From experience to theory: Science recreation workshops as a practice-led approach in informal environments for science learning

Abstract

Science recreation workshops (SRWs) create dynamic experiences in which participants discover, explore and understand natural phenomena. This serves as a unique and valuable means of the public communication of science and technology and informal science education activities, with the public at the centre of the process. To achieve this, SRWs integrate action and reflection not as a dichotomy, but as a complementary relation in which sensorial interaction is not a thoughtless process and mental activity is not disembodied. In this way, SRWs create virtuous cycles of meaningful learning. However, SRW practitioners thus far have not paid enough attention to the development of a theoretical foundation to support their strategies; they remain highly dependent on empirical experience and tacit knowledge. The little attention paid to the creation of a conceptual framework represents a critical barrier for reflection, discussion and, with them, the maturation of the SRW community. This work links a characterization of the SRW, built upon empirical experiences, to a variety of learning theories to identify an essential basis for discussion on the subject. Our objective is to complement the rich empirical tradition of the SRW with analytic elements intended to encourage discussion and promote—as tends to happen in activities with the public—virtuous cycles of theory and practice.