1. Out of School Time Professional
Development:
Science Action Clubs
Courtney Rudd
Cnrudd@calacademy.org
Science Action Club Project Manager
April 9, 2013
2. The Academy’s approach to professional
development in out-of-school time
• New knowledge, attitudes, skills and career goals for
leaders
• Build bridges between in and out-of-school
• Foster multiple alliances and connections via CoPs
• Blended & virtual learning
California Academy of Sciences
3. OST Programs at the Academy
Student
Science
Fellows
Intensity
N=10 CiS
Program
Careers in Science
Assistants
(CiS) N=4
N=35
Digital Learning Programs
N=30
Science Action TASC Force
Clubs N=60
N=400
Learning Labs with SF Public Library, CAS, KQED, BAVC
N=100s-1000s
6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th Undergraduate
Grade Level California Academy of Sciences
4. Science Action Club Program
Promoting leadership in OST
• Offer OST professional
development for frontline staff
• Youth in grades 6-8th in
afterschool programs
Sparking interest in science!
• STEM curriculum linked to
national citizen science
projects
• Promote professional networks
California Academy of Sciences
6. Areas of Impact
Activity Alliance
Youth Partnerships
Leaders Teams
• Engaging, • Increasing • Bridging in- • Building a
hands-on confidence & and out-of- leadership
STEM competence school network
experiences in leading program
STEM advocates
activities
California Academy of Sciences
7. Support for Activity Leaders
Providing resources and emphasizing co-learning
• Blended professional
development
Training in citizen
science
• STEM curriculum module
• iPads as teaching tools
• SAC Alliance and
Network
California Academy of Sciences
8. Alliance Teams
School site teams supporting SAC implementation
• Team Approach
Accredited science teacher
Afterschool Site
Coordinator
Afterschool Activity Leader
• Building bridges between the
school day and informal
learning environments
• In prototyping stage;
evaluation is ongoing
California Academy of Sciences
9. SAC Experience for Youth
Igniting the spark for science
• Hands-on STEM learning
• Citizen science research
experiences
• Club identity
• Ladder of leadership
• Digital technology
California Academy of Sciences
18. What does Citizen Science provide for youth?
• Getting outside for observation in
habitat
• Authentic way to engage in
STEM learning
• Motivating—their data make a
real contribution
• Jumping off point for
investigations that mirror
professional science
California Academy of Sciences
19. A sampling of Citizen Science projects
The Great
Sunflower Project California Academy of Sciences
We are just starting to look at how these changes impact the living things around us. To be certain that changes are related to climate, scientists must have observations from across continents and over long periods of time. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ontdesign/692369952/
In citizen science, people everywhere use basic, scientific protocols to report observations of natural events.Hundreds and thousands of participants, all across the landscape, can contribute millions of observations every year, allowing scientists to ask questions they were never before able to answer.
Networks of observers across Europe show that blooming, leafing, and fruiting of plants is happening earlier and earlier. (Menzel et al 2006, could get more specific than this if needed… do they say anything about asynchronicity?)http://www.flickr.com/photos/cocreatr/2290237545/in/pool-whiteground
Observations by Mrs. Anderson and others suggest that species in some places are changing their habits as the climate changes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/genista/6898950/
There’s more.Observations by volunteers in the New York State Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project show that four species of frogs are calling 10-13 days earlier now than in the beginning of the 1900s.(Gibbs and Breisch)http://www.flickr.com/photos/furryscalyman/433247980/in/set-72157594364089472/
And the observations of participants in the Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project have helped researchers predict that the butterfly’s ideal breeding conditions will be found farther north in the future. (Batalden et al 2007)http://www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/46701075/
