Abstract:
The Lawrence Hall of Science implemented a two-phase project, Building Understanding in Language Diverse Students, to modify school group workshops and drop-in public programs to better support linguistically diverse students and visitors. As we applied language support strategies developed for the school group workshops to additional areas of the science center, we encountered emergent complexities related to understanding our audience, designing program-specific modifications, and implementing professional learning opportunities for part-time facilitators and volunteers. While we weren’t able to directly apply everything we did in our school workshops to our public drop-in programs, our experience showed us the importance of engaging in an iterative process of design and testing, along with a comprehensive, organization-wide approach that includes researching audiences, engaging community partners, and providing professional development for all staff who interact with visitors.

Recommended Citation:
Trahan, L., Romero, V., & Blinderman, E. (2019). From the classroom to the floor: Applying language supports to new museum contexts. Journal of Museum Education, 44(4), 418-426

View Article:
https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20193495887