Ryan will join our blog and come to check out our first Exploratorium exhibition on Feb 28. He works in our Tinkering Studio (http://tinkering.exploratorium.edu/about) and is an expert facilitator.
In this video Ryan ends up with the ABC7 anchorman on the Musical Bench, an exhibit that since has been recreated on Market street by Shawn Lani's team. It also shows interesting views of our Tinkering Space under construction (about 1 year ago).
About Ryan Jenkins:
In
2006, I got a job as an explainer at the Exploratorium with an interest
in education but little formal background in art or science. Throughout
my time at the museum, I’ve had so much fun learning about all three
from an amazing community of artists, teachers, scientists, and makers.
In the Tinkering Studio I help to prototype a space for people to try
out foolish ideas, get into trouble, and figure out their own creative
solutions to tricky problems. More specifically, I work with explainers,
teachers, and other museum educators to develop and practice a style of
facilitation that supports people’s ability to construct their own
knowledge of how the world works. I feel lucky to have had the chance to
travel to Italy, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia to collaborate with others
trying out this style of teaching and learning at institutions large and
small. And one day I hope to live down the infamous incident of
spilling gallons of bubble solution all over the floor of the exhibit
shop.
Welcome, Ryan! I'd love to hear more about your experiences with this style of teaching + learning in foreign countries, and I'd also be curious to hear more about the current pre-existing teaching systems in schools in Italy, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia and in which ways it maybe similar or very different from the Exploratorium style of teaching + learning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight, Ryan! I read the blogs and liked how you put it as "We often say that the tinkering studio is not physical objects, exhibits, or materials, but is made up of a group of people interested in practicing being educators, trying new things, and sharing ideas with visitors to the space."
ReplyDelete