Adventures in Coaching Young Chemists

Formalized participation in professional service is not often part of the college experience, especially for first-year students in chemistry courses. When service opportunities are offered, they are most often through elective credit, upper-level courses, extracurricular clubs, and the rare service-learning courses. We have successfully incorporated a large science service-learning opportunity into the general chemistry laboratory that provides multidisciplinary educational experiences for children and the community. The experience for the college students involves several weeks of preparation for a two-week laboratory module and participation in the public event on the university campus. College students involved in the second year of the event were surveyed to determine the impact of formalized participation in professional service on their attitude toward science and participation in future professional service events. Highly positive responses on the surveys and public interest in the event suggest continuing and expanding on the science offerings in our geographic location.

show abstract

“…The program originally used for HSN has already been used as a model for similar events at other institutions. 6 …”

Section: ■ Background On Halloween Science Nightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating Professional Service as a Component of General Chemistry Laboratory by Demonstrating Chemistry to Elementary Students

Theall

Bond

2013

J. Chem. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Credit-bearing educational experiences typically require more organization when compared to extracurricular volunteer work in the community; however, the integration of discipline-specific content with community service/outreach produces both improved cognitive goals and an enhanced level of civic engagement . In chemistry courses, service-learning components have been introduced successfully in the form of environmental projects in which, for instance, students conduct waterquality tests. − In service-learning programs aimed at enhancing chemistry learning in K–12 education, students visit local schools to engage in hands-on educational activities either as part of a special project for a traditional chemistry course − or, more rarely, as a final project for an outreach-centered course . Herein is described a service-learning course that engages students in a chemistry outreach program entirely located on the university campus and within regular class time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemistry Discovery: A Service-Learning Outreach Course Produces a Workshop Series for Middle-School Students

Tomat

2020

J. Chem. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Service-learning college courses and service-learning components of traditional courses combine discipline-specific learning objectives with service activities in the community. Chemistry Discovery is a one-unit servicelearning course focused on chemistry outreach at the University of Arizona. In a collaborative learning environment, the enrolled undergraduate and graduate students design and produce a series of workshops for local middle-school students visiting the university campus. The course offers a framework for outreach efforts for which students receive academic credit while also enjoying the freedom to select and optimize hands-on educational modules. A content emphasis is placed on the chemistry of everyday objects and on its illustration in accurate terms that are also appropriate for a middle-school audience. The second half of this semester-long project is dedicated to the presentation of workshops, which occur during class time and on the university campus. In the end-of-semester reflection on the experience, the student presenters consistently indicate that their science communication skills are enhanced by the program and that they have a positive impact on the audience on the basis of formal and informal feedback from our visitors. Chemistry Discovery provides a sustainable curricular platform for students and faculty interested in outreach to step into the leadership role of science communicators and to inspire younger students to pursue scientific knowledge.

show abstract

“…While this search only focused on ACS Publications, it helps to illustrate the widespread focus on informal chemistry education and chemistry outreach within the chemical enterprise (particularly within the United States). Unfortunately, a majority of these publications focus on ideas and procedures for conducting chemistry outreach, rather than scholarly investigations of the efficacy and impacts of outreach on practitioners and their audiences. − In 2010, Fusion Science Theater started to change the nature of peer-reviewed publications on informal chemistry education by using scholarly approaches to investigate the development and implementation of a novel demonstration show format that results in measurable audience learning outcomes. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Goodwill without Guidance: College Student Outreach Practitioner Training

Pratt

Yezierski

2019

J. Chem. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chemistry-specific informal science education (chemistry outreach) is widely practiced across all levels of the chemistry community. College students associated with American Chemical Society and Alpha Chi Sigma collegiate chapters are one population of chemistry outreach practitioners who reach upward of 1 million people every year. Previous studies of this population have characterized their goals/purposes for conducting outreach, their understanding of the chemistry content underlying common demonstrations/activities, as well as their teaching and learning beliefs that they bring to their outreach teaching. The study reported herein provides another characterization of this population’s chemistry outreach practices by focusing on the training experiences they receive prior to facilitating events. Using a combination of inductive and deductive approaches, training experiences and perceived gaps in training are characterized and compared to stages of the Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory. Results indicate little involvement from chapter advisors, widespread practice of “winging it” or using trial and error when teaching children, and little training overall. Comparisons to Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory show a primary emphasis on modeling and coaching, with little metacognitive considerations. Implications for outreach teaching and training (for both practitioners and national chemistry organizations) are presented in light of these findings.

show abstract

Adventures in Coaching Young Chemists

Cited by 20 publications

References 18 publications

Incorporating Professional Service as a Component of General Chemistry Laboratory by Demonstrating Chemistry to Elementary Students

Incorporating Professional Service as a Component of General Chemistry Laboratory by Demonstrating Chemistry to Elementary Students

Chemistry Discovery: A Service-Learning Outreach Course Produces a Workshop Series for Middle-School Students

Goodwill without Guidance: College Student Outreach Practitioner Training

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About