JoinAll Informal Education resources
NSTA Press Book
Creating a STEM Culture for Teaching and Learning
This is the book that will flip the way you think about STEM from “not me” to “I’m in!” Author Jeff Weld is the director of the acclaimed Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. He sees STEM as “a white-hot, transformative revolution in ...
By Jeff Weld
Journal Article
Informal Science Learning in Online Affinity Spaces
Affinity spaces are online forums in which participants, including informal science education professionals, share with one another teaching and learning resources on a given topic. ...
By Richard Hudson
Journal Article
In the Billion Oyster Project, middle school students study and conduct field research of New York Harbor and its watershed to support restoration of native oyster habitats. The project is developing and testing a model that integrates curriculum a...
By Lauren Birney
Journal Article
The Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery strives to provide a hub for play-based science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) learning experiences in rural southeastern Ohio. The museum works to develop meaningful connections between preK–12 ...
By Jennifer Parsons, Sara L. Hartman, Jennifer Hines-Bergmeier, and Christie Truly
Journal Article
Free reports from the National Research Council and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine can help practitioners bridge in-school and out-of-school STEM learning. ...
By Jay B. Labov
Journal Article
Facilitating Formal–Informal Connections in Rural STEM Ecosystems
“STEM Guides” serve as human brokers to connect 10- to 18-year-old youth from rural Maine in STEM education opportunities that already exist in their communities, including after-school programs, clubs, camps, library activities, special events...
By Jan Mokros, Jennifer Atkinson, Sue Allen, Alyson Saunders, and Kate Kastelein
Journal Article
Collaboratory = Collaborate + Laboratory
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By Peggy Harris Willcuts, and Cathleen Kennedy
NSTA Press Book
Picture-Perfect STEM Lessons, 3-5: Using Children’s Books to Inspire STEM Learning
"Teachers in our district have been fans of Picture-Perfect Science for years, and it’s made a huge impact on how they fit science into their school day. We are so excited to do more of the same with these Picture-Perfect STEM books!"—Chris Gible...
By Emily Morgan, Karen Ansberry
Blog Post
At the core of a Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) classroom is the sequence of exposing students to an interesting natural phenomenon, having students generate questions about the phenomenon, investigating student questions, then creating a s...
By Cindy Workosky
Journal Article
Learn how to create opportunities for young people from low-income, ethnically diverse communities to learn about growing food, doing science, and how science can help them contribute to their community in positive ways. The authors developed a progr...
By Amie Patchen, Andrea Aeschlimann, Anne Vera-Cruz, Anushree Kamath, Deborah Jose, Jackie DeLisi, Michael Barnett, Paul Madden, and Rajeev Rupani
Journal Article
Collaboration + Good Coffee = Connected Science Learning Success
A collaboration between two North Carolina state agencies allows in-school and out-of-school educators to share knowledge, engage students in in-school and out-of-school opportunities, and develop learning communities to advance science education i...
By Debra T. Hall, Benita B. Tipton, Lisa Tolley, and Marty Wiggins
Journal Article
Showing how various math and science topics relate to the real world is the key to motivating youth to pursue STEM careers. This idea is essential to the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) BLOSSOMS initiative....
By Elizabeth Murray and Richard Larson
Journal Article
Editor Dennis Schatz introduces the third issue, focused on how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning surrounds us. This issue features contributions on the theme of STEM Learning Surrounds Us: Building learning ec...
By Dennis Schatz