Pushing the Limits: Building Capacity to Enhance Public Understanding of Math and Science Through Rural Libraries

突破极限：通过农村图书馆进行能力建设，增强公众对数学和科学的理解

• 批准号: 1010577
• 负责人: Daniel Rockmore
• 金额: $ 250.8万
• 依托单位: Dartmouth College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-15 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1010577&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Pushing; Limits; Building; Capacity; Enhance

This project is intended to develop a model for STEM education through local libraries. There are several unique features in this endeavor. The model is being aimed at rural libraries and adult residents that are geographically remote from typical venues such as museums, zoos, and science centers. According to the 2000 census, there are 50 million individuals in this designation and the size of the group is increasing and becoming more diverse. Efforts to impact diverse audiences who are economically disadvantaged will be part of the plan. In many rural locations there are few community venues, but libraries are often present. The American Library Association and the Association Rural and Small Libraries have begun the reinvention of these libraries so they can become more attuned to the communities in which they are apart. Thus, this project is an effort to find new ways of communicating STEM concepts to a reasonably large underserved group.The design is to derive a "unit of knowledge enhancement" (some portion of Climate Change, for example) through a hybrid combination of book-club and scientific café further augmented with videos and web materials. Another part of the design is to enhance the base STEM knowledge of library staff and to associate the knowledge unit with an individual who has the specific STEM topic knowledge for a specific unit. Considerable effort shall be expended in developing the models for staff knowledge enhancement with a progressive number of librarians in training from 8 to 20 to 135. To build the content library model, five units of knowledge will be devised and circulated to participating libraries. Evaluation of the project includes front end, formative and summative by the Goodman Research Group.In addition to the "units of knowledge enhancement," the major results will be the model on how best to relate and educate citizens in rural environments and how to educate the library staff. Publications and presentations will be the major mechanism for elaboration of the results and encouragement for others to take up the model and adapt it for their own circumstances.

该项目旨在通过当地图书馆开发一种STEM教育模式。这项努力有几个独特的特点。该模式针对的是农村图书馆和成年居民，他们在地理上远离博物馆、动物园和科学中心等典型场所。根据2000年的人口普查，有5000万人被指定为这一群体，而且这一群体的规模正在增加，并变得更加多样化。努力影响经济上处于不利地位的不同受众将是该计划的一部分。在许多农村地区，社区场所很少，但图书馆经常存在。美国图书馆协会和农村和小图书馆协会已经开始对这些图书馆进行改造，这样它们就可以更好地适应它们所在的社区。因此，该项目是一种努力寻找新的方法，将STEM的概念传达给一个相当大的弱势群体。其设计是通过读书俱乐部和科学咖啡馆的混合组合，进一步增加视频和网络材料，从而产生一个“知识增强单元”(例如，气候变化的某一部分)。设计的另一个部分是加强图书馆工作人员的STEM基础知识，并将知识单元与拥有特定单元的特定STEM主题知识的个人联系起来。应作出相当大的努力，制定提高工作人员知识的模式，使参加培训的图书馆员人数逐步从8人增加到20人，再增加到135人。为了建立内容图书馆模型，将设计五个知识单元并将其分发给参与的图书馆。该项目的评估包括由Goodman Research Group进行的前端、形成性和终结性评估。除了“知识增强单元”，主要结果将是如何最好地联系和教育农村环境中的公民以及如何教育图书馆工作人员的典范。出版物和专题介绍将是阐述成果和鼓励其他国家采用这一模式并使之适应其自身情况的主要机制。