Museum Exhibition for Physics Learning in Formal Educational Environment: a case study.

This research has focused on non-formal Science education activities employed during formal education. A Science exhibit about optics was built and taken to the school, a formal educational environment. The actions of a group of High Schools students visiting the exhibition were observed and analyzed. The exhibit, among labels and posters and paintings, has an obscure camera with a small hole in one on its sides, so that the light, coming from one outside object, was projected in a screen inside the camera. The exhibit aimed to show how the great painters used the Geometric Optics principles to create their paintings. The exhibition was based on the work of Queiroz, Barbosa-Lima and Santiago (2006). A qualitative research approach was used to understand whether the exhibition could motivate students to learn Science. To do so we planned three moments of data collection; before, during and after the students' visit to the exhibit placed in the school hall. The students' interactions that occur before and during their visit to the exhibit were observed and video-taped. The third moment of observation happened back in the classroom, with the Science teacher. The results show that such activities can sharpen students' scientific curiosity, thus contributing to improve the process of Science learning. Exhibition, as this, has the characteristic of contextualizing Science content by showing how such knowledge is employed. The exhibit has enhanced students' participation and involvement. Thus, this research work suggests that the use of non-formal education activities such museum exhibits may improve students' interest in Science