ABOUT FIRSTHAND LEARNING, INC.
Firsthand Learning, Inc. promotes firsthand learning, which
is learning from direct experience.
Firsthand learning empowers people by providing them with opportunities to
figure things out for themselves, to believe in the analytical abilities of
their own minds, and to connect with the world around them.
Firsthand learning arises from the learner's innate curiosity and the desire
to investigate real phenomena. It requires close engagement with the immediate
environment.
Firsthand learning generates questions that focus subsequent investigations.
It invites learners to gather and record their observations, to analyze and
interpret them, and to arrive at provisional answers.
Firsthand learning involves communication of the results of this investigative
process. Sharing evidence and discussing findings with others underscores
that learning is a social process.
Firsthand Learning, Inc. is a New York nonprofit corporation
founded in 1998 to promote inquiry-based teaching, learning from direct experience,
and closer links between cultural institutions and schools. To this end, FHL
designs and implements curriculum materials and professional development programs
that emphasize direct, firsthand experiences with natural and cultural phenomena.
The organization is an outgrowth of the work of the former Center for Science
Education at the Buffalo Museum of Science where several of FHL's projects
originated.
Mission
The mission of Firsthand Learning, Inc. is to promote the process of scientific
inquiry as a vehicle for learning. We believe that most learners acquire and
retain new knowledge most effectively when it derives from firsthand experience.
Such learning makes people think for themselves rather than relying solely
on the authority of teachers and textbooks. Our materials and programs are
designed to assist classroom teachers and informal educators to design programs
and pedagogical environments that promote learning from direct experience
and original sources. By taking part in these programs, participants learn
about the processes of scientific inquiry. Learning to think scientifically
is the primary goal of our curriculum materials and our professional development
experiences for teachers. At FHL we call this firsthand learning.
Firsthand Learning Staff
David Hartney, President
Patricia McGlashan, Director of Curriculum Development
Kristen Gasser, Director of Publications
Michelle DeFrancesco, Manager of Operations
Benjamin O'Brien, Art Director/Production Manager
Richard Rotolo, Science Materials Center Manager
Bill Rogers, Director of Out-of-School Programs
Bonny Ryder, Science Firsthand Project Assistant
Dianne Johnson, Coordinator - Project ASK
Ni Hulme, FHL Inquiry Center Assistant
Board of Directors
Peter Dow, Chairman
Kristen Gasser, Vice President
David Hartney, President
Sam Alessi, Secretary
James Magavern, Esq.
Patricia McGlashan
Richard Sherrill, Treasurer
Cara Matteliano
Karen Worth
Tom Petrocelli
Tanya Johnson
Marixsa Sanchez-Feliciano
Object Lessons National Advisory Committee
& Object Lessons Evaluators