Family Science Nights Benefit Everyone!

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Family Science Nights Benefit Everyone!

• Joan Chadde
• Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science,
  Mathematics Environmental Education
• Michigan Technological University
• Houghton, MI 49931
• Email jchadde_at_mtu.edu
• Website http//wupcenter.mtu.edu/
• __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  ___________________
• Financial support for this work was provided by
  the Wege Foundation and
• the Michigan Department of Education

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Geographic Area Served by the Programs of
the Western U.P. Center for Science, Mathematics
and Environmental Education
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Why Family Science Nights?

• Value to Children
• Have fun doing science.
• Bring scientific learning to family unit.
• Encourage doing science at home with everyday
  materials.
• Spark childrens scientific interest by allowing
  them to manipulate objects and participate
  actively.

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Value to Children

• Allows interaction with practicing scientists.
• Provides forum for presenters to share
  information about careers in science.
• Stimulates parents interest in science and their
  childrens science education.
• Research shows direct link between parental
  attitudes and student achievement.

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Value to Children

• Builds connections between classroom science and
  the real world.
• Demonstrates life-long learning amongst parents.

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Why Family Science Nights?

• Value to Parents
• Provides an excellent opportunity for
  intellectual interaction with their children.
• Increases parents
• scientific interest
• and knowledge.

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Top 10 Reasons Why Parents Come to Family Nights
!!

• 1. It helps the children learn!
• 2. The kids really enjoy it!
• 3. To do something together!
• 4. Its interesting, educational, and fun!
• 5. Good interaction with my kids!

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Top 10 Reasons Why Parents Come to Family
Nights !!

• 6. Gets us away from the TV and spending time
• as a family.
• 7. To have an opportunity to learn new
• things and spend time with my children!
• 8. The children enjoy showing what they can do!
• 9. I learn a lot and meet other parents!
• 10. Its a fun, sharing, educational time for
• my child and meand its free!

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Why Family Science Nights?

• Value to Math Science Center
• Enhances the scientific education of students
  that participate.
• Provides role models in science and
• mathematics-related careers for children.
• Highly visible program in community.
• Creates community advocates for
• improved science education.

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Supports NSTA Position Statement on

• Informal Science Education
• Complements, supplements, deepens, and enhances
  classroom science studies.
• Presents opportunity for mentors, professionals,
  and citizens to share time, effort, creativity
  and expertise with youngsters and adult learners.
• Provides an effective means for parents to share
  intellectual curiosity with their children.

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Supports NSTA Position Statement on

• Parent Involvement in Science Education
• Parents play essential role in the success of
  students in schools.
• By doing science together, parents demonstrate
  importance and enjoyment of learning science.
• Parents can reinforce learning at home, and
  encourage students to see science everywhere.

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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 1) School Science Coordinator sets up activity
  stations for K-6 parents students to rotate
  through.
• Contact Okemos Schools (Michigan)
• Cost 2.00/family

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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 2) Teachers set-up a self-explanatory hands-on
  activity for their grade level, in their
  classroom. Families visit class-rooms and do
  activities. Teachers available for questions.
• Contact Beal City Elementary (MI)
• Dexter Middle School (MI)

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TELL Teacher Education Through Leadership
Literacy

• 2) Provide training and packaged activities for
  Title I teachers in each school district to
  conduct family math, science, and technology
  programs. Provide with new activities each year.
  
• Contact Tom Abramson (tabramson_at_dsisd.k12.mi.us)
  
• Northwoods Math Science Center
• Delta Schoolcraft ISD
• 1-906-786-9300

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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 3) Contract with private company, nature center,
  or other organization to design packaged
  stations. School must provide 18 volunteers to
  staff stations.
• Contact Wonderama
• P.O. Box 132, E. Lansing
• [phone]
• Cost 600 per night

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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 4) Send an administrator, teacher and parent to
  attend a Family Math Science Leadership
  Workshop.
• Contact Family Science Leadership Workshops
  Programs for Educational Opportunity
• University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• TEL [phone]
• EMAIL elinn_at_umich.edu

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Contact Family Math Book (1986) Lawrence
Hall of Science 5200 University of
California Berkeley, CA 94720-5200 (510)
642-1823 (program) 800-897-5036
(books) Website www.lhs.berkeley.edu/equals Em
ail eqs_pubs_at_uclink4.berkeley.edu
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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 5) A trained Family Science facilitator offers
  family science sessions as a class that parents
  students attend weekly for 3-6 weeks.

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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 6) For more family program ideas - see October
  1996 issue of NSTAs Science Children thats
  devoted to family science and describes a wide
  variety of possible programs
• Saturday Science
• Super Science Sleep-Over
• Family Nature Walks

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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 7) Family Science by David Heil
• Tel [phone]
• Email dheil_at_teleport.com
• Website familyscience.org

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Ways to Deliver Family Science Nights

• 8) Collaborate with a university Education
  Dept. to have students deliver family science
  programs.
• Recruit a student organization to conduct
  science nights.
• Establish a special course to train students
  to be presenters.

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Communicating Science Course

• Course Credit 2 semester credits
• Course Schedule Meets 700-900 p.m.,
• one night each week.
• (On family science nights, students are
• off-campus from 500-900 p.m.)

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Communicating Science

• Course Objectives
• Prepare students for making classroom and
  community presentations.
• Train students in presentation skills, effective
  teaching techniques, classroom management, and
  hands-on learning.
• Introduce students to available educational
  resources websites, curriculum/activity guides,
  university faculty, journals, area teachers.

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Communicating Science Course

• Course Requirements
• Write a paper reflecting on their
• elementary science education.
• 2. Prepare lesson plans for two different
• 40-minute hands-on presentations.
• 3. Present at six Family Science Nights.

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Communicating Science Course

• Course Requirements
• 5. Instructors evaluate each presentation.
• 6. Write one-page self-critique of their
  presentation after each Science Night.
• 7. Prepare one-page summary reflecting on "how
  this experience will benefit me academically and
  professionally."

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Lesson Plan

• Introduction - self/major/future career
• Attention-getter
• Clear, measurable objectives
• 25-30 minutes of activity
• Summary
• Take-home activities

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Why Family Science Nights?

• Value to the University
• Benefits University students.
• Brings University presence into local
  schoolspromotes goodwill in local communities.
• Will increase future enrollment?!?

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Why Family Science Nights?

• Value to University Students
• Rewarding experience
• Enhanced employability
• Encourages professional responsibility to help
  create scientifically-informed citizenry.

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Value to University Students

• Provides opportunity to enhance communication
  skillsessential for successful careers in
  science and engineering.
• Provides opportunity for science, math,
  engineering technology majors to discover
  pleasure of teaching K-12 students.
• Provides real-world "service learning" experience
  that demonstrates rewards of community
  involvement.

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Wall Street Journal December 29, 1998

• Ranked personal qualities of college graduates
  sought by employers (in a survey of 480 companies
  and public organizations).
• 1st - Ability to communicate
• 2nd - Work experience
• 3rd - Motivation
• 6th - Academic credentials

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Sample Comments from University Students in Course

• I learned about the importance of flexibility
  and how adapting to your audience is imperative
  to effective communication.
• This course taught me how to convey complicated
  ideas in a common, understandable way.
• This course provided the opportunity to develop
  the communication skills essential to becoming
  successful in the workplace.

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Sample Comments from University Students in Course

• This course sets us apart from our peers and
  instills in us a sense of community involvement
  and accomplishment.
• I am now sure that I will someday have to find a
  way to incorporate students into my profession.
• Working with multiple-age groups and varying
  populations helped me to improve my people skills
  and become perceptive to a wide range of interest
  levels.

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Family Science Night Logistics

• Center provides to Schools
• Family Science Night flyer.
• Presenters to conduct activities.
• All activity supplies
• Nametags, sign-in forms, science night program,
  and parent evaluation form.

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Host School Provides

• Registration tally.
• Sign-in table greeters at door.
• Refreshments and childcare (optional).

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Program Funding

• Western Upper Peninsula Center (via MDE) funds
  .25 person to train university student presenters
  and coordinate delivery of 20 family science and
  forest nights.
• Past National Science Foundation grant funded
  coordinator to teach Communicating Science
  course at Michigan Technological University.
• Wege Foundation of Grand Rapids, MI

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Michigan Technological University Students
Participating in Family Science Night
Programs   Winter 98 to Fall 02
 Michigan Tech Department Number of
Students Applied Math 10 Biomedical
Engineering 8 Biological Sciences 35 Busin
ess Administration 7 Chemical Sciences
Chemical Engineering 23 Civil
Environmental Engineering 65 Computer
Sciences 11 Education 2 Electrical
Engineering 18 Forestry/Applied
Ecology 43 Geological Sciences
Engineering 22 Mechanical Engineering 22 Other
54 _ TOTAL 320  
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Family Science Night Attendance 2001-02 School
Year Student Total School _____
Students Body_____Attendance 1. Baraga
Elementary 35 40 65 2.
Chassell Elementary 103 63 203 3.
Dollar Bay Elementary 31 20 86 4.
E.B. Holman School 56 40 90 5.
Hancock Elementary 130 30 231 6.
Houghton Elementary 82 17
192 7. Lake Linden Elementary 53 18
131 8. Sleight Elementary 86 41
164 9. Wakefield Elementary 59 49
109 10. Washington Elem (Bessemer) 83 36
151 TOTAL ATTENDING 1,286 2,507
(All Schools)
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ltPicturegt
Engineering Olympics
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Sean Sands (CEE) directs students in a
demonstration of compression and tension forces.
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Amazing Water---helps K-2 students learn about
surface runoff and water pollution.
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Surfin Surface Tension physical properties of
water
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Dirty Water Underground?
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Sinkers Floaters
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Bird Adaptations
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What Do Owls Eat?
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Family Forest Nights
Gall Hunt Small Homes for Tiny Creatures
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Family Forest Nights
Thicket Game
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Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science,
Mathematics and Environmental Education WEBSITE
wupcenter.mtu.edu