Preparing Informal Science Educators

by Patricia G Patrick

Author	: Patricia G Patrick
Publisher	: Springer
Total Pages	: 612
Release	: 2017-01-16
Genre	: Science
ISBN	: 3319503987

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This book provides a diverse look at various aspects of preparing informal science educators. Much has been published about the importance of preparing formal classroom educators, but little has been written about the importance, need, and best practices for training professionals who teach in aquariums, camps, parks, museums, etc. The reader will find that as a collective the chapters of the book are well-related and paint a clear picture that there are varying ways to approach informal educator preparation, but all are important. The volume is divided into five topics: Defining Informal Science Education, Professional Development, Designing Programs, Zone of Reflexivity: The Space Between Formal and Informal Educators, and Public Communication. The authors have written chapters for practitioners, researchers and those who are interested in assessment and evaluation, formal and informal educator preparation, gender equity, place-based education, professional development, program design, reflective practice, and science communication. Readers will draw meaning and usefulness from the array of professional perspectives and be stimulated to begin a quest to scaffold programs and professional development around the frameworks described in this book.

Learning Science in Informal Environments

by National Research Council

Author	: National Research Council
Publisher	: National Academies Press
Total Pages	: 348
Release	: 2009-05-27
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 0309141133

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Informal science is a burgeoning field that operates across a broad range of venues and envisages learning outcomes for individuals, schools, families, and society. The evidence base that describes informal science, its promise, and effects is informed by a range of disciplines and perspectives, including field-based research, visitor studies, and psychological and anthropological studies of learning. Learning Science in Informal Environments draws together disparate literatures, synthesizes the state of knowledge, and articulates a common framework for the next generation of research on learning science in informal environments across a life span. Contributors include recognized experts in a range of disciplines-research and evaluation, exhibit designers, program developers, and educators. They also have experience in a range of settings-museums, after-school programs, science and technology centers, media enterprises, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and botanical gardens. Learning Science in Informal Environments is an invaluable guide for program and exhibit designers, evaluators, staff of science-rich informal learning institutions and community-based organizations, scientists interested in educational outreach, federal science agency education staff, and K-12 science educators.

Non-Formal and Informal Science Learning in the ICT Era

by Michail Giannakos

Author	: Michail Giannakos
Publisher	: Springer Nature
Total Pages	: 180
Release	: 2020-09-14
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 9811567476

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This book introduces the reader to evidence-based non-formal and informal science learning considerations (including technological and pedagogical innovations) that have emerged in and empowered the information and communications technology (ICT) era. The contributions come from diverse countries and contexts (such as hackerspaces, museums, makerspaces, after-school activities) to support a wide range of educators, practitioners, and researchers (such as K-12 teachers, learning scientists, museum curators, librarians, parents, hobbyists). The documented considerations, lessons learned, and concepts have been extracted using diverse methods, ranging from experience reports and conceptual methods to quantitative studies and field observation using qualitative methods. This volume attempts to support the preparation, set-up, implementation, but also evaluation of informal learning activities to enhance science education.

Surrounded by Science

by National Research Council

Author	: National Research Council
Publisher	: National Academies Press
Total Pages	: 241
Release	: 2010-04-03
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 0309136741

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Practitioners in informal science settings-museums, after-school programs, science and technology centers, media enterprises, libraries, aquariums, zoos, and botanical gardens-are interested in finding out what learning looks like, how to measure it, and what they can do to ensure that people of all ages, from different backgrounds and cultures, have a positive learning experience. Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments, is designed to make that task easier. Based on the National Research Council study, Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits, this book is a tool that provides case studies, illustrative examples, and probing questions for practitioners. In short, this book makes valuable research accessible to those working in informal science: educators, museum professionals, university faculty, youth leaders, media specialists, publishers, broadcast journalists, and many others.

Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices

by Christina V. Schwarz

Author	: Christina V. Schwarz
Publisher	: NSTA Press
Total Pages	: 393
Release	: 2017-01-31
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 1941316956

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When it’s time for a game change, you need a guide to the new rules. Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices provides a play-by-play understanding of the practices strand of A Framework for K–12 Science Education (Framework) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Written in clear, nontechnical language, this book provides a wealth of real-world examples to show you what’s different about practice-centered teaching and learning at all grade levels. The book addresses three important questions: 1. How will engaging students in science and engineering practices help improve science education? 2. What do the eight practices look like in the classroom? 3. How can educators engage students in practices to bring the NGSS to life? Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices was developed for K–12 science teachers, curriculum developers, teacher educators, and administrators. Many of its authors contributed to the Framework’s initial vision and tested their ideas in actual science classrooms. If you want a fresh game plan to help students work together to generate and revise knowledge—not just receive and repeat information—this book is for you.

Teaching Science Through Trade Books

by Christine Anne Royce

Author	: Christine Anne Royce
Publisher	: NSTA Press
Total Pages	: 354
Release	: 2012
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 1936959135

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If you like the popular?Teaching Science Through Trade Books? columns in NSTA?s journal Science and Children, or if you?ve become enamored of the award-winning Picture-Perfect Science Lessons series, you?ll love this new collection. It?s based on the same time-saving concept: By using children?s books to pique students? interest, you can combine science teaching with reading instruction in an engaging and effective way.

A Framework for K-12 Science Education

by National Research Council

Author	: National Research Council
Publisher	: National Academies Press
Total Pages	: 400
Release	: 2012-02-28
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 0309214459

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Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.

Enhancing Learning Opportunities Through Student, Scientist, and Teacher Partnerships

by Farland-Smith, Donna

Author	: Farland-Smith, Donna
Publisher	: IGI Global
Total Pages	: 257
Release	: 2021-03-05
Genre	: Education
ISBN	: 1799849678

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Student-scientist-teacher interactions provide students with several advantages. They provide opportunities to interact with experts and professionals in the field, give students a chance at meeting a role model that may impact students' career choices, and increase awareness of available career options combined with an understanding of how their skills and interests affect their career decisions. Additionally, it enhances attitudes and interest toward STEM professions for students and grants opportunities to connect with scientists as human beings and see them as "real people," replacing stereotypical perceptions of scientists. Moreover, there are many advantages for the teacher or informal educator when these partnerships are established. For these reasons and more, numerous studies are often conducted involving the partnerships of students, scientists, and teachers. Enhancing Learning Opportunities Through Student, Scientist, and Teacher Partnerships organizes a collection of research on student-scientist-teacher partnerships and presents the models, benefits, implementation, and learning outcomes of these interactions. This book presents a variety of different scientist-student-teacher partnerships with research data to support different learning outcomes in settings like schools, after-school programs, museums, science centers, zoos, aquariums, children's museums, space centers, nature centers, and more. This book is ideal for in-service and preservice teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in research on beneficial student-scientist-teacher partnerships/models in formal and informal settings.

How People Learn in Informal Science Environments

by Patricia G. Patrick

Author	: Patricia G. Patrick
Publisher	: Springer Nature
Total Pages	: 559
Release	: 2023-04-01
Genre	: Science
ISBN	: 3031132912

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This edited volume brings together an international perspective of 22 diverse learning theories applied to a range of informal science learning environments. The book is divided into 7 sections: community of practice, critical theory, identity theory, sociocultural, socioscientific, and social entrepreneurship, systems theory, and theory development. The chapters present how researchers from diverse backgrounds and cultures use theories in their work and how these may be applied as theoretical frameworks for future research. The chapters bridge theory and practice and collectively address a wide range of ages (children-adults) and contexts. The book is written to engage a broad audience of researchers in universities and museums, while appealing to the growing number of researchers and educators who recognize the importance of informal learning to the development of environmental and scientific literacy. It is essential reading for inexperienced researchers and those seeking new theoretical perspectives.