1. Power of Discovery Workshop
April 9, 2013
Professional Development Strategies and
Resources for Afterschool STEM
Kurt Feichtmeir
Director Extended Learning
Exploratorium
3. Levels of engagement
• Thriving Bay Area science learning ecology
• Museums: part of the out-of-school time
space for students, educators, and families
• Remote and in-person access to STEM
resources from museums
– Remote: Online or Print publications; webinars,
webcasts, interactive activities
– In-person: Personal Visit; Group Field Trip;
Professional Development Workshop
4. Exploratorium PD Resources
• STEM Activities: Developed and Tested by
Exploratorium staff; Easy to implement with
common materials; Many available for free
download, also available in printed books
• Personal visit: explore the galleries for your
personal enrichment or as preparation for a
group visit; SFPL check-out pass program
5. Exploratorium PD Resources
• Online content: tools for teaching and
learning: activities, digital library, content
collectionshttp://www.exploratorium.edu/edu
cation
• Workshops for Professional Development
Providers: Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry,
– Fundamentals of Inquiry; 5-day (Fall)
– Assessing for Learning; 3-day (Spring)
6.
7.
8. Activity Philosophy and Approach
• Developed and adapted by Exploratorium staff
science educators
• Tested with students and families for clarity,
usability, and engagement
• Emphasis on science process skills as well as
content knowledge and interactive fun
• Reinforcement of literacy skills
• Easy to do with common materials
14. Activity time: 7 minutes
• Leader will facilitate the activity
• Ask questions
• Keep track of your discoveries
• Explain what you notice
• Share your experience
15. Tool for Discovery: Asking Questions
• Thinking of questions (and trying to figure out
the answers) is part of trying to understand
how the world works. Think of some questions
that you could answer by experimenting. A
great way to begin a question is with the
words “What would happen if . . . ?