CaliforniaState of the 4-H SET/STEM Initiative

December 1, 2015Steven Worker, Martin Smith,

Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, Andrea Ambrose, Kelley Brian, Emily Schoenfelder

Take Home Points

• Improving young people’s scientific literacy continues to be a critical goal for the nation and for ANR.

• ANR and 4-H support efforts to improve young people’s scientific literacy.

• The California 4-H SET Initiative continues strong and will transition to “STEM.”

Improving young people’s scientific literacy continues to be a critical goal for the nation and

for ANR.

The Field of Youth STEM Education• New Standards

– Next Generation Science Standards

• New Research– National Research Council. (2015).

Identifying and supporting productive STEM programs in out-of-school settings. Download PDF.

– Special issue of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(3) on science learning in everyday life. Link here.

The need for scientific literacy• For economic prosperity and national security• For a functioning democracy• As preparation for life and work

ANR Perspective• ANR’s Strategic Vision 2025 highlights the

importance of science-based information as a cornerstone in both personal decision-making and public policy.

• The improvement of scientific literacy among the public is a joint, collaborative responsibility shared by multiple ANR initiative groups.

ANR and 4-H support efforts to improve young people’s

scientific literacy.

Science Literacy Program Team• UC ANR (and other) professionals who meet

to collaborate and discuss emerging topics in youth science education and the direction of 4-H science programs.

• Active subgroups on:– Professional development (Martin Smith and Lynn

Schmitt-McQuitty)– Environmental education (Emily Schoenfelder)

Defining Scientific Literacy4-H science education helps youth:• See science as a powerful tool to

make sense of and construct knowledge about the world;

• Address and think about issues in their lives that involve STEM

• Connect learning with real-world situations.

• It is not our intent to only prepare future scientists.

Youth Scientific Literacy

in Californi

a 4-H

2014 Science Needs Assessment• Assessed 39 4-H staff capacities, challenges, gaps,

opportunities, and interests.• Found support and buy-in regarding the 4-H SET

Initiative, its positive outcomes and impacts, with evidence of 4-H SET becoming institutionalized throughout California 4-H.

• Recommendation: Build 4-H professional and volunteer educator capacity and the organizational capacity for 4-H SET programming

The California 4-H SET Initiative continues strong!

(and will transition to “STEM”)

Timeline of the 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) Initiative

National Youth Science Days

Helpful Hydrogels Biofuel Blast 4-H2O Wired for Wind Eco Bot Maps & Apps Rockets to the

RescueMotion

Commotion

Steering committee

outlines SET goals

SET Leadership Team formed

withM. Smith, L.

Schmitt-McQuitty, R. Mahacek, S.

Junge

National 4-H SET Initiative Launched

California

4-H SET Initiative Launched

Staff SET Kick-Off Conference Held

4-H SET Coordinator

Hired (S. Worker)

Concurrent 4-H SET Winter

Workshops Held

41 counties form SET plan

UC ANR Strategic

Vision 2025 released

National renames to “4-H

Science”, California stays

SET

Concurrent 4-H SET Winter

Workshops Held

Tools of the Trade II

published

Nine counties receive $32,000 in start-up SET

funding

Revised SET Plan-of-Action

circulated

Concurrent 4-H SET Winter

Workshops Held

California hosts the Western

Region 4-H Science

Academy

SET Team publishes 8 promising

practice pieces

California presents at the

National 4-H Science E-Academy

Revised 4-H SET Checklist released

4-H Engineering

Showcase held at State 4-H Field

Day

Conducted statewide

assessment of needs in 4-H SET

Publication of “Anchor Points”

of scientific literacy paper

Efforts around individual and organizational

capacity building (funded by

Bechtel)

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Renaming efforts to “4-H STEM”

• Better alignment with K-12 education.• Improved recognition with funders and policymakers.• Move away from “SET”, which has no recognition

value outside of the 4-H organization.

• Feel free to continue to use “SET” if it resonates with your clientele.

An Initiative, not a Program

4-H STEM is an Initiative rather than a specific program or curriculum.

• Given the diversity of California's communities, the real need is a shared statewide vision rather than a specific curriculum.

The 4-H STEM Leadership Team• Andrea Ambrose, Acting Director, Development Services• Kelley Brian, 4-H Youth Development Advisor, Placer and

Nevada Counties• Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, 4-H Youth Development Advisor, San

Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, County Director San Benito County

• Emily Schoenfelder, 4-H Youth Development Advisor, Colusa, Sutter, and Yuba Counties

• Martin Smith, Associate Specialist in Cooperative Extension • Steven Worker, 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology

Coordinator

Statewide Resources

• Programs guided by the 4-H STEM Checklist.• Promising practice briefs on topics including

experiential learning and evaluation.• New Science or Engineering Presentation

category in the 4-H Presentation Manual.• Archived presentation and publications.

Recognizing 4-H STEM programs

We are grateful that you all have worked so hard to advance STEM education in your counties and infuse science into your programming.

We’d love to hear more about what you’re doing or how we can help, so feel free to shoot us an email.

Shout-Outs

San Mateo & Orange Counties 4-H Connecting Youth to Nature

San Benito County4-H Mentoring . Tech Wizards .

Shout-Outs

Solano County 4-H SET Project Teens say “Yes” to Science

Imperial County4-H Sustainable You! .

Summer Camp .

Shout-Outs

San Luis Obispo County - SLO Scientists

Merced County4-H Summer .

Science Academy .

Shout-Outs

Siskiyou County – Veterinary Science

Marin CountyNational Youth . Science Day @ .

Autodesk ..

Shout-Outs

Sacramento County – On the Wild Side Environmental Camp

San Mateo CountyElkus Ranch .

Environmental Ed .& Agriculture ..

Shout-Outs

San Diego County – Science in the Garden

Sutter-Yuba CountiesJunk Drawer .

Robotics in .afterschool ..

Shout-Outs

Orange County – IMAGINE Science Partnership between 4-H, B&G Clubs, YMCA, and Girls Inc

Butte & Monterey CountiesTechXcite .

in afterschool ..

Shout-OutsMonterey, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Orange, and others! 4-H Citizen Science

Using the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Nature Detectives and Bird Quest or Habitat Connections curriculum

Shout-Outs4-H Camping Committee – Curriculum Units

Astronomy Adventures Cooking Over CampfiresCrossing the WaterFire BuildingDutch Oven CookingDiscovery HikesCompass Adventures

Shelter BuildingHot Air BalloonsFirst Aid

Recognizing 4-H STEM research

We are also grateful for all of the evaluation and research conducted around STEM education!

Shout-OutsDefining Scientific Literacy• Smith, M.H., Worker, S., Ambrose, A., Schmitt-McQuitty, L. (2015).

Including civic engagement as a component of scientific literacy. Science Education & Civic Engagement: An International Journal, 7(2), 23-27.

• Smith, M.H., Worker, S.M., Ambrose, A.P., & Schmitt-McQuitty, L. (2015). Scientific literacy: California 4-H defines it from citizens’ perspective. California Agriculture, 69(2), 92-97.

• Worker, S.M. (2013). Embracing scientific and engineering practices in 4-H. Journal of Extension, 51(3).

Shout-OutsProfessional Development in Science Education• Worker, S.M., & Smith, M.H. (2014). Curriculum and professional

development for OST science education. Afterschool Matters, Fall 2014, 21-27.

• Smith, M.H., & Schmitt-McQuitty, L. (2013). More effective professional development can help 4-H volunteers address need for youth scientific literacy. California Agriculture, 67(1), 54-61.

• Smith, M. (2013). Findings show lesson study can be an effective model for professional development of 4-H volunteers. California Agriculture, 67(1), 54-61.

• Schmitt-McQuitty, L., & Smith, M.H. (2011). Moving beyond the demonstration model: The importance of experiential learning in the 4-H youth development program. In Advances in youth development: Research and evaluation from the University of California CE 2001-2010.

Shout-OutsCapacity Building• Schmitt-McQuitty, L., Carlos, R., & Smith, M.H. (2014). Learnings and

recommendations to advance 4-H science readiness. Journal of Extension, 52(4).

Evaluating Science Programs• Lewis, K.M., & Worker, S.M. (2015). Examination of attitude and interest

measures for 4-H science evaluation. Journal of Extension, 53(3).• Worker, S. et al. (2014). Cumulative 5-year final report of the 2009-2014

California 4-H sustainable communities project. California State 4-H Office.

Impacts of 4-H STEM on Youth• Heck, K., Carlos, R., Barnett, C., & Smith. (2012). 4-H participation and

science interest in youth. Journal of Extension, 50(2).

Shout-OutsCurriculum Reports• Sallee, J., Schmitt-McQuitty, L., Swint, S., Meek, A., Ybarra, G., Dalton, R.

(2015). TechXcite: Discover engineering – A new STEM curriculum. Journal of Extension, 53(2). Article 3TOT5. Retrieved from

• Worker, S.M., Mahacek, R.L., Wheeler, T.D.M., & Frerichs, S.W. (2015). Engineering for everyone: 4-H’s Junk Drawer Robotics curriculum. In C. Sneider (Ed.), The Go-To Guide for Engineering Curricula PreK-5 (Ch. 13, pp. 191-202). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

• Smith, M.H., Heck, K., & Worker, S. (2012). 4-H boosts youth scientific literacy with ANR water education curriculum. California Agriculture, 66(4), 158-163.

• Mahacek, R., & Worker, S. (2011). Extending science education with engineering and technology: Junk Drawer Robotics. In Advances in youth development: Research and evaluation from the University of California CE 2001-2010.

Thank you!

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

Carl Sagan