Supported by the National Science Foundation, the Global Soundscapes! Big Data, Big Screens, Open Ears project employs a variety of informal learning experiences to present the physics of sound and the new science of soundscape ecology. The interdisciplinary science of soundscape ecology analyzes sounds over time in different ecosystems around the world. The major components of the Global Soundscapes project are an educator-led interactive giant-screen theater show, group activities, and websites. All components are designed with both sighted and visually impaired students in mind. Multimedia
Based on the premise that one component of NASA's pre-college education program is intended to support and enact school reform, the Committee for the Evaluation and Review of NASA's Pre-College Education Program requested an analysis of how the NASA Explorer School (NES) Model aligns with other national models of school-wide improvement and reform. The purpose and focus of this paper is to summarize key elements of major school improvement and reform models as well as specific content reform models from the literature, and to analyze the extent to which there is alignment between these models
Research in the out-of-school time (OST) field confirms that there is a strong connection between professional development (PD) for staff and positive outcomes for youth. According to Heather Weiss, Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP), professional development for those who work with children and youth is fraught with challenges and ripe with opportunity and specifically, the opportunity to increase staff quality, which experts agree is critical to positive experiences for children and youth (Weiss, 2005/2006). However, as Thomas Guskey (1998) states, "For many
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University of PennsylvaniaNancy Peter
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (MSI) formed the Institute for Quality Science Teaching (IQST) with the goal of improving science achievement of 4th-8th grade students in the Chicago area by creating a series of courses for teachers who lack the background in science or science teaching to teach effectively. This study was designed to evaluate teachers' increased content knowledge in one IQST course, Get Re-Energized (GRE), which focuses on energy topics. The study discovered improvement for teachers who received the course, and those teachers' students scored higher on energy
This report, commissioned by the Wellcome Trust, provides a review of the value of informal science learning to science education in the UK. The study seeks to provide: a better understanding of the scope of informal science learning, its theoretical base and the types of change it can bring about in the understanding of and attitudes towards science; recommendations for robust methods for evaluating the impact of informal science learning, based on an analysis of practice in the field; recommendations on reaching deprived learners, schools and families; and recommendations based on best
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GHK ConsultingRichard LloydRoss NeilsonSuzanne KingMark DyballWellcome Trust
This checklist provides a step-by-step process for preparing, leading, and ending an after school science project. The document also includes a partner checklist for science coaches and trainers when instructing adult learners.
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National Partnerships for After School Science 2
This report is the result of a project to investigate through a sociocultural lens whether girls-only, informal STEM experiences have potential long-term influences on young women's lives, both in terms of STEM but also more generally. The authors documented young women's perceptions of their program experiences and the ways in which they influenced their future choices in education, careers, leisure pursuits, and ways of thinking about what science is and who does it. This report includes the questionnaire used in the study.
This report addressed a request from the President in 2009 to develop specific recommendations concerning the most important actions that the administration should take to ensure that the United States is a leader in STEM education in the coming decades. The report focuses primarily on the K-12 level, and lists two main conclusions: that we must focus on preparation and inspiration to improve STEM education, and that the federal government has historically lacked a coherent strategy and sufficient leadership capacity for K-12 STEM education. Additionally, the report includes seven policy
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President’s Council of Advisors on Science and TechnologyPresident’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
How can professional learning for out‐of‐school staff be organized to promote equity in STEM learning? This is the question a group of out-of‐school educators and educational researchers gathered to discuss at the Exploratorium on January 30‐31, 2015. The meeting was sponsored by the Research+Practice Collaboratory, an NSF-‐funded project that develops and tests new models for integrating research and practice perspectives for the improvement of science and mathematics education. Four big ideas for supporting equity-oriented facilitation emerged from the group's discussions: (1) Seeing