This column provides how-to strategies and practical advice for the science teacher. Positive experiences in informal science contexts can lead students to new and
positive connections with school science. Based on the authors' experiences, they suggest a modification of Falk’s free-choice learning model for school-based learning. They define guided-choice learning as informal learning intended to meet specific formal curricular objectives while providing students with a degree of choice. Purposeful informal experiences tied to the curriculum can help students develop an understanding of the enterprise of science as a whole—the wondering, investigating, questioning, data collecting, and analyzing recommended by the NGSS.