Purpose

New York Hall of Science (NYHOS) museum, in cooperation with Queens College of the City University of New York, recruits undergraduates to careers in science and science teaching by engaging them as "explainers" at the museum. At the time of its inception, this effort was unusual for such an institution, but had the potential for replication at any of the 200 science and technology centers in the nation, nearly all of which are located in close proximity to a university. The program especially aimed to provide access to science teaching for women and minorities.

The need for minority teachers in general, and minority science teachers in particular, remains critical. In New York City alone, over 3,000 teachers took early retirement in 1995, creating a critical shortage of math and science teachers. In 1970, t eachers of color made up more than 9 percent of the national teaching force in all disciplines, but that percentage is dropping and may decline to 5 percent by 2000, when 33 percent of the school age population will be children of color.

The "explainers," mostly women and minorities, work with children and adults visiting the center, doing demonstrations and helping them with the hands-on exhibits. They currently include both science and non-science majors.

Innovative Features

Students attending Queens College or transferring from community colleges were attracted to the program by the opportunity for paid work and the waiver of tuition for science and education courses. The waiver was contingent on recipients teaching scien ce in the schools for two years after graduation. The college provides a seminar to connect work at NYHOS with the students' courses, which helps to form a close-knit community among the students, a challenging task at large commuter institutions.

As they gain experience with the program, students move into increasingly complex roles as explainers, with concomitant increases in salary. They may use their work at the Hall of Science in partial fulfillment of student teaching and/or field requirements.

Through the informal instructional activities at the Hall of Science, program participants learn new ways to teach science and break loose from the rote learning strategies that many of them experienced in the public schools.

Evaluation

In 1991, an evaluation was conducted by an external group employed by NYHOS. The evaluators looked largely at participant responses to their experiences, using questionnaires and interviews. In particular, they explored four hypotheses:

1. that exposure to an informal science-rich environment would attract students to teaching careers;
2. that paid employment as a science interpreter in a multi-ethnic setting would attract minorities;
3. that adaptation of a pre-service program to student needs would keep undergraduates engaged; and
4. that the balance between formal and informal experiences would provide a solid foundation in both science content and hands-on methodologies.

A second evaluation conducted in 1994, using focus groups and surveys, examined the usefulness of the program for employment.

Project Impact

By the end of the funding period, 51 Queens College students had enrolled in the program. Seven other New York City colleges and universities, five public and two private, had joined the Science Teacher Career Ladder (STCL) program, contributing an additional 48 students for a total of 99. Each of the eight institutions appointed a liaison to the program, and these individuals meet as a committee with NYHOS staff to coordinate activities.

The program expanded rapidly to include high school students and non-science majors, and STCL became part of a larger Science Career Ladder which has to date over 400 students.

There is confirming evidence for each of the hypotheses listed above.

1. Follow-up of 99 students in 1994 after the project ended found 34 percent engaged in teaching at the elementary level, 9 percent working in museums, and 15 percent in science related careers. Of the alumni who are teaching, 21 percent are African Am erican, compared with a national average of 5 percent African-American teachers; 14 percent are Asian, compared with a national average of 1 percent; and 13 percent are Hispanic, compared with a national average of 3 percent. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the most positive and 3 the neutral response, the group showed weak agreement with the statement that the program increased their commitment to teaching. That no doubt reflects the balance between those who opted for a teaching career and those who decided against it. The students felt that they had learned to work with different kinds of children (4.6), improved their ability to teach children (4.4) and grown in their ability to manage children (4.1).

2. Of the 99 participants, 82 were women and people of color.

3. Attitudes toward science were enhanced. On the five point scale, students felt that their general interest in science had increased (4.5), along with their comfort level (4.3) and breadth (4.4) and depth (4.3) of knowledge. Curiosity about how thin gs work also increased (4.4) as did general love of learning (4.0).

4. Students agreed that their ability to do hands-on science teaching had improved (4.4). They felt that their confidence in teaching science as well as their general self-confidence had increased (3.9 and 4.0 respectively).

Lessons Learned

STCL demonstrates the opportunities for colleges, universities and community institutions with an educational mission to collaborate in the education of college students. The role of museums and science centers in teaching school children has long been recognized, but STCL is one of the few cases in which such an institution has exercised a formal role in postsecondary education, apart from serving as an internship site for individual students. The example is suggestive not only for the preparation of science teachers but for other combinations of institutions and fields of study; e.g., historical societies working with social studies teachers or libraries with literature majors.

Project Continuation and Recognition

This program has attracted a great deal of attention, and funds totaling nearly 4 million dollars from federal, state and city governments, foundations, corporations and private donors. This funding and the appeal of the design have led to full institu tionalization of the program at NYHOS and at some of the other participating colleges and universities. While Queens College continues the program, the close relationship with NYHOS has somewhat weakened.

Funding was secured for formal dissemination, including a replication conference. Such dissemination has resulted in adaptations of the program at twelve science museums, and the purchase of replication materials and/or attendance at workshops by 53 sc ience centers.

Available Information

Details about program operation and copies of the replication manual and videotape are available from:

Peggy Ruth Cole
Director, Program Planning and Development New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th St.
Corona, NY 11368
718-699-0005 ext. 317
E-Mail: drpeggyc@aol.com

[The Center for Applied Linguistics] [Table of Contents] [Pace University]

	Printable view Share this page