STEM hooks for 12 to 14 year olds

[Many website "contact us" forms disallow HTML or formating, so I link to my inquiry online here]

I am gathering observations from Science and Technology museums about young people and their particular interests with the sciences and technology.

Earlier this summer I began looking for answers to the question of what activities and presentation method seems best to engage junior high school-aged students in subjects of science and technology. In particular, what sorts of learning experiences outside the classroom may sometimes influence a 12 to 14 year old’s vocational direction toward science, technology or engineering.

Within that search I need to narrow down even further to discover differences in girl’s and boy’s interest levels and engagement with the subjects of science and technology. That is why I am writing to you. From your experiences, observations and impressions, I am asking for your help on these two questions at the end of this message. And if you know someone even better equipped to respond, please feel free to share this request, or tell me who to contact and how best to reach the person.

As part of a three year grant from the Engineering Information Foundation I am involved in the survey phase of this project to track down past participants in the weekend activities and summertime fieldtrips of a local organization in town called CRV (Community Resource Volunteers). In particular CRV wants to find better ways to get more girls interested in engineering, science and technology careers.

You may be interested in the attached Word Cloud that is created from a smaller 2008 survey of past participants. The words are grouped by size and location according to how prominent they were in the answers given to the question about how CRV activities influenced their own personal paths. It is a simple visual indicator of the value of the informal learning that CRV has been made possible for young people since 1987.

Your help in understanding the characteristics of effective, engaging informal learning and also the differences in awareness, ambitions or motivations between boys and girls in technology and the sciences will contribute directly to the significance of this study. I look forward to learning from your perspective.

Yours Sincerely,

Guven Witteveen, anthroview atgmail.com

Outreach Education Consultant and Evaluator

St. Johns, Michigan -- Telephone 989-224-2768 (home)

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Questions drawing on your experience, expertise and any related studies that you may know

1. Among the myriad ways that informal learning takes place, which of the following mix of people, ideas, materials and activities seems to be

Most effective at attracting interest, holding focus and producing lasting impressions? [mark a 1 to the left of the line]

Least effective in these purposes? [mark a 3 to the left of the line]

.Staff guided tour with Q & A, worksheets

.Teacher guided tour with worksheets

.Self-guided tour with worksheets

.Scavenger hunt teams or detective work (with digital cameras)

.On-site audio-visual overview or topical presentation

.Gallery kiosk giving (audio-visual) context to artifacts

.On-site lecture or lab experience with hands-on materials

.Online tour with FAQ and quizzes

.Object-based learning (conversation begins and revolves around artifact or archival document)

.Behind the scenes tour of facilities

.Shop talk about the business, pedagogy and critical thinking of displays

.Role playing (scripts or prompts) that lead students to weigh the options, purposes and outcomes

.Personal introduction and brief conversation with curators

.Project-based learning (students produce presentations from words and images they collect)

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*Please add other learning engagements or write comments here. If you can refer me to specific studies about informal learning

among 12 to 14 year olds, particularly as it affects their career directions, please supply details.

2. The working world of science, technology and engineering has tended to attract relatively few women and people of ethnic minorities. Doubtless there are some ongoing institutional and cultural structures that preserve this status quo. But at the individual level of career decisions and aspirations for 12 to 14 year olds, what general differences seem to set apart boys and girls?

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*Impressions and anecdotes are OK, too. But if you can refer me to specific studies about gender differences in informal learning

among 12 to 14 year olds, please supply details.