Preparing the Undergraduates of Tomorrow What Can Informal Science Education Do for You?

1. Preparing the Undergraduates of Tomorrow What Can Informal Science Education Do for You? Alan J. Friedman Consultant Museum Development & Science Education

2. What do we mean by “college readiness” ? • Many definitions out there. • Many tests for “readiness” or “preparedness” out there. • The National Assessment Governing Board will produce a report (~2011) on the preparedness of US 12th graders for college and the workplace. • For today’s discussion, we’ll say college preparedness means “qualifying for entry level college courses without needing remediation.”

3. Informal Education • Learning during the 92% of our lives which we spend outside the formal education system • Also called “free choice learning,” because learners set their own agenda • Pathways include museums, zoos, botanic gardens, parks, visitor centers, television, magazines, books, libraries, the Internet, and hobbies.

4. What impact can we expect informal learning to have in preparing students for science in high school, college, and beyond?

5. National Research Council’s Learning Science in Informal Environments study found: • Informal education supports science learning for virtually everyone, across the life span. • Millions of people pursue and develop science interests in designed spaces such as museums, aquariums, and environmental centers • Structured, nonschool programs can feed and stimulate science-specific interests and influence academic achievement and career choices • Science media are qualitatively shaping people’s relationship with science

6. A Bayer/NSF Survey of what got scientists interested in science when they were children found the top reasons cited were: • Being encouraged by a parent or teacher • Taking a school science class • Playing with science toys or equipment • Seeing science in mass media • Visiting science museums or zoos • Doing science experiments at home 1998, Bayer/NSF survey conducted by Roper Starch based on polling more than 1,400 male and female Ph.D. scientists

7. Jon Miller’s ongoing studies of science literacy found only two factors are statistically significant predictors: • Number of college science courses taken • Amount of use of informal science learning (museums, zoos, newspapers, TV, Internet, etc.) Jon Miller, Michigan State University/NSF

8. Robert Tai and colleagues asked what best predicts a college degree in science: • Expectation of a science career in 8th grade • Expectation is a more powerful predictor of a science career than high school math scores Robert Tai et al., Science

9. So if informal science education helps prepare students for college science, how can we get some to use ourselves? tryscience.org • Find just about every science museum on the planet; dozens of vetted activities from science museums for use on or off-line; in 9 languages

10. Citizenscience.org • Individuals, families, students do data collection and analysis for real science research

11. Nobelprize.org • Exquisite simulation activities of real experiments, inspiring stories, and more

12. Sciencebuddies.org • Hundreds of inquiry science fair projects, way beyond that model volcano; career advice and more

13. pbskids.org/designsquad/ • The TV show is cool, but even better are teens doing engineering for delight at school or at home

14. Sciencefriday.com • Millions listen, but even more get it through the web, Podcasts, blogs, SecondLife, ….

15. To get even more, form a partnership with an informal science education organization • www.astc.org for science centers & museums • www.ips-planetarium.org for planetariums • www.aza.org for zoos and aquariums • www.publicgardens.org for botanical gardens and arboreta • www.cpb.org/aboutpb for public radio and TV • www.scienceafterschool.org for community afterschool providers • 4-H.org/programs_mission_mandates/set.html for community science programs nationwide

16. Alan J. Friedman, Consultant Museum Development & Science Communication AlanFriedman@verizon.net