All Informal Education resources

Journal Article

Multimedia Connected STEM Learning With Middle School Students

Find out how Denver middle school students practiced digital storytelling as they delved deeply into STEM topics that interested them.  ...

By Janelle M. Johnson, Jayme Margolin-Sneider, and Monica Moreno-Martinez

Middle School Informal Education Interdisciplinary STEM Technology

Journal Article

Interested in Connecting In-School and Out-of-School STEM Learning?

Use the National AfterSchool Association’s resources to learn about best practices for implementing out-of-school STEM learning.    ...

By Heidi Ham

Informal Education

Journal Article

Celebrate Urban Backyards

Find out how the Detroit Zoological Society partnered with local organizations to create Celebrate Urban Backyards, which engages afterschool educators and students in hands-on, inquiry-based programs and activities focused on their urban environme...

By Claire Lannoye-Hall and Zahraa Aljebori

Informal Education Citizen Science Environmental Science

Journal Article

Emerging Connections

Learn about an effective and affordable three-focus approach that brings together academia, the community, and the real world in a way that makes afterschool STEM enrichment available to a wide audience.    ...

By Edward Njoo, Surabhi Narain, Lakshmidevi Pabbisetty, and Mahesh Agrawal

Informal Education Interdisciplinary STEM

Journal Article

Engineering Design Challenge

Minnesota 4-H seeks to improve the quantity and quality of out-of-school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) experiences for middle school–age youth. In 2013 the Minnesota STEM team, a statewide team of 4-H staff charged with provid...

By Mark Haugen, Margo Bowerman, R. Michael Compton, Anne Stevenson, and Patrick Jirik

Informal Education Engineering

NSTA Press Book

Swing Set Makeover, Grade 3: STEM Road Map for Elementary School

What if you could challenge your third graders to design a swing set that’s safe but still lots of fun? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!Swing Set Makeover outlines a journey that will steer your students toward auth...

Elementary Informal Education Engineering Mathematics Physical Science STEM Assessment Curriculum Multilingual Learners Instructional Materials Inquiry Lesson Plans NGSS Pedagogy Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning Equity Inclusion Interdisciplinary Literacy New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education Teacher Preparation

Journal Article

Inspiring STEM Interest Using Foldscope

The Gaining Options to College Collaborative (GO College) is a successful college mentoring program within the Erie, Pennsylvania, school district. It provides free, on-site, extracurricular resources for local high schools. Faculty members from Ga...

By Anne Schmitz, Nicholas Conklin, Quyen Aoh, and Barbara Priestap

Informal Education

Journal Article

Place-Based Education

The Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) is a statewide network in Michigan that promotes rigorous place-based education experiences for K–12 students....

By Sarah Waters, Brandon Schroeder, and Tracy D'Augustino

Informal Education

Journal Article

Cocreating Transformative Change

Leveraging community to create a mobile, cultural makerspace that travels to schools, powwows, and community events throughout a Native American reservation in Montana....

By Holly Truitt, Ruth Swaney, William Swaney, Nick Wethington, and Nathalie Wolfram

Informal Education

Journal Article

Do Children Make Good Citizen Scientists?

Participating in citizen science—where members of the public collect data for use by scientists—has become popular over the past 5 to 10 years, with teachers increasingly looking to incorporate citizen science into lessons (Gray, Nicosia, and J...

By Christine L. Goforth

Informal Education

Journal Article

Fabricating Fidgets to Support Inclusive Maker Education

With the goal of supporting an inclusive maker education learning experience, a science museum, university, and middle school partnered to engage students diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in an authentic design challen...

By Alexandria K. Hansen, Eric R. Hansen, and Danielle B. Harlow

Informal Education Inclusion

Journal Article

Accessible Making and Tinkering

Maker spaces and programs offer tremendous opportunities for all learners to explore new materials, expand their practical skills, think creatively, and exercise social-emotional skills such as problem-solving and collaboration. With this in mind, ...

By Charlotte Martin

Informal Education