“Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance Man”–Using Narrative-Based Pedagogy on a Field Trip to a Science Museum

Narratives, or stories, are used every day by people as a way of making sense of and communicating events in the world. Narratives can be highly useful as a learning tool in science education. Though research on narrative-based pedagogy in science education and communication is very common, most of that research was done in formal settings. Our study followed fourth-grade students who visited the science museum on a field trip, entitled “The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci,” which used narrative-based pedagogy (e.g. the story of Leonardo da Vinci) as a common thread throughout the visit. Interviewing the students after the visit revealed that most students remembered facts mentioned in the narrative, and the narrative had a long-term effect. The students remembered this visit better than other visits. In addition, more than half of the students used vocabulary that could be associated with the visit. This study supports the idea that art-based research methods can be effective. Using photos and images proved to be more engaging for students, and all students used the photos of exhibits and other images to create their own stories.