(The following is the first draft produced by the Exhibit Instructional Labels Advisory Committee.)
All of the basic text should be written at the fourth grade reading comprehension level. Challenge questions might involve vocabulary beyond the fourth grade level however.
The label should be organized into two or more pages bound together at the top with rings or spiral binder or similar. The intent is that second and following pages can be easily accessed simply by lifting up prior pages, but when a visitor finishes with the label only the first page is visible to the next person.
To make the label more accessible to people of all ages, when possible the label should be about sixty degrees to a tabletop.
The intention is to be able to provide several pages of printed material when appropriate. Too much visible text will however intimidate some visitors. We also want to make the visitor look further for an explanation or answer to a question.
Each exhibit should have an easily visible title. Each instructional label should begin with that same title. The title should be something that draws the visitor in to the exhibit, not a scientific term or phrase. The title also should visually suggest or reinforce the initial question discussed next.
The label should begin with a leading question that does not have a simple yes or no answer. The question should be open ended.
(The initial suggestion was to begin the label with the question. That will produce a lot of excess white space at the top of the first page. That also might confuse some people who would expect the first text on the label to be the exhibit title. For these reasons the sample exhibit labels begin with the title and then the question.)
The first titled section of the label is WHAT TO DO or WHAT TO TRY. This section explains how to begin using and interacting with the exhibit. The instructions should not be too specific - not step by step like a cookbook. The overall goal is to have people experiment or try things. Detailed step by step instructions might defeat that goal. This section should also include open ended questions to make people think about possible explanations.
The next titled section is AN EXPLANATION or WHAT IS GOING ON. This should not be on the first page, so that visitors have an opportunity to think.
Research on learning and revised curriculums strongly suggest relating new learning to the learner's everyday life. The next titled section, IN YOUR WORLD should do that.
Each exhibit presents a learning opportunity. Visitors should be able to continue the learning opportunity after leaving the education center. DO IT YOURSELF whenever possible should suggest how to replicate the basic exhibit on a smaller and less expensive scale at home. Clearly, a second intent of this section is to suggest to teachers how to replicate the basic exhibit in the classroom.
All exhibits have the potential to challenge individuals ranging from third graders to adults. All that is required is the proper question and perhaps some supplemental information not in the basic explanation (AN EXPLANATION or WHAT TO DO). There should be a question at each of several maturity/knowledge levels. It is suggested that questions appear, in order, at the following levels:
The questions should be labeled in such a way that a visitor (who might be an adult) would not be embarrassed if unable to answer a particular question. Thus, questions should not be labeled by the target grade level. The visitor should not feel obligated to read all of the questions, because an education center is an informal learning situation. The questions are simply labeled CHALLENGE 1, CHALLENGE 2, CHALLENGE 3, et cetera. Again so that visitors have an opportunity to think before seeing the answer, the first challenge question should appear at the bottom of page 2 of the label, the answer and next question on page 3, et cetera. The Ohio Proficiency test "outcomes" identify particular topics and thinking skills the students are expected to master. To help teachers and all adults visualize how these exhibits can contribute to and supplement formal education, these challenge questions could be correlated to those outcomes.
Few visitors will want to know the technical names of the science, mathematics and engineering technology topics to which the exhibit relates, but since very little cost is involved in detailing this information it should be available to those interested few. It was suggested that this information be listed for each exhibit on the web site. Given the format for the challenge questions however there is likely room on the last page following the answer to the final question. Thus the last page ends with TOPICS INVOLVED.
Recognizing the "Behaviors associated with family learning" discussed in an article "Families are Learning in Science Museums", the sample exhibit labels should include phrases or sentences intended to promote:
Traditionally, visitors to a museum or education center do not read labels. That is understood. For the people who do look at a label, the objective is to try to maximize the educational opportunity. And it is felt that there are some approaches the center will be able to take to increase the number of visitors looking at the labels.
(Please feel encouraged to look at these ideas as first draft material, and forward reactions and suggestions to the committee. Several drafts and revisions are anticipated. After the first of the year there will be opportunities to observe visitors using the exhibits and labels and use questionnaires and/or interviews to evaluate the effectiveness of the labels.)
Research for these guidelines included:
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