminar: Dr. Carrie Tzou
When: Tuesday, May 1, 3:30–4:30Ìýp.m.
Where: Museum of Natural History (Henderson), Paleontology Hall

the talk

With current calls to incorporate engineering into science education and the proliferation of makerspaces in informal learning environments, much is still to be known about how to realize this vision.

Robotics has the potential to engage in the vision of science learning presented in the , a multistate effort to create new educational standards. However, pedagogy and the design of robotics-inspired learning environments need to systematically work to push against boundaries of normative practices and tap intoÌýnon-traditional configurations of learners.

At the heart of Tech TalesÌýis the assertion that all learning is cultural; therefore, we center family stories as the vehicle through which families learn robotics. The project invites parents to take on new roles as learners with their children as they learn science and engineering conceptsÌýand draw on their own areas of expertise—perhaps in traditional practices such as sewingÌýor professional skills such as computer programming.

Tech Tales brings together several large institutions—an urban library system, a science center, a universityÌýand also Native American-serving institutions—to form a model of decentralized informal science education.

Tzou's talk will describe both the model of participatory design research that this multi-institutional group engaged in, as well as the ways in which families engaged in storytelling and robotics learning together.

the lecture series

Learning in Informal Settings isÌýco-sponsored by the School of EducationÌýand Museum of Natural History.ÌýRecognizing the average American will spend 95 percentÌýof their time outside of the classroom, the lecture series focuses on the science of non-formal teaching and learning and the important roles of non-formal learning in the lives of individuals and communities.