How about the Science of Football?

Several professional soccer teams in the UK are actually hosting after-school programs in their clubhouses. They use the draw of their popularity to offer lessons which pertain to the sport but also cover other subjects, such as business and science. Link to article in the Times of London

Connecting with STEM Programs for OST

I was in Boston over the past two days and met with a number of leaders who have created great programs and/or are doing related work to advance the state of STEM education, after-school, youth development, etc. I plan to share what I learned in postings over the next few days.

Funny take on STEM Education

The Onion has an article in the "funny because it is sadly true" category:

Report: Iranian Science Teachers May Be Enriching Students

"In a nationally televised Oval Office address Tuesday, President Bush expressed the concern that if Iran is allowed to enrich its students unchecked, many of them could end up anywhere, with some potentially landing in major university centers in New York and Los Angeles.

'The U.S. stopped enriching its students decades ago, and we call upon Iran to do the same,' Bush said."

Contests and Competitions

There are many contest and competition programs to encourage young people in STEM learning. Many of these are well designed and offer great incentives for students and coaches. However, they are also highly proscriptive and demand a lot of adult and student time. This is one of the reasons that they tend to be dominated by higher income participants. Most program organizers are aware of this concern and have been making efforts to reach underserved populations. The Team America Rocketry Challenge opened its entries to non-school groups and ended up having its national winners come from a rural 4-H club.

I am starting to build a wiki page with some more examples of competition programs. Feel free to add more information.

Equity through STEM Learning

I attended a great session last weekend sponsored by ASTC and hosted by the NY Hall of Science and the Educational Equity Center (EEC) at AED. EEC has been developing a new curriculum, Afterschool Math PLUS, with support from the National Science Foundation. The product is outstanding and seems to be showing great results through the pilot phase, which includes sites in NYC, St. Louis, and Louisville. Implementation is being done as a partnership between a science museum and a community-based after-school provider. With private support, EEC is now moving forward to replicate this success. EEC also has exemplary curriculum for science inquiry, reviewed at the Consumers Guide to Afterschool Science Resources and available here.

EEC's efforts are not just about teaching math and science skills. They start with a focus on equity - ending discrimination based on gender, race/ethnicity, disability, and level of family income. The need for changing attitudes about science and math and offering engaging learning opportunities follow from this.