This article examines afterschool science in light of the National Research Council’s comprehensive synthesis report on promoting science learning in informal environments (NRC, 2009). We present the results of our analysis of qualitative case studies of nine state-funded afterschool sites in California, discussing the strengths of these programs against the background of three key site-based constraints—time available for science, staff’s science backgrounds, and instructional materials—as well as the importance of partnerships with outside organizations to support sites in overcoming these
This article encourages afterschool programs to promote youth identification as community science experts. It uses the case study of the GET City program to frame the discussion of encouraging identity development should be an important outcome of afterschool programming.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Angela Calabrese BartonDaniel BirminghamTakumi SatoEdna TanScott Calabrese Barton
This document describes the Dimensions of Success (DoS), an assessment tool created by researchers at the Program in Education, Afterschool, and Resiliency (PEAR). DoS was created to help out-of-school time programs and researchers monitor and measure quality. It allows observers to collect systemic data along 12 quality indicators to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of afterschool science learning experiences.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Anahit PapazianAshima ShahCaitlin Rufo-McCormick
Although stakeholders agree that afterschool STEM education can be powerful, there is less agreement on the critical question of which aspects of STEM education the afterschool field is best positioned to support. Hence, in spring 2012, the Afterschool Alliance undertook a study to ask afterschool stakeholders what aspects of STEM learning the field is best positioned to support. The aim of the Afterschool STEM Outcomes Study was to identify consensus views on appropriate and feasible outcomes and indicators for afterschool STEM programs. The study provides a realistic vision of the field’s
Interactive technologies are employed in museums to enhance the visitors' experience and help them learn in more authentic ways. Great amounts of time and money and many man-hours of hard work have been spent. But do such systems indeed achieve their goals? Do they contribute to a greater user experience (UX) and learning effectiveness? In this paper we describe the use of the "Walls of Nicosia" a 3D multi-touch table installed at the Leventis Municipal Museum in Nicosia, Cyprus. Two groups of students actively participated in this empirical study (they attended the 5th year class at
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Panagiotis ZahariasDespina MichaelYiorgos Chrysanthou
Designed-based research principles guided the study of 51 secondary-science teachers in the second year of a 3-year professional development project. The project entailed the creation of student-centered, inquiry-based, science, video games. A professional development model appropriate for infusing innovative technologies into standards-based curricula was employed to determine how science teacher's attitudes and efficacy where impacted while designing science-based video games. The study's mixed-method design ascertained teacher efficacy on five factors (General computer use, Science Learning
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Annetta LeonardWendy FrazierElizabeth FoltaShawn HolmesRichard LambMeng-Tzu Cheng
The term 'cyberlearning' reflects a growing national interest in managing the interactions of technology and education, especially with respect to the use of networking and information technologies. However, there is little agreement about what the term means. Such disagreements reflect underlying differences in beliefs about the purposes of education. These disagreements are problematic for anyone interested in evaluating cyberlearning practices. This study used surveys and interviews to investigate how practitioners and experts in the field of cyberlearning define it, how they implement it
FUSE is a new kind of interest-driven learning experience being developed by researchers at Northwestern University with the goal of engaging pre-teens and teens in science, technology, engineering, arts/design, and mathematics (STEAM) topics while fostering the development of important 21st century skills including adaptive problem solving, creativity, self-directed learning, persistence, and grit. FUSE is now offered in-school, after-school, and on the weekends at 23 different locations in the greater Chicago area. Through FUSE, teens can "hang out, mess around and geek out" with the FUSE set of challenges, the core activities in our Studios. Each challenge uses a leveling up model from gaming and is carefully designed to engage teens in different STEAM topics and skills sets. FUSE currently has 21 challenges in areas such as robotics, electronics, biotechnology, graphic design, Android app development, 3D printing and more. New challenges are always in development. FUSE Challenges can be tackled individually or in groups. Professional scientists, engineers, advanced undergraduates, and graduate students are available as mentors and provide a real-world connection to the concepts learned and practiced through the challenges. All challenges result in digital media artifacts that are shared online for peer review, remixing, expert judging, and collaboration. We designed the FUSE program to appeal to the interests of all young people, especially those youth who are not interested in or don't think of themselves as "good at" math and science in school. FUSE challenges provide a new way to explore science, technology, engineering, arts and design, and math in a fun and relaxed way. FUSE is based on many years of research in the learning sciences by faculty in School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University.
Many adolescents develop ideas about and attitudes toward engineering through their exposure to out-of-school representations of science and technology. Yet few studies have investigated the nature of these representations and found ways to use them in formal engineering learning. This article explores media representations of science and technology that today's adolescents are familiar with. It analyzes how the embedded representations compare with those found in academic engineering and examines how these representations influence students' knowledge of and dispositions toward engineering
The article discusses ways racial and ethnic minorities are excluded from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. According to the article, the lack of minority STEM professionals in industries is blamed on their less rigorous early educational experience, lack of mentors and difficult work environment. Library staff can help alleviate many of these disadvantages through teacher education and thoughtful programming for students in a professional environment.
In the article, the author discusses technological developments in the education sector in the U.S. as of October 2013. He cites the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in early 2013 that is focused on science and engineering in the K-12 curriculum. The NGSS' four disciplinary core concepts include Earth and Space Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering and Technology. He presents several NGSS-friendly software like Celestia and NetLogo, as well as hardware such as the Arduino open-source programmable controller.
As the global economic competition gets tougher, American policymakers and researchers are interested in finding ways to increase the number of students pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)-related majors in order for the United States to continue its role as an economic powerhouse. A survey study was employed to investigate a multi-charter school system's (Harmony Public Schools [HPS]) after-school program in which doing a science fair project was expected for all 4th-12th grade students, and students were encouraged to participate STEM-related clubs (MATHCOUNTS