Skip to main content
COMMUNITY:
Conference Proceedings

Professional Development Opportunities for Informal STEM Learning Professionals

March 23, 2020 | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks, Informal/Formal Connections

In order to engage visitors, guests, participants or audiences in positive STEM learning experiences, informal learning institutions need professionals who understand how to design for and facilitate engaging activities. Initial professional training for informal STEM educators, and subsequent ongoing professional learning create considerable challenges. There is a need for providing informal STEM educators with pathways to professionalization that guarantee high quality educators who can support successful informal STEM education. In this symposium, we propose to share research on key aspects of training and developing informal STEM learning professionals, including a framework to identify and support job competencies and knowledge gaps, results of a study on museology programs, as well as 355 multiple models for ongoing professional development. Our intent is to share an overview of the state of the field and current tools and programs for supporting this population of education-focused professionals, while also providing an opportunity to debate and discuss next steps in the field around standards and expectations and related opportunities for ongoing professional learning.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Storksdieck Headshot small
    Author
    Oregon State University
  • JStein ProfilePic
    Author
    JKS Consulting
  • DSC 5509
    Author
    Tufts University
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    University Of California, Berkeley
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    American Museum Of Natural History
  • 2015 02 23 ardicehartry
    Author
    University Of California, Berkeley
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    University Of California, Santa Barbara
  • Ron Skinner
    Author
    MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation
  • Sinead Brien
    Author
    Michigan State University
  • Micaela Balzer
    Author
    Impression 5 Science Center
  • Citation

    Publication Name: NARST 2020
    Resource Type: Reference Materials
    Discipline: Education and learning science | General STEM
    Audience: Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Evaluators | Learning Researchers
    Environment Type: Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Informal/Formal Connections | Higher Education Programs

    If you would like to edit a resource, please email us to submit your request.