Teenage Designers of Learning Places for Children: Creating After-school Environments for STEM Education

圣路易斯科学中心将与纽约城市学院和明尼苏达科学博物馆合作，将其丰富的专业知识与青少年项目相结合，为课后STEM学习创造新的机会。目前在圣路易斯科学中心和明尼苏达科学博物馆青年科学中心参加“青少年探索科学”项目的14-17岁青少年将接受强化培训，为他们担任“学习场所”的首席设计师做好准备，该项目将在圣路易斯和圣保罗的课后9点项目中创建。“学习场所”是由实践活动和创新策略支持的教育环境，将科学、数学和技术融入课后项目。在拨款的最后一年，该项目将被分发到美国的五个博物馆，包括太平洋科学中心（华盛顿州西雅图）、Headwaters科学中心（明尼苏达州贝米吉）、Explora（新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基）和Sciencenter（纽约州伊蒂卡）。青年项目的工作人员、课后项目的工作人员和管理人员以及与之合作的博物馆也将从培训和专业发展中受益。可交付成果包括27个“学习场所”、一个青少年培训计划、一份实施资源指南以及对该领域的研究贡献。

The St. Louis Science Center, in collaboration with the City College of New York and the Science Museum of Minnesota, will combine their considerable expertise with youth programs to create new opportunities for after-school STEM learning. Teens, ages 14-17, currently participating in the "Youth Exploring Science" program at the St. Louis Science Center and the Youth Science Center at the Science Museum of Minnesota will receive intensive training to prepare them to assume the role of lead designers of Learning Places that will be created in nine-after school programs in St. Louis and St. Paul. "Learning Places" are educational environments supported by hands-on activities and innovative strategies that integrate science, mathematics and technology into after-school programs. In the final year of the grant the project will be disseminated to five museums across the US including the Pacific Science Center (Seattle, WA), Headwaters Science Center (Bemidji, MN), Explora (Albuquerque, NM), and Sciencenter (Ithica, NY). Youth program staff, and staff and administrators in after-school programs and partnering museums will also benefit from training and professional development. Deliverables include 27 "Learning Places," a teen training program, a Resource Guide for implementation and research contributions to the field.