The project team published a research synopsis article with Futurum Science Careers in Feb 2023 called “How Can Place Attachment Improve Scientific Literacy?”
How to determine a sample size for studying your informal learning program
What’s important to consider when selecting a sample size, or participant group size, for studying your informal (science) education program? What value does a small sample size have? If program managers have ample resources for collecting a lot of data, what factors are important to consider?
Here is a collection of guidelines and examples for use in making an informed decision about determining the sample size for studying your informal learning program. To design a study whose findings are more authentic
This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting.
The archaeology after-school program, geared towards rural middle school students, explores the ability to teach STEM through archaeology. The multidisciplinary nature of archaeology makes it a useful vehicle for teaching a variety of STEM disciplines (e.g., biology, geology, ecology, zoology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc.). Its compatibility with hands-on activities, deep thinking skills, and scientific reasoning matches STEM learning goals.
This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting. The RAPID: Using Popular Media to Educate Youth About the Biology of Viruses and the Current COVID-19 Pandemic project's goal is develop a web-accessible package of customizable graphics, illustrated stories, and essays, which can be easily incorporated into free-choice and directed on-line learning as well standards-based lesson plans for Grades 6-8.
Although virtual conferences have become commonplace in the age of COVID-19, this format poses both challenges and opportunities for organizers to design, implement, and engage participants in productive and connected ways. We created this brief to share an example of the process and lessons learned as we designed and hosted a virtual NSF-funded conference called: Mapping Connections Between STEM and Social-Emotional Development (SED) in Out-of-School Time (OST) Programs. This conference focused on identifying outcomes at the interface of STEM and SED in OST research and practice (e.g
This book is a deliverable (requisite) of an NSF (National Science Foundation) grant to share the project outcomes and what we learned from the NSF grant project. This four-year NSF project was funded to provide professional development to museum educators about Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science in museums, with the goal of providing a culturally relevant way for Indigenous communities to connect to science. The name of this grant was “Cosmic Serpent: Bridging Native Ways of Knowing and Western Science in Museum Settings.”
This book is also a snapshot in time of this work in
This poster describes the work accomplished by August 2014 for the NSF-funded project "Science of Sharing: Investigating Cooperation, Competition, and Social Interdependence." It was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC.
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC. This project seeks to improve public engagement in climate communication by broadcast meteorologists, using scientific methods to identify probable causes for their skepticism and/or reticence, and to test the efficacy of proposed solutions.
This chapter discusses variation in the organization of children’s involvement in cultural activities. In particular, we examine three widespread cultural traditions that organize children’s learning and participation in cultural activities: intent community participation, assembly-line instruction, and guided repetition. We argue that investigating the organization of children’s participation in routine activities offers a way to address the dynamic nature of repertoires of cultural practices—the formats of (inter)action with which individuals have experience and may take up, resist, and
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Barbara RogoffLeslie MooreBehnosh NajafiAmy DexterMarciela Correa-ChavezJocelyn Solis
Traditionally, collaborative technologies are intended to directly support joint, collaborative activity, taking their cues from communication and media. Here, empirical findings are presented about the types of information needs associated with the formation of a knowledge-building community among professional learning technology researchers. Several issues are outlined in designing, facilitating, supporting, and measuring knowledge-building activity in such as community of practice. It is argued that, rather than communication tools, a knowledge-building community is better served by
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting held in Washington, DC. The project creates a STEM ecosystem in a severely under-resourced urban community. The Chicago Zoological Society, which operates Brookfield Zoo, is expanding a community partnership with Eden Place Nature Center in Chicago’s Fuller Park Neighborhood and offering a full suite of environmental science learning opportunities for teachers, youth, families, and adults. A research component is led by the University of Illinois at Chicago.