Transforming Rural Communities: Virtual Instructional Coaching in Afterschool and Library Programs

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)计划为各种环境中使用的创新研究、方法和资源提供资金。该项目将为农村地区的校外教育工作者推出一个全国性的在线辅导/辅导计划。该项目建立在诺伊斯基金会试点项目的基础上。需要解决的问题是，由于孤立，农村地区的教育工作者在许多方面受到挑战。这个项目将试图通过资源共享、知识共享和与学生交流的独特技巧来找到缓解孤立的一些后果的方法。这项工作的合作伙伴是缅因州数学和科学联盟、全国课后协会、无限制发展和缅因州图书馆。通过使用广泛可用的技术，该项目将为那些住得太远而无法参加正在进行的面对面研讨会的校外教育工作者提供STEM的全面在线教学指导。项目团队将通过采用非常有前途的指导计划来实现这一点，在该计划中，教育工作者团体将自己与青年的工作进行视频记录，练习关键技能，并定期开会讨论他们的工作。该项目将：(A)测试技术挑战，以实现完全虚拟实施；(B)设计和调整特定的STEM技能课程，以适应不同层次的需要；(C)定制模式，以便与农村图书馆管理员合作；(D)将这项工作纳入现有的州和国家认证系统。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches and resources for use in a variety of settings. The project will derive a nationwide online coaching/mentoring program for out of school educators in rural settings. The program builds on a Noyce Foundation pilot project. The issue to be addressed is that educators in rural settings are challenged in a multitude of ways due to isolation. This project will try to find ways to alleviate some of the consequences of isolation through resource sharing, knowledge sharing, and unique techniques for communicating with students. Partners in this effort are the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, the National AfterSchool Association, Development Without Limits, and the Maine State Library.By using widely-available technologies, this project will bring fully online instructional coaching in STEM to out-of-school educators who live too remotely to attend ongoing in-person workshops. The project team will achieve this by adapting a highly promising coaching program where groups of educators video-record their own work with youth, practice key skills, and meet regularly to discuss their work. The project will: (a) test technical challenges to achieve fully virtual implementation; (b) design and adapt a specific STEM-skill curriculum to align with different levels of need; (c) customize the model to work with rural librarians; and (d) integrate the work into existing state and national accreditation systems.