The Bay Area Institute brings together researchers, educators, and policymakers whose work focuses on how out-of-school-time learning can support and expand engagement and achievement in academic and career STEM pathways. Participants and presenters come primarily from the fields of developmental psychology, science education, museum learning, and organizational theory. Workshop topics are a rich mix of theory, research methods, program designs and practices, policy analysis, and professional development strategies, designed to engage questions and issues from both research and practice.
CILS 2007 BAY AREA INSTITUTE
The Bay Area Institute will meet this year on August 14 and 15 in San Francisco. The theme this year is Expanding and Diversifying STEM Participation.
The registration deadline for the BAI is June 8, 2007. Click on "registration" in left column to register. Keynote Speakers
Culturally supportive learning environments for expanding STEM achievement
Kris Gutiérrez, Professor of Social Research Methodology, University of California Los Angeles
Learning in everyday settings
Shirley Brice Heath, Margery Bailey Professor of English and Dramatic Literature, Stanford University
Early interest as key predictor of later participation in STEM careers
Robert H. Tai, Assistant Professor Science Education, University of Virginia
Roundtable Discussions
Participants will engage in a two-part review and discussion of video data collected in home and out-of-school settings to consider the questions "what counts as everyday science?" and "what counts as everyday math?" Discussions will be led by teams of researchers from CEMELA, CILS, LIFE, and MetroMath.
Poster Sessions
Researchers, scientists, and educators involved in promoting out-of-school-time STEM learning activities will present current research projects and findings.
Parallel Sessions
Some two dozen workshops will meet to present and actively engage participants in discussion of topics such as:
- Designing socially interactive exhibits in culturally diverse settings
- Supporting culturally-relevant STEM learning opportunities for indigenous populations
- Use of design-based research methodologies in informal settings
- Integrating argumentation and evidence in the museum experience
- Informal settings as sites for teacher preparation and development
Social Interaction
The conference kicks-off with a reception/cruise on the evening of Monday August 13. A formal dinner will be held at the Exploratorium on Tuesday August 14. Breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks in the beautiful Presidio meeting facilities are designed to support social interaction and build professional collaborations across the wide array of institutions, disciplines, and geographical locations represented at the conference.
CILS faculty, post-docs, students, practitioners, and advisors will also meet all-day on August 13. There is an advisory meeting on Thursday August 16, 9 till noon.
This is the fourth Bay Area Institute Conference. Past participants have come from more than three dozen US communities and over a dozen different countries. The Bay Area Institute is funded primarily through the National Science Foundation as part of a Center for Teaching and Learning (CLT) grant to the Center for Informal Learning and Schools at the Exploratorium. |
