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

作为加强非正式环境中学习的整体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助创新研究，方法和资源，用于各种环境。该项目将为农村地区的校外教育工作者制定一个全国性的在线辅导/指导方案。该计划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，农村地区的教育工作者由于与世隔绝而面临多种挑战。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减轻孤立的后果。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、发展无限制和缅因州州立图书馆。通过使用广泛可用的技术，该项目将为居住在偏远地区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方面的完全在线教学辅导。项目小组将通过调整一个非常有前途的辅导方案来实现这一目标，在该方案中，教育工作者小组将自己与青年的工作录像，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）设计和调整具体的STEM技能课程，以适应不同层次的需求;（c）定制与农村图书馆员合作的模式;（d）将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.