This review conducted by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) explores the current discussion and research findings on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in out-of-school time and reflects on the ways the INSPIRE program model (see Appendix A) incorporates research-based practice in implementing STEM education experiences in out-of-school time. The purpose of the literature review and analysis project is to inform the INSPIRE program managers during the planning and implementation stage of INSPIRE.
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
Discovering and understanding the temporal evolution of events hidden in text corpora is a complex yet critical task for knowledge discovery. Although mining event dynamics has been an important research topic leading to many successful algorithms, researchers, research and development managers, intelligence analysts and the general public are still in dire need of effective tools to explore the evolutionary trends and patterns. This exploratory project focuses on developing and validating a novel idea called narrative animation. Narrative animation uses animated visualizations to narrate, explore, and share event dynamics conveyed in temporally evolving text collections. Film art techniques are employed to leverage the animated visualizations in information organization and change detection, with the goals of enhancing analytical power and user engagement. A prototype system called CityStories is being developed to generate narrative animations of events in cities derived from web-based text. If this novel, risky research is successful, it is expected to yield fundamental results in narrative animation that can advance the current paradigm in information visualization and visual analytics by developing novel techniques in using animations for presenting and analyzing dynamic abstract data at a large scale. The pilot system CityStories system is expected provide a novel network platform for education, entertainment, and data analytics. It will engage general users such as students, teachers, journalists, bloggers, and many others in web information visualization and study. Results of this research will be disseminated through publications, the World Wide Web, and collaborations with researchers and analysts. The project web site (http://coitweb.uncc.edu/~jyang13/narrativeanimation/narrativeanimation.htm) will include research outcomes, publications, developed software, videos, and datasets for wide dissemination to public.
The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss the role of practical work in the teaching and learning of science at school level. It emphasizes practical work as a means for students to learn about the nature of science.
Reports from the NSF, NRC, AAAS, and others urge over and over that we must teach "science as science is done," that "science is a way of knowing," that our goal should be to impart "scientific habits of mind," and that learning must be learner-centered and oriented toward process. Fine. But what does this really mean for science education, and especially laboratory education?
This paper explores the role of laboratory and field-based research experiences in secondary science education by summarizing research documenting how such activities promote science learning. Classroom and field-based "lab work" is conceptualized as central components of broader scientific investigations of the natural world conducted by students. Considerations are given to nature of professional scientific practice, the personal relevance of student's understanding of the nature of empirical scientific research, and the role of technology to support learning. Drawing upon classroom learning
To begin, this paper describes the climate in science education in the United States, and describes and defines formative assessment. Next, Black & Wiliam’s review and two other important empirical studies will be summarized. Then, a framework characterizing different forms of formative assessment is presented. Non-empirical studies are organized according to this continuum. Finally, the paper describes limitations in the implementation of formative assessment in K-8 science, and summarizes assessment practices that show promise for improving student learning. The important contribution of the
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
Young people’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a matter of international concern. Studies and careers that require physical sciences and advanced mathematics are most affected by the problem and women in particular are under‐represented in many STEM fields. This article views international research about young people’s relationships to, and participation in, STEM subjects and careers through the lens of an expectancy‐value model of achievement‐related choices. In addition it draws on sociological theories of late‐modernity and identity, which situate
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Maria Vetleseter BoeEllen Karoline HenriksenTerry LyonsCamilla Schreiner
“Science for All” is a mantra that has guided science education reform and practice for the past 20 years or so. Unfortunately, after 20 years of “Science for All” guided policy, research, professional development, and curricula African Americans continue to participate in the scientific enterprise in numbers that are staggeringly low. What is more, if current reform efforts were to realize the goal of “Science for All,” it remains uncertain that African American students would be well-served. This article challenges the idea that the type of science education advocated under the “Science for
This article describes how after-school programs can nurture young scientists and boost the country's scientific literacy. It makes a case for integrating science into high-quality afterschool programs.
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The After-School CorporationLucy FriedmanJane Quinn
The primary purpose of the STARS: Strengthening Teaching, Awareness and Resources in Science project from the Challenger Learning Center of the San Joaquin Valley is to build upon the CLC's resources and partnership in order to maximize the impact of informal science education in creating a STEM pipeline for the San Joaquin Valley region. The goals are to promote lifelong learning among the general public regarding STEM fields and NASA's contribution to American society through a series of high-profile community events, strengthen K-12 partnerships to ensure the long-term utilization of the CLC as a STEM education resource, and further develop the CLC's partnership with the University of California Merced to ensure continuity of the STEM pipeline from K-12 to higher education, integrating informal science education to inspire students to pursue STEM learning throughout this progression.