December 14th, 2016 | RESEARCH
Informal learning opportunities are increasingly being recognized as important for youth participation in authentic experiences at the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) (Dorsen, Carlson, and Goodyear 2006). These experiences may involve specialized equipment and dedicated time for learners to gain familiarity with the relevant scientific and engineering practices (i.e., designing experiments on their own, struggling to make sense of data, learning from their own mistakes and the results of peers), which often go beyond the classroom. However, the educators who guide the implementation of these informal efforts may need specific training, and they may need to be creative in designing learning experiences under their setting’s unique constraints. Best practices for professional development for classroom teachers include active inquiry opportunities and an emphasis on content and its relevance to the classroom, extended over a long period of time (Birman et al. 2000; Abell and Lee 2008; Darling-Hammond et al. 2009). However, the extant literature on teacher professional development tends to focus only on formal educators. This article draws on our experiences developing a program called Skynet Junior Scholars (SJS) to document how our professional development model engages both informal and formal educators with a range of skill sets. We describe how three SJS educators creatively forged new educational pathways between in-school and out-of-school STEM learning, and we provide lessons learned and recommendations for others.
Document
(no document provided)
Team Members
Kathryn Williamson, Author, West Virginia UniversitySue Ann Heatherly, Author, Green Bank Observatory
Vivian Hoette, Author, University of Chicago Yerkes Observatory
Eva Erdosne Toth, Author, West Virginia University
David Beer, Author, Panorama Innovation
Citation
Identifier Type: ISSN
Identifier: 2475-8779
Publication: Connected Science Learning
Volume: 2
Funders
Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: AISL
Award Number: 1223687
Funding Program: AISL
Award Number: 1223235Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: AISL
Award Number: 1223345
Related URLs
Full Text
Collaborative Research: Full Scale Development: Skynet Junior Scholars - Engaging Youth in Authentic Science Using Research Grade Robotic Telescopes
Tags
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Middle School Children (11-13) | Museum | ISE Professionals | Scientists
Discipline: Education and learning science | Space science | Technology
Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article | Research Products
Environment Type: Community Outreach Programs | Media and Technology | Professional Development | Conferences | Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Public Programs | Websites | Mobile Apps | Online Media