This study examines the effectiveness of a teacher professional development program that sought to address the integration of Native American students’ cultures with classroom science teaching. Informal science education practitioners interested in reaching non-dominant populations can use this study as evidence that professional development focusing on cultural points of intersection has a positive effect.
SRI’s Afterschool Science Networks (ASN) study provides new insights and empirical findings regarding the offering of science learning opportunities at scale. Four meetings of afterschool and informal science stakeholders were held in March and April 2014 to discuss the ASN findings generated from 5 years of research (see research summary on page 12). These stakeholders helped SRI Education researchers generate a vision of science in afterschool settings, as well as recommendations for strengthening the field. This document presents this vision of powerful afterschool science and provides a
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Ann HouseCarlin LlorenteTiffany Leones
EDC’s Center for Children and Technology (CCT), a nonprofit research and development organization (cct.edc.org), conducted the formative evaluation of the BAS project for the last three years. Iridescent has assisted CCT researchers in the successful implementation of the evaluation (e.g., organizing site visits and meetings with partners, administering surveys, collecting consent forms). As discussed in more details below, Iridescent has always taken seriously the evaluation findings and recommendations, and has acted upon them to make program improvements. This research partnership has led
Harvard Family Research Project's (HFRP) Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation briefs highlight current research and evaluation work in the out-of-school time field. These documents draw on HFRP's research work in out-of-school time to provide practitioners, funders, evaluators, and policymakers with information to help them in their work. Recognizing the critical role that staff play in promoting quality out-of-school time (OST) programs, in this brief we examine OST professional development efforts and offer a framework for their evaluation.
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting held in Washington, DC. It describes a project that uses social network methods to study networks of afterschool and informal science stakeholders.
This poster shows the development of the project Scientists for Tomorrow during the three years of its implementation: two first years under the full funding of the NSF and the third year as a no-cost extension. Also the poster describes how the project was incorporating more community centers and with it more participants through the development of the "self-sustained" mode of implementation. The poster introduces also the next step of the project - the Scientists for Tomorrow - National Alliance.
This study investigated the professional identity development of teacher candidates participating in an informal afterschool science internship in a formal science teacher preparation programme. We used a qualitative research methodology. Data were collected from the teacher candidates, their informal internship mentors, and the researchers. The data were analysed through an identity development theoretical framework, informed by participants’ mental models of science teaching and learning. We learned that the experience in an afterschool informal internship encouraged the teacher candidates
We investigated curricular and pedagogical innovations in an undergraduate science methods course for elementary education majors at the University of Maryland. The goals of the innovative elementary science methods course included: improving students’ attitudes toward and views of science and science teaching, to model innovative science teaching methods and to encourage students to continue in teacher education. We redesigned the elementary science methods course to include aspects of informal science education. The informal science education course features included informal science
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University of Maryland College ParkKelly RiedingerGili Marbach-AdJ. Randy McGinnisEmily HestnessRebecca Pease
The Coalition for Science After School (CSAS) was established in 2004 in response to the growing recognition of the need for more opportunities for STEM in out-of-school time, and the increasing attention being paid to out-of-school time programs. CSAS sought to build the field of STEM in out-of-school time by uniting science education goals with out-of-school time opportunities and a focus on youth development. Over a decade of work, CSAS Steering Committee members, staff and partners advocated for STEM in out-of-school-time settings, convened STEM in out-of-school time leaders, and created
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The Coalition for Science After SchoolLeah Reisman
The Coalition for Science After School was initiated through two NSF-funded meetings in 2004 and 2005 that brought science education and out-of-school time leaders together to explore strategies for further merging the two fields. Through the second conference, held in Marina del Ray, CA, a blueprint for CSAS was designed and finalized. Under the leadership of an eight-member Executive Committee, an expanded 20-member Steering Committee, and acting director Bronwyn Bevan, CSAS was launched with 40 members. The meeting report, A Blueprint for Action (2007), laid out CSAS priorities and
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TEAM MEMBERS:
The Coalition for Science After SchoolThe Coalition for Science After School
In 2009 the Coalition for Science After School hosted the First National Conference on Science and Technology in Out-of-School Time. Funded by the Noyce Foundation, with additional support from Science Chicago, the Motorola Foundation, and the United States Department of Education, the meeting took place in Chicago, IL and resulted in a 2009 report, "A Watershed Moment."
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The Coalition for Science After SchoolThe Coalition for Science After SchoolProject Exploration
In preparation for its sunset of operations, the Coalition for Science After School Steering Committee decided to organize a Summit, Passing the Torch: Advancing Opportunity for Quality Science Learning. The meeting took place in March 2014, hosted by the Exploratorium in San Francisco. An invited group of sixty leaders came together from across the STEM education, youth development, and out-of-school time communities to assess the accomplishments, challenges, gaps, and essential resources needed to provide quality STEM learning opportunities for all youth, and to pass the torch for making
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The Coalition for Science After SchoolKaren Stratvert