About informal science education
Informal science education supports people of all ages and walks of life in exploring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Making bubbles
Informal science education happens in many different places and through a wide variety of media—among them, film and broadcast media, science centers and museums, zoos and aquariums, botanical gardens and nature centers, digital media and gaming, science journalism, and youth, community, and after-school programs.
Grounded in a view of the human as naturally curious, social, and actively engaged in learning, informal science education is characteristically pleasurable, open-ended, equitable, and accessible.
It’s been said that “Informal learning happens throughout people's lives in a highly personalized manner based on their particular needs, interests, and past experiences. This type of multi-faceted learning is voluntary, self-directed, and often mediated within a social context. It provides an experiential base and motivation for further activity and subsequent learning.” (NSF)
In January 2009, the U.S. National Research Council released a report about informal science education, Learning Science in Informal Environments: Places, People, and Pursuits. In releasing the report, the NRC noted that "tens of millions of Americans, young and old, choose to learn about science in informal ways - by visiting museums and aquariums, attending after-school programs, pursuing personal hobbies, and watching TV documentaries, for example. There is abundant evidence that these programs and settings, and even everyday experiences such as a walk in the park, contribute to people's knowledge and interest in science." Philip Bell, co-chair of the committee that wrote the report and associate professor of learning sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, added that "Learning is broader than schooling, and informal science environments and experiences play a crucial role. These experiences can kick-start and sustain long-term interests that involve sophisticated learning."
NSF's Informal Science Education program supports innovation in "anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning," through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning outside formal school settings. The NSF ISE program is one of several grant programs in NSF's Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL).
The CAISE Network includes groups and organizations that represent and serve sectors of the ISE field. Together, they form a communication network that supports the ISE community as a whole.