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Summative

My Sky Tonight: Summative Evaluation

December 28, 2018 | Public Programs, Informal/Formal Connections

This is the summative evaluation for the My Sky Tonight: Early Childhood Pathways to Astronomy is a National Science Foundation funded Full-Scale Development project that was designed to support informal science education practitioner’s ability to provide astronomy learning for young children ages 3-5 years. Based on prior research and assessment of the field, the project team identified that many informal educators lack the astronomy content, interpretive strategies, and confidence they need to effectively engage audiences of families with preschool-aged children. Three mechanisms were identified to address this need: 1) An Early Astronomy Toolkit for ISE practitioners that focused on what children observe on an everyday basis, 2) Professional Development Workshops to train practitioners to effectively use toolkit activities and materials, and 3) A Community of Practice to support capacity-building among educators in this area. Taken together, these deliverables formed a coherent approach to how early childhood astronomy can be characterized and delivered by Informal Science Educators. Appendix includes interview protocol.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Sasha Palmquist square
    Evaluator
    Institute for Learning Innovation
  • Citation

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: AISL
    Award Number: 1217441
    Resource Type: Research and Evaluation Instruments | Interview Protocol | Evaluation Reports
    Discipline: Education and learning science | Space science
    Audience: Pre-K Children (0-5) | Families | Museum/ISE Professionals
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Informal/Formal Connections | Pre-K/Early Childhood Programs

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