"Conectando Saberes" united experts and learners from diverse backgrounds to explore the current landscape, amplify voices, and identify priorities for equity and transformation in STEM learning among Latiné youth and families.
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resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
This resource presents a list of categories of “imaginative ways of thinking” as well as word clouds illustrating the huge range of ways imagination is described in literature at the intersections of imagination and STEM. This resource reflects results from a comprehensive review of 137 pieces of literature addressing the intersections of imagination and STEM.
This report presents results of a survey of 101 professionals' perspectives on imagination in STEM, describing the survey’s methods and results. The goal of the survey was to describe the landscape of beliefs about and understandings of imagination in the context of STEM practice and STEM education. Findings suggest that professionals (representing various sectors within or adjacent to STEM education and practice) believe in the power of imagination in STEM; there is an appetite - and need - for more imagination-infused work; and definitions of imagination varied, offering an expansive range
This resource briefly summarizes the work of the Unpacking the STEM Imagination Convening and associated project research activities, and posits several "imagination problems" emergent from this work: 1) Defining Imagination; 2) Intentionally Addressing Imagination; 3) Fostering Imagination; 4) Addressing The Myth that STEM is Not Imaginative; 5) Buying-in to Imagination in STEM; 6) Un-Privileging Certain Imaginative Ways of Thinking; and 7) Inclusion and Imagination. This resource suggests areas for future research and development in the context of imagination in informal STEM learning
In collaboration with the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), and with support from the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Learning Innovation will virtually bring together 4-5 dozen diverse (expertise and role, background, demographics, geography) thoughtful STEM learning professionals to collaboratively re-imagine the future of the science museum community, in particular the particularly vulnerable small to medium size science museum sector. Participants will be asked to think
This whitepaper introduces the Strategic Outcomes Framework, a taxonomy of outcome types within eight outcome categories (interest, attitude, knowledge, STEM skills, 21st century skills and social emotional evelopment, behavior, STEM capital, and career path). It summarizes proceedings of the NSF-funded Strategic Outcome Progressions Conference: Exploring a Framework for Measuring Informal Education Outcomes and Institutional Impact (award # 2039209) and changes made to the framework as a result. Among these changes are the necessity of nesting the framework within what we have come to call
Across literature on STEM practice and STEM education, definitions of "imagination" vary in a number of ways. The visual tool below presents a way to organize the characteristics of these definitions along three dimensions: essence, ways of thinking, and context. Using this framework, you can build definitions of imagination relevant to your work.
Through an NSF-funded literature review, professional survey, and virtual convening, the Museum of Science, Boston is systematically documenting intersections between imagination, STEM and learning to create research-based resources for positioning and attending to imaginative ways of thinking in informal STEM learning environments. This poster shares an overview of our research methods and preliminary findings (as of Sept 2021).
This poster was presented at the 2021 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting.
The Museum of Science, Boston received funding from the National Science Foundation to carry out a conference grant exploring connections between research and practice at the intersections of imagination, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and ISE (informal STEM education). A series of virtual convening events were held from September 8-17, 2021. The proceedings of these events are documented in this report to summarize the content of the convening activities as they were implemented, provide references and citations for the content delivered, and acknowledge the
How can we begin to chart a course toward a future for science museums in which we maintain our status as sources of trusted information, while also fulfilling our potential as sites of genuine participation and social interaction? In 2019, with funding from the National Science Foundation, the New York Hall of Science hosted a three day conference to discuss new and equitable approaches to exhibit design. With leading exhibit designers, educators, researchers, and community engagement specialists, we began to rethink the exhibit design process, toward a goal of helping our museums become more
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