Do You Read Labels?

Last Updated (Tuesday, 25 August 2009 09:53) Written by Raymond Nakamura

Label Making

Writing exhibit labels is a fine art. When I worked on the labels for the Our World gallery, I wrestled with how to —

1. Help people explore the cool parts of the exhibit itself.
2. Anticipate some of what people want to know.
3. Encourage them to think about and discuss relevant ideas.
4. Do it as succinctly as possible. Usually in less than 50 words.

Exhibit labels can help you get more out of the experience, especially in a "learning community" like a family. Under the supervision of Dr. David Anderson at the University of British Columbia, Jennifer Hall looked at how families make use of labels when they explore exhibits. I recently saw my friend and former colleague defend her intriguing Master's thesis. 

Water Vortex

After consulting the Eureka gallery guru, Dr. Sandy Eix, Jennifer decided to focus on the Water Vortex exhibit in the Eureka gallery. In this exhibit, the connection between doing something and something happening is immediate and repeatable. As well, it's in a good location for a group of people of different ages to use. 

Label Contents

Inspired Dr. Kevin Crowley's research on the development of scientific thinking and based on the original exhibit text, Jennifer made up three label variations:

1. Causal. The purple ball is caught in a spinning water vortex! As it moves down the drain, the water spins faster. Change the speed of the water as it spins around the tank. What is happening to the ball?
2. Analogical. The purple ball is caught in a spinning vortex - like a bath toy! As it moves toward the drain of the bath, the water spins faster. Change the speed of the water as it spins around the tank. What is happening to the ball?
3. Principled. The purple ball is caught in a water vortex? As the water spins down the drain, it moves faster and has less pressure. Change the speed of the water as it spins around the tank. What is happening to the ball? 

Family Learning

Jennifer observed and interviewed families about how they felt about the different approaches. She found that more parents preferred the principle-based label, even though they often used analogies when actually discussing things with their children. Jennifer was impressed with all the learning that takes place at Science World, but she was also intrigued at how the many different agendas they bring. 

What do you look for in an exhibit label? 

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