All Informal Education resources

Journal Article

Dealing With Disasters Through Emergency Response Teen Science Cafés

According to a 2012 United Nations report, many countries prioritize children’s learning about the genesis, prevention, and mitigation of natural ...

By Jan Mokros, Michelle Hall, and Michael Mayhew

Informal Education Careers

Journal Article

Partnering to Develop a Coordinated Engineering Education Program Across Schools, Museum Field Trips, and Afterschool Programs

Engineering Explorations are curriculum modules that engage children across contexts in learning about science and engineering. We used them to leve...

By Danielle B. Harlow, Ron Skinner, Tarah Connolly, and Alexandria Muller

Informal Education Curriculum Engineering

Journal Article

The SciGirls Strategies

Middle school is a critical time for fostering girls’ interest in science, as it is during these years that girls begin to identify with their str...

By Alicia Santiago, Kristin Pederson, and Rita Karl

Informal Education Equity Inclusion STEM Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

STEM Mindset

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) mindset is critical to youths’ ongoing participation in STEM, as well as their functionin...

By Jeanna R. Wieselmann

Middle School Informal Education STEM

Journal Article

Connecting Learning to Life

Teen science café programs are a free, fun way for high school teens to explore advances in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM...

By Michelle Hall, and Michael Mayhew

Informal Education STEM

Journal Article

Where Should Learners Struggle?

"I’ve had one cohort of kids…They were with me last year and then they came back and did a more advanced maker club this year, and so the way ...

By Alice Anderson, Megan Goeke, Amber M. Simpson, and Adam V. Maltese

Informal Education

Journal Article

Defining and Measuring STEM Identity and Interest in STEM Learning

A growing number of educators are focused on increasing students’ interest in and developing their identity in relation to science, technology, en...

By Jamie Bell, Kevin Crowley, Martin Storksdieck, John Besley, Matthew A. Cannady, Amy Grack Nelson, Tina Phillips, Kelly Riedinger, and Melissa Ballard

Informal Education Research STEM

Journal Article

Fostering a STEAM Mindset Across Learning Settings

Developing a growth mindset has been identified as a key strategy for increasing youth achievement, motivation, and resiliency (Rattan et al. 2015)....

By Laura D. Carsten Conner, Blakely K. Tsurusaki, Carrie Tzou, Perrin Teal Sullivan, Mareca Guthrie, and Stephen M. Pompea

Informal Education STEM

Journal Article

Using the ChangeMaker Mindsets™ to Enhance STEM Experiences

A ChangeMaker is anyone who chooses to take creative action to solve a problem for impact.  The ChangeMaker Mindsets™ help youth navigate amb...

By Amanda Kopischke and Angela Anderson

Informal Education Is Lesson Plan