A Reflecting on Practice Professional Learning Program

作为在非正式环境中加强学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习(AISL)计划为寻求促进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解的努力提供资金。这包括为扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验提供多种途径，推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及加深参与者对更深层次学习的理解。该项目将通过确定和密切评估关键因素和程序来实现这些目标，这些关键因素和程序对于在非正式STEM学习(ISL)环境中工作的教育专业人员有效地扩大获得和维持专业学习(PL)是必要的。这项工作的背景是建立在循证和全国实地测试的专业学习模式的基础上，反思实践(ROP)。这一模式将得到改进，通过面对面或混合的方法、增强的本地化支持和培养的地区性专业学习社区，为ISL教育工作者提供更多接触经过验证的PL课程的机会。关于混合公共关系在非正式语境中的有效性，人们仍然知之甚少。鉴于服务不足和偏远地区的大量非正式STEM教育工作者和机构在获得高质量STEM专业发展方面往往面临着截然不同和不可逾越的挑战，强调更多地获得可持续发展对ISL领域尤为重要。这一模块化计划不仅将面向范围广泛的非正式机构；规模、STEM内容重点、地理位置和所服务的社区都不同，而且它还为机构定制和采用而独特设计，进一步增加了广泛采用、参与和参与的可能性。如果成功，这一广泛的实施努力将直接影响全国近350家非正式STEM学习机构的3000多名非正式科学教育工作者和专业人员。预期的行动理论和迭代的、以设计为基础的执行办法将由经验丰富的外部评价人员小组使用形成性和总结性评价方法进行密切监测、记录和分析。将采用混合方法来：(A)检查混合的公共部门和区域PLC在ISL领域的有效性和可及性，(B)确定混合的公共部门和区域PLC的关键设计特征，以影响教育工作者的实践，(C)通过研究需要什么支持系统，确定PLC如何在ISL发展和继续，以及(D)确定领导者和领导地点的有效作用。将从各级收集数据--从人事登记主任和私人助理、文件审查、对六个合作机构的人事登记负责人的访谈和观察，以及与人事登记协调员(n=700)和非正式STEM教育者(n=2,000)的调查。调查结果可能有助于制定未来的框架和模式，以便在国际标准学习的背景下有效地广泛传播类似的专业学习模式。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds efforts that seek to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants. This project will achieve these aims by identifying and closely evaluating critical factors and processes that are necessary to effectively broaden access and sustain professional learning (PL) for educational professionals working within informal STEM learning (ISL) settings. The context for this work builds on an evidence-based and nationally field tested professional learning model, Reflecting on Practice (RoP). This model will be refined to provide ISL educators with increased access to a proven PL curriculum via an in-person or blended approach, enhanced localized support, and cultivated regional professional learning communities. There is still little known about the effectiveness of blended PL within informal contexts. The emphasis on greater accessibility to PL is particularly important to the ISL field, given the significant number of informal STEM educators and institutions in underserved and remote locations, often facing disparate and insurmountable challenges in access to high quality STEM professional development. This modular program will not only target a broad range of informal institutions; varying in size, STEM content foci, geographic location and communities served but it is also uniquely designed for institutional customization and adoption, further increasing the likelihood of wide-spread uptake, participation, and engagement. If successful, this broad implementation effort will directly impact over 3,000 informal science educators and professionals in nearly 350 informal STEM learning institutions across the country. The intended theory of action and iterative, design-based implementation approach will be closely monitored, documented and analyzed by an experienced team of external evaluators, using formative and summative evaluative methods. A mixed methods approach will be employed to: (a) examine the effectiveness and accessibility of blended PL and regional PLCs for the ISL field, (b) identify critical design features in blended PL and regional PLCs for impacting educators' practice, (c) determine how PLCs can develop and continue in ISL through looking at what system of support is needed, and (d) ascertain the effective role of the Leaders and Leadership Sites. Data will be collected at all levels - from the RoP directors and PIs, document reviews, interviews and observations with RoP leaders at the six partnering institutions, and surveys with the RoP facilitators (n=700) and informal STEM educator participants (n=2,000). The results of the findings could be instrumental in the development of future frameworks and models designed to broadly disseminate similar professional learning models effectively within ISL contexts.