Washington, D.C. -- While Isabel howled outside of the Omni-Shorham Hotel in Washington, D.C. - an audience of 300 librarians, educators and museum professionals learned about a new paradigm for learning. On Thursday, September 18 and Friday, September 19 -- the stereotypical images of the timid librarian and buttoned-down museum professional were dispelled by the animated and engaged professionals attending a symposium on the 21st Century Learner presented by the Association of Children's Museums, the Association for Library Service to Children, the Civil Society Institute and the Families and Work Institute. The symposium offered a unique opportunity to hear nationally renowned experts in child psychology, gerontology, pediatrics, library science and children's museums present the latest research on how people learn. The message was - lose the flash cards and rote memorization and substitute experiential learning - a process that starts long before formal classroom instruction and is a continuum that extends far beyond the academic experience and well into old age. The new paradigm makes museums and libraries places to play and therefore places to learn.

Participants from New York to California and many places in between came to learn about research that also confirmed the fact that a nurturing home life full of imaginative play fosters creativity, curiosity, empathy and self-esteem and, may be a better predictor of academic success. Essentially, parents and caregivers were instructed to actively engage their children and not rely on passive tools and kiddie college courses. There is now a new mantra - Play Equals Learning!

Symposium speakers were a who's who in the study of learning throughout the continuum - from the very young through maturity. Dr. Alison Gopnik, a leader in the study of infant learning and author of Scientist in the Crib; renowned pediatrician and child expert Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and Dr. Joshua Sparrow of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Children's Hospital in Boston talked about early learning - how innate knowledge opens the door to acquired knowledge when children are given the freedom and the encouragement to explore through the process of play. The symposium also premiered the new ground breaking book by Drs. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek entitled Einstein Never Used Flash Cards - How Our Children REALLY Learn. Drs. Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek presented scientific evidence on how playing more and memorizing less can lead to raising intelligent successful and well-adjusted children who become lifelong learners.

Dr. Gene Cohen, Director of the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities at George Washington University and author of The Creative Age talked about adult brain development and the fact that the capacity to learn increases at age 50 and extends well into an individual's late 70's. He also presented evidence that lifelong learning extends the quantity as well as the quality of life and encouraged participants to pursue and facilitate a quest for knowledge that never ends. He also explored the image of aging in literature and in the media -- offering that older people are virtually invisible except in children's literature where they are primarily identified as old or ancient, weird, wicked or weak. Dr. Cohen challenged the audience to promote and present a more balanced view of aging.

Executive Director and CEO of AARP, William D. Novelli, a stellar example of a life-long learner - closed the symposium by demonstrating how lifelong learning will be required as we shift from "back-workers" to "brain-workers." Citing the fact that workers possessing intellectual capacity and academic training are now a more significant segment of the employed population and will continue to grow, he talked about the experience and expertise that older and retired workers can offer to younger workers. Mr. Novelli challenged the audience to look at retirement as a beginning and not an end.

" Our mission is to bring children and families together in a new kind of 'Town Square" were play inspires life long learning," said Janet Rice Elman, Executive Director of the Association of Children's Museums, the lead partner presenting the Symposium. " The 21st Century Learner is just the kind of town square event we envisioned -- putting cutting edge research and researchers, educators and cultural literacy professionals and practitioners together to learn about and then implement the tactics that will enhance the lives of parents, children and extended families and thereby the community. Despite all of the metrological challenges that presented themselves during the symposium, all of our speakers and all of our participants demonstrated, with their time and enthusiastic attention - the significant role that children's museums and libraries will play in creating a community of life long learners."

The effects of the symposium will now reverberate across the country as attendee take ideas and information back to their respective communities where play dates will not be for just the very young and field trips to the museum will not be for adults, rather they will enhance the ability of young and old to learn. To underscore the importance of local collaborations, three $3,000 seed grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to partnerships that have the potential to impact children and families community-wide. These grant recipients will serve as models of how museums, libraries, public broadcasters and others can join forces to build a lifelong learning community. A white paper from the symposium will be issued in the first quarter of 2004 and will be available from the Association of Children's Museums.

To learn more about the 21st Century Learner or to schedule an interview a symposium speaker, author or participant please contact Donna Drew Sawyer, Director of Marketing and Communications, Association of Children's Museums, 202 898-1080 or dsawyer@childrensmuseums.org.

The 21st Century Learner was presented by the Association of Children's Museums in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Association for Library Service to Children - a division of the American Library Association -- the Civil Society Institute and the Families and Work Institute. The Civil Society Institute and Excelligence Learning Corporation provided additional support for the 21st Century Learner symposium.