Creating STEM Learning Environments
Purpose: Frontline staff and volunteers will arrange their environment to maximize youth engagement and support physical and emotional safety during STEM activities.
As a result of ongoing, consistent professional development efforts, frontline staff and volunteers will be able to:
- Identify and mitigate risks to youth safety, such as trip hazards, sharp objects, or dangerous substances.
- Investigate science phenomena outdoors and in the local community.
- Arrange materials, seating, or other factors so that the space feels different than traditional school settings (avoiding desks in rows, facing front, teacher standing at whiteboard, etc.).
- Create respectful, supportive learning environment that encourages youth to engage with new ideas and different perspectives.
Staff Development Guides
Staff development guides are designed for coaches and trainers to use when providing professional development to frontline staff or volunteers. These downloadable step-by-step professional development guides include agendas, social and experiential learning activities, videos learning modules, supporting documents and handouts. The guides available below are designed to support the skill Encouraging Collaboration. For more information about Staff Development Guides, please visit About Staff Development Guides.
Self-Directed Web Lessons
Click2Science Web Lessons offer self-directed, on-demand professional development for frontline staff and volunteers. Web Lessons are hosted on Penn State Extension Better Kid Care learning management system. To complete a Click2Science Web Lesson, please review our instructions for accessing lessons on Better Kid Care. For more information about self-directed Web Lessons, please visit About Web Lessons.
On-Demand Webinars
Click2Science hosts virtual professional development webinars each month focused on out-of-school time learning environments. STEM, professional development best practices, and other relevant events. All webinars are recorded and made available for on-demand viewing. The recorded, on-demand webinars below are designed to support the skill. Encouraging Collaboration. For more on-demand webinars or to register for an upcoming webinar, please visit our Webinar page.