Models of Learning and Theories of Practice for Informal Learning Environments

While studies of learning and learning environments have predominantly taken place in laboratories and formal educational settings, there is a growing community of researchers conducting studies in non-school settings such as museums, after school programs, homes, zoos, workplaces, and other informal learning environments (e.g., Callanan & Jipson, 2001; CILS; Leinhardt, Crowley, and Knutson, 2002; Martin, in press; Museum Learning Collaborative). One goal of informal learning research is to contribute to an understanding of how to support those students who fail to learn through traditional formal approaches to education.