Education Professionals Individual Interviews Discussion Guide
October, 2001

APPENDIX

I. Introduction/Warm Up - 5 mins.
Purpose is to introduce respondents and interviewer, obtain background information, begin to establish rapport.

• Explain purpose
• Name, organization, role within the organization, tenure in job

II. Use of the Museum - 15 mins.
Purpose is to understand the usage and perceptions of the Museum currently.

• ASK TEACHERS: How frequently do you take students to the Natural History Museum? For what purposes do you take them?
• How do you think of the Natural History Museum currently? How is it used by students? By teachers?
• MENTION EACH CURRENT PROGRAM AND ASK: Are you aware of this program? Have you taken advantage of this? How did you find it?
• Teacher's Expo (Annual September education fair that outlines the Museum's programs for the academic year.)
• Self guided in-museum visits
• In-Museum docent tours
• Docent outreach classes
• In-Museum science workshops
• Off-site science workshops
• Guided Nature Walks
• AFTER ALL HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED ASK: Which do you find the most/least useful? Why do you say that?
• How good a job would you say it's doing in conservation and environmental education? Why do you say that?

III. Future Museum Role - 20 mins.
Purpose is to understand desires and ideas for how Museum can aid educators.

• What is the easiest way for you to find out about the Museum's programs? Probe especially usage of web site.
• Would you participate in distance learning? Website-based instruction?
• What do you think should be the role, if any, of the Museum in teacher training/staff development? Why do you say that? Would you take advantage of that? Why do you say that?
• Which do you prefer: outreach visits to the school or field trips to the Museum? Why do you say that?
• How do you think the Museum can be made more relevant to the literacy block? Why do you say that?
• How interested would you be in each of the following: loan library kits; large screen movie experience; tapes of lectures for checking out; an abstract posted to the web site before a lecture or after a lecture?
• What would make Natural History Museum's programs so dynamic that the program is required?
• Which California State Science Content Standard strand/strands should the Museum emphasize in its Education Programs?
• Life Science: Living Things, Cells/Genetics/Evolution, Ecosystems
• Earth Science: Astronomy, Geology/Natural Resources, Oceanography, Meteorology
• Physical Science: Matter, Reactions/Interactions, Force/Motion, Energy
• Why did you choose that particular emphasis?

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