DANIEL LOY (@danjumbuck)

I'm a science centre professional who occasionally finds himself teaching in the formal classroom. I've been lucky to have had opportunities to visit numerous science centres and museums the world over, and am happy to share what I've experienced through my perspective.

For my other posts (on my travels, leisure, and food), visit my other site at www.danjumbuck.com.

Feel free to reach me at my email or find me on Twitter ( @danjumbuck).

Home
My Zazzle Store
Archive
Subscribe (RSS)
Ask me anything
Random post

Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

The gents at the Canadian War Museum. Over a year ago, I moved desks from the main office area on the upper level to the smaller office space on the lower level at the science centre where I worked. It was a bit of a pain having to make the trek to the pantry which was upstairs but the bit that had a bigger impact was that the closest toilet I had access to is now the one used by visitors as well. Before I get to that (and to the photo), I think it’s worth establishing the fact that I’m a huge fan of informal learning centres. In fact, I hope to be able to work at a variety of informal learning institutions from museums to aquariums to zoos though I do have a soft spot for science centres. However, I have to say that for an adult visitor, science centres are often a pain to visit and it’s no surprise to me that youths and childless adults are the hardest audience segments to attract. There are of course many reasons and I will not expound on them except that for me, one of the main issue is the lack of comfort. Everyone loves seeing a bus load of kids having an engaging and immersive learning experience but not everyone wants to share a bathroom with these same kids. I was reflecting on why I enjoyed my visit to the ArtScience museum so much because as impactful as it was to me, there are other science centres with similar offerings. Instead, when forced to recall places I’ve been that I want to visit again - institutions like ArtScience and the Canadian War Museum comes to mind. And there’s a reason for it: These spaces are thoughtful - you have expansive spaces, lots of ‘eye-rest’, areas where you can just contemplate and reflect without being burdened by ‘learning opportunities’ sneaking up on you from the back of bathroom doors, table-tops, and posters aplenty. After an intense gallery, I do need a space to just gather my thoughts and reflect (and this obviously is an important part of the learning process as well). These places are for all ages -  the kids are still there and still having a ball but the understated decor and clearly delineated spaces provide kids with cues on how to behave. Science centres on the other hand tend to encourage kids to get physical from start to end. Any wonder why the adults leave exhausted? The aesthetics are meaningful - the toilet that I waited to empty before I could take a blurry shot aptly echoed the ‘green’ of the war barracks and camo gear. The simple element of one dominant colour reinforced the theme of the museum and very effectively. Which brings me back to the toilets. At the lower level, sharing the toilets with everyone else, what I see are parents on full-support-mode. They are there for the kids - not for themselves. I’m sure they will take home some learning but wouldn’t it be nice if there was something for them too?

The gents at the Canadian War Museum.

Over a year ago, I moved desks from the main office area on the upper level to the smaller office space on the lower level at the science centre where I worked. It was a bit of a pain having to make the trek to the pantry which was upstairs but the bit that had a bigger impact was that the closest toilet I had access to is now the one used by visitors as well.

Before I get to that (and to the photo), I think it’s worth establishing the fact that I’m a huge fan of informal learning centres. In fact, I hope to be able to work at a variety of informal learning institutions from museums to aquariums to zoos though I do have a soft spot for science centres. However, I have to say that for an adult visitor, science centres are often a pain to visit and it’s no surprise to me that youths and childless adults are the hardest audience segments to attract.

There are of course many reasons and I will not expound on them except that for me, one of the main issue is the lack of comfort. Everyone loves seeing a bus load of kids having an engaging and immersive learning experience but not everyone wants to share a bathroom with these same kids.

I was reflecting on why I enjoyed my visit to the ArtScience museum so much because as impactful as it was to me, there are other science centres with similar offerings. Instead, when forced to recall places I’ve been that I want to visit again - institutions like ArtScience and the Canadian War Museum comes to mind. And there’s a reason for it:

  1. These spaces are thoughtful - you have expansive spaces, lots of ‘eye-rest’, areas where you can just contemplate and reflect without being burdened by ‘learning opportunities’ sneaking up on you from the back of bathroom doors, table-tops, and posters aplenty. After an intense gallery, I do need a space to just gather my thoughts and reflect (and this obviously is an important part of the learning process as well).
  2. These places are for all ages -  the kids are still there and still having a ball but the understated decor and clearly delineated spaces provide kids with cues on how to behave. Science centres on the other hand tend to encourage kids to get physical from start to end. Any wonder why the adults leave exhausted?
  3. The aesthetics are meaningful - the toilet that I waited to empty before I could take a blurry shot aptly echoed the ‘green’ of the war barracks and camo gear. The simple element of one dominant colour reinforced the theme of the museum and very effectively.

Which brings me back to the toilets. At the lower level, sharing the toilets with everyone else, what I see are parents on full-support-mode. They are there for the kids - not for themselves. I’m sure they will take home some learning but wouldn’t it be nice if there was something for them too?