RISES (Re-energize and Invigorate Student Engagement through Science) is a coordinated suite of resources including 42 interactive English and Spanish STEM videos produced by Children's Museum Houston in coordination with the science curriculum department at Houston ISD. The videos are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards, and each come with a bilingual Activity Guide and Parent Prompt sheet, which includes guiding questions and other extension activities.
Hands-on tinkering experiences can help promote more equitable STEM learning opportunities for children from diverse backgrounds (Bevan, 2017; Vossoughi & Bevan, 2014). Latine heritage families naturally engage in and talk about engineering practices during and after tinkering in a children’s museum (Acosta & Haden, in press). We asked how the everyday practice of oral stories and storytelling could be leveraged during an athome tinkering activity to support children’s informal engineering and spatial learning.
In March of 2016, the Exploratorium transmitted a live webcast of a total solar eclipse from Woleai, a remote island in the southwestern Pacific. The webcast reached over 1 million viewers. Evaluation reveals effective use of digital media to engage learners in solar science and related STEM content.
Edu, Inc. conducted an external evaluation study that shows clear and consistent evidence of broad distribution of STEM content through multiple online channels, social media, pre-produced videos, and an app for mobile devices. IBM Watson did a deep analysis of tweets on eclipse topics that
This document presents an overview of the quantitative survey data findings from the SL+ Equity Pathways in Informal Science Learning project. Further qualitative analysis on some of the open response data is yet to be completed. Findings are grouped into four areas: about the individuals taking part in the survey; their definitions and understanding of equity and related terms; their current equity practice; and their practices around equity work including reading, talking with colleagues and evaluation.
This briefing paper reports findings from the Youth Access & Equity in Informal Science Learning (ISL) project, a UK-US researcher-practitioner partnership funded by the Science Learning+ Phase 1 scheme. Our project focuses on young people aged 11-14 primarily from under-served and non-dominant communities and includes researchers and practitioners from a range of ISL settings, including designed spaces (eg museums, zoos), community-based (e.g. afterschool clubs) and everyday science spaces (e.g. science media).
This briefing paper reports findings from the Youth Access & Equity in Informal Science Learning (ISL) project,
a UK-US researcher-practitioner partnership funded by the Science Learning+ scheme. Our project focuses on young people aged 11-14 primarily from under-served and non-dominant communities and includes researchers and practitioners from a range of ISL settings: designed spaces (e.g. museums, zoos), community-based (e.g. after school clubs) and everyday science spaces (e.g. science media).
This full scale research and development collaborative project between Smith College and Springfield Technical Community College improves technical literacy for children in the area of engineering education through the Through My Window learning environment. The instructional design of the learning environment results from the application of innovative educational approaches based on research in the learning sciences—Egan's Imaginative Education (IE) and Knowledge Building (KB). The project provides idea-centered engineering curriculum that facilitates deep learning of engineering concepts through the use of developmentally appropriate narrative and interactive multimedia via interactive forums and blogs, young adult novels (audio and text with English and Spanish versions), eight extensive tie-in activities, an offline teachers’ curriculum guide, and social network connections and electronic portfolios. Targeting traditionally underrepresented groups in engineering—especially girls—the overarching goals of the project are improving attitudes toward engineering; providing a deeper understanding of what engineering is about; supporting the development of specific engineering skills; and increasing interest in engineering careers. The project will address the following research questions: What is the quality of the knowledge building discourse? Does it get better over time? Will students, given the opportunity, extend the discourse to new areas? What scaffolding does the learning environment need to support novice participants in this discourse? Does the use of narrative influence participation in knowledge building? Are certain types of narratives more effective in influencing participation in knowledge building? Evaluative feedback for usability, value effectiveness, and ease of implementation from informal educators and leaders from the Connecticut After School Network CTASN) will be included. The evaluation will include documentation on the impact of narrative and multimedia tools in the area of engineering education. Currently, there is very little research regarding children and young teen engagement in engineering education activities using narrative as a structure to facilitate learning engineering concepts and principles. The research and activities developed from this proposed project contributes to the field of Informal Science and Engineering Education. The results from this project could impact upper elementary and middle-school aged children and members from underrepresented communities and girls in a positive way.
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting in Washington, DC. Using STEM America (USA) is a two-year Pathways project designed to examine the feasibility of using informal STEM learning opportunities to improve science literacy among English Language Learner (ELL) students in Imperial County, California.
A Fulldome Planetarium Show for Space Science: A Pilot Project was designed to immerse and engage middle school students (grades 5-8) in space exploration, comparative planetology and the importance of sustainability on our own planet. Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill led the project, which involved the development of a 27 minute fulldome digital planetarium show and supporting curricula. The project included advisors from NASA JPL, UNC’s Physics and Astronomy Department and the Wake County North Carolina Public School System. The show draws on discoveries by the Mars Exploration Rovers, Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA missions to compare and contrast geological, atmospheric, and other physical characteristics of the places visited by the show's main characters. The aims of the show are to provide an engaging learning experience that helps students understand the criteria used to classify Solar System bodies and appreciate the environmental conditions needed to support life as we know it. Further, the show aims to communicate why Earth - with a balance of systems and resources found nowhere else - is an "amazing oasis" in our Solar System. The Standards-Based Learning Activities for Middle School support and extend the content of the Solar System Odyssey show by providing clear, detailed ideas for pre- and post- visit lessons. The lessons center on Teaching about Technology Design, Integrating Science and Language Arts, Teaching about Environmental Systems and include science experiments, creative writing and vocabulary exercises, discussion and engineering design challenges. The lessons reference specific NASA missions, and some of the activities are modeled directly after previously produced NASA educational materials. The show and curricular materials have been translated and are available in Spanish.
Using STEM America (USA) is a two-year Pathways project designed to examine the feasibility of using informal STEM learning opportunities to improve science literacy among English Language Learner (ELL) students in Imperial County, California. Project partners include the Rueben H. Fleet Science Center and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The project's goals are to support teachers in the development of informal science education opportunities for English learners, partner with students in grades 7-12 to create activities and exhibits, deliver student-produced products to community members, and sustain and disseminate the activities through the development of web-based teacher tools. The teachers will work with informal science education experts, STEM professionals, and undergraduate students to develop and implement the program lessons with their 7-12 grade students. The activities and exhibits designed for community audiences will be used in the Imperial Valley Discovery Zone, slated for completion in fall 2013. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding English scientific word frames and science content specific vocabulary to help ELL students express complex scientific concepts in English. The project deliverables in this pilot project include a comprehensive teacher professional development strategy, student-developed informal science activities and exhibits, a project website, and multiple teacher resources (lesson plans, how-to guides, training materials, and social networking tools). Teachers will receive 45 hours of professional development during the summer with an additional 20 hours of support provided during the school year. UCSD's Jacob's School of Engineering will provide training on solar energy micro-grids using a micro-grid observatory to be located in Imperial Valley. English language development training will be provided by the University of California's Professional Development Institute (UCPDI) and address the role of language objectives in scientific conceptual knowledge and language development; using science and language to improve classroom questioning/discussion; and teaching academic language to English learners. The informal science education component of the training provided by the Fleet Science Center will address topics such as questioning strategies, scientific reasoning frameworks, communicating science to public audiences, and learning "high level" science content using hands-on approaches. The project design builds on research which supports an active learning approach that mirrors scientific practice and is one of the strengths of informal science learning environments. The question to be addressed by the USA Project is: "Can informal STEM activities with embedded English Language development strategies assist English learner students to increase their English language competency and their interest in STEM subjects?" The PI seeks to identify the impact that teachers have on guiding students in inquiry-based informal STEM education, evaluate the academic outcomes for students, and measure changes in community interest, understanding, and attitudes towards STEM and STEM occupations. The USA Project is designed to reach approximately 200 underserved students and will promote the participation of at least 400 additional students, parents, and other rural community members. It is anticipated that this project will result in the development of a model for teacher-led informal STEM education, increased STEM learning opportunities for the community, and the development of a network of educational institutions that helps to bridge formal and informal STEM learning and learning environments.
Research Questions: (1) To what extent do children's and parent's interest in math and science increase as a result of exposure to one or more of the project's components? (2) To what extent do children and parents want to engage further with Mateo y Cientina after initial exposure to the cartoon through one or more of the project's components? (3) To what extent do parents and children think they've learned new concepts about math and science as a result of completing a Mateo y Cientina activity? (4) To what extent do parents and children gain confidence in their understanding of math and
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Sarah MushlinUniversity of CaliforniaColleen Kuusinen