Tinkering Staff Member: Ryoko Matsumoto

I was first introduced to the world of informal learning as a project member of CAMP (Children's Art Museum and Park) in Kyoto, Japan. At CAMP, where children discover means of self-expression through making things, I served as a facilitator, activity planner, co-teacher at collaborating schools and universities, and liaison with similar institutions overseas. Watching children deeply engage with technologies and crafting materials gave me the strong belief that learning should take the form of outputs instead of inputs. I joined the Exploratorium as a volunteer in 2009, and am constantly impressed and amazed at the tinkering culture in the Learning Studio. What interests me most in tinkering is finding the gap between the expected and the unexpected, and trying to make things work.