ethnography process

So far I have observed not only several times at the Children's museum, but also at the Stem Cell learning lab. After having spent time at the Children's museum during a science experiment night recently, I decided I want to focus on science-education in youth. Specifically, I will be looking at different approaches and methods that are tailored for different age groups. The children's museum offered several exhibits and I had a chance to chat with some of the volunteers, and their thoughts on how effective each of their exhibits were in providing a stimulating learning environment. The Stem Cell Learning Lab provided a unique, realistic laboratory where youth (usually middleschool aged) can conduct researchers as those would on campus. Through detailing out their lessons, one can specifically see how the learning lab is tailored for the group. I am conducting additional research on other science outreach programs on campus, including WiCell and workshops at WID. I will focus on these methods in science education in relation to theories of Friere's banking method, the Wisconsin Idea, and psychologist, Jean Piaget’s learning theories. It is worth noting that some Piagetian principles for teaching and learning discuss the important of learning as an active process in a meaningful, authentic fashion. They also discuss the role of the teacher in encouraging students to become active constructors of their own knowledge in a rich environment for exploration. These are some of my fundamental aspects that I will talk about in my ethnography, yet I still have much more research to conduct and may find other theories that I would like to include in the paper. Moreover, I still have yet to completely chisel down my main claim, which, thus far, is to discuss the methods and approaches applied in several science outreach programs at UW and at the Children’s museum, representing science education (my observations and additional research on programs) in their relation to several educational/learning theories, including that of Friere’s problem-posing/banking method and that of Piaget (perhaps WI Idea too). I feel that during my research and digging through my observations, I will hone my claim and be able to develop my paper more thoroughly.

I am not sure whether I should discuss science education in comparison to other educational focuses for youth (such as writing, math, ect), or comparing science education at different levels (elementary vs collegiate – may discuss problem-posing/banking methods, for example). Do you think these would be important in creating a more dynamic discussion in my paper?