Promoting Science Education Outside the Classroom

Over the past few years I have extended my classroom to include study halls, lunches and after school hours for all students to come and get extra science help. During these times I have had my own students as well as students from other classes come to get some extra practice with specific science concepts. Also during this time, we have done labs or activities that were enrichment activities or labs that we did not have time for during class. I have also brought in local professionals to share their experiences in various science fields. My science department also has done science fairs which have involved the community in their implementation. Even with these strategies to try and reach all students at my school, the biggest strategy has been collaborating with teachers from all disciplines in promoting STEM education. I have also been involved with the development of our science curriculum. From these collaborations, we have been able to refine our curricula to incorporate STEM skill sets and the reinforcement of scientific principles. We have been able to incorporate and reinforce skills such as problem solving, effective research, and the fundamentals of the scientific method. These collaborations have also served as a means of promoting an inquiry based approach and the benefits that inquiry can bring to instruction. 

            A big challenge that I and my colleagues have faced in improving our science program has been in logistics. Finding time to meet with everyone and the time to implement the strategies that we agree would strengthen our program has been difficult. Since we do not have any overlapping school time to meet to discuss these issues, the only solution we have been using has been meeting approximately once a month to discuss strategies and manners to improve. Also finding the resources and allocating the resources we currently have in the most effect manner has been an ongoing process. In a low income school, it is difficult to find creative solutions to resource acquisition and management. We have had to be creative with finding funds for resources. Reaching out to the community through universities and businesses to sponsor or donate equipment or provide programming has provided some means of expanding our resources. Also, through grants we have been able to update some of the components of our classroom. Even though there will always be obstacles, it is important to be creative and seek the help of others through collaboration to try and overcome these potential blockades. This will, in turn, lead to effective instruction and the development of scientifically literate students.