The article discusses the outcomes of the Mathematics Improvement That Ensures Excellence (MITEE), an after-school mathematics tutoring program in the U.S. which aims at improving the mathematics conceptual understanding and level of procedural skills of second and fifth graders and encouraging ninth graders to pursue teaching careers. It offers an overview of the inception of the program through the collaborative effort between an urban school district and a midwestern university, along with teacher education students and community volunteers, and describes the different participants and
This study was designed to examine the impact of participating in an after-school robotics competition on high school students' attitudes toward science. Specifically, this study used the Test of Science-Related Attitude to measure students' social implications of science, normality of scientists, attitude toward scientific inquiry, adoption of scientific attitudes, enjoyment of science lessons, leisure interest in science, and career interest in science. Results indicated that students who participated in a robotic competition had a more positive attitude toward science and science-related
In this metalogue we build on the arguments presented by Puvirajah, Verma and Webb to discuss the nature of authentic science learning experiences in context of collaborations between schools and out-of-school time settings. We discuss the role of stakeholders in creating collaborative science learning practices and affordances of out of school time and formal science learning contexts. We contend that authentic science learning experiences are those where science learning happens within a social milieu and advocate for true collaborations between schools and informal settings in ways that
The article discusses the 4-H Science mission of the 4-H Youth Development Program, an out-of-school-time program addressing science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning. It states that one of the approaches is on robotics education using a Junk Drawer Robotics curriculum having three levels: Give Robots a Hand, Robots on the Move, and Mechatronics, each level having modules that focus on science and engineering concepts.
This presentation given at the 2013 Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting examines evidence for the effectiveness of STEM education programs at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
California's Expanded Learning programs are an integral part of young people's education, engaging them in year-round learning opportunities that prepare them for college, career, and life. This strategic plan was developed by the California Department of Education After School Division (ASD)in collaboration with K-12 educators, program practitioners, and support providers.
This article examines the literature on Native science in order to address the presumed binaries between formal and informal science learning and between Western and Native science. We situate this discussion within a larger discussion of culturally responsive schooling for Indigenous youth and the importance of Indigenous epistemologies and contextualized knowledges within Indigenous communities.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Bryan Mckinely Jones BrayboyAngelina Castagno
Although educators widely use school gardens for experiential education, researchers have not systematically examined the evaluative literature on school-gardening outcomes. The author reviewed the U.S. literature on children’s gardening, taking into account potential effects, school-gardening outcomes, teacher evaluations of gardens as learning tools, and methodological issues. Quantitative studies showed positive outcomes of school-gardening initiatives in the areas of science achievement and food behavior, but they did not demonstrate that children’s environmental attitude or social
Mueller, Tippins, and Bryan's contrast of the current limitations of science education with the potential virtues of citizen science provides an important theoretical perspective about the future of democratized science and K-12 education. However, the authors fail to adequately address the existing barriers and constraints to moving community-based science into the classroom. We contend that for these science partnerships to be successful, teachers, researchers, and other program designers must reexamine questions about traditional science education and citizen-science programs and attend to
The article discusses the promotion of creative thinking at school libraries through Makerspace, a space in which students, teachers and librarians can take advantage of multiple learning styles. Individuals who are users of this space may be considered non-conformists, radicals and misfits. They use the Using, Tinkering, Experimenting and Creating (uTEC) Maker Model which guides them to the creative and inventive processes.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
David LoertscherLeslie PreddyBill Derry
Natural history has all but disappeared from formal education in the United States. This places the responsibility of introducing people to natural history within nonformal educational settings, with interpretive naturalists taking a leading role. This qualitative study of the life histories of 51 natural history-oriented professionals establishes additional roles for interpretive naturalists interacting with and programming for people with an emerging interest in natural history. Young adults with a strong interest in competency in natural history topics were characterized by having access to