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"We're going to show you how cool science can be."
Not long ago President Barack Obama used those words to launch "Educate to Innovate," a campaign to boost the scientific literacy of American kids. He could have been reciting the first principal of science learning in after-school, a movement gaining ground across the country.
In these videos, see just how cool science can be.
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Engaging in science after school is not a substitute for having kids acquire basic math/science skills and knowledge at school. It's a way to excite kids about acquiring that knowledge, to involve them in tactile, surprising, real-world applications. See the telescope built by Harlem third graders in the video: Why Do Science After School? |
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Why should programs put time and resources into science? Because the same students who attend after-school programs (kids of color, girls, kids with disabilities ) are under-represented in science professions, leaving our nation short on STEM talent and future innovators. See how kids learn to envision themselves as scientists in the video: Who Does Science? |
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Programs don't need science or math experts to lead activities. Well-trained after-school educators are in some ways better prepared to model the inquiry process, given that they discover the answers to science inquiries alongside kids. See the difference training can make in the video: Science Training for After-School Educators. |
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After-school educators don't need expensive equipment or supplies. See how cornstarch and food coloring can launch a child on a love of science in the video: Oobleck. |
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Thanks to generous support from Con Edison, the Noyce Foundation, Toyota USA Foundation, and United Neighborhood Houses TASC is offering six kinds of science curriculum to kids in New York City after-school programs this year. With additional support from Hebrew Technical Institute, TASC's Center for After-School Excellence is also designing a college-level course that sparks interest in STEM careers. In the past three years we have trained hundreds of non-STEM professionals to lead science after school.
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