Connecting to Prior Knowledge & Experiences
Staff and volunteers will be able to effectively connect STEM activities to the knowledge and experiences (culture, gender, socioeconomic status, language, daily experiences, etc.) of the youth in their program.
As a result of ongoing, consistent professional development efforts, staff and volunteers will be able to:
- Develop strategies to assess the prior knowledge, context and experiences youth bring to STEM learning.
- Identify needs and interests that are relevant to youth in their program and can serve as access points to engage the youth in science activities and connect STEM to their community.
- Portray science as a real, social, lived experience that is relevant to youth.
- Connect STEM activities to what youth are learning in school as well as their lived experiences in their family, community and world.
Resources
Skill: Connecting to Prior Knowledge & Experiences
Making It Relevant
Participants will brainstorm science practices in order to add more opportunities for youth to connect the work of scientists to their everyday activities.
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Improving Connections
Participants will design dough creatures to learn to connect youths’ prior experiences to STEM activities.
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Identifying Connections to Prior Knowledge
Participants will watch the Presenting a Challenge Video-Based Learning Module and complete the Bridges worksheet to better connect everyday experiences to STEM.
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Connecting to Prior Knowledge with an Idea Walk
Participants will do an idea walk in order to add more opportunities for youth to connect their prior knowledge to STEM activities.
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Reflecting on Your Own Skills
Participants will watch the What Do You Know About Circuits Video-Based Learning Module to learn to connect youths’ experiences to STEM pathways and careers.
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There’s Always Room for Improvement
Participants will watch the Linking My Experiences to Societal Needs Video-Based Learning Module and complete the Bridges worksheet to better connect everyday experiences to STEM.
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Skill: Connecting to Prior Knowledge & Experiences
3 Ways to Use Prior Knowledge
Interest survey, self-documentation, brainstrom or chalk talk are techniques that can help youth make connections to their prior knowledge and experiences.
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Skill: Connecting to Prior Knowledge & Experiences
Why is Prior Knowledge so Important?
Helping youth engage in their life experiences is a powerful motivator for learning, and it can be a springboard for their interests too!
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Plastics Density
Learn about recycling and investigate the different properties of plastics, how numbers on plastic are related to their properties and how they are recycled.
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