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Curriculum
PSCTLT provides curriculum to clubs, which focus on science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). Instructional strategies include hands-on activities, real life demonstrations, field trips, and project-based instruction. Students learn through collaborating with other students, helping each other, and exploring ideas, questions and solutions together.
Some examples of curriculum include:
- Digital Photography: Students learn digital photography through projects about themselves or their community. Students learn to shoot and modify pictures, insert them into PowerPoint, and create short presentations for an audience.
- Investigating Apples: Students research aspects of the local apple industry and learn about the affect of soil, climate, and elevation on the production of apples.
- Designing Environments: Students research and redesign their community using 3-D modeling and architectural software.
- In the Wind: Students learn about renewable energy, investigate energy use at their school and examine how the generation of energy impacts energy supply and demand.
Mentoring
All students participating in the program are matched with a mentor who works in a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) career. Students and mentors communicate via e-mail and an online career discussion board, and may participate in activities together at field trips, club visits, and group events. For more information about becoming a TechREACH mentor, see: http://www.psctlt.org/techREACH/mentors/overview.html
Field Trips, Mentor Visits and
Special Events
TechREACH partners with mentors and local companies to provide TechREACH students opportunities to be exposed to STEM careers firsthand. This is accomplished via field trips to companies and organizations that promote STEM activities, or via club visits by STEM professionals to talk with the students and engage them in hands-on activities.
Professional Development
TechREACH builds the capacity of teachers to support students’ STEM learning and interest through teacher professional development. Teachers receive training on pedagogical strategies and resources to support underrepresented students in STEM, club curricula, the e-mentoring program, integrating career-focused learning experiences into the curricula and club expectations.
Partnerships
PSCTLT partners with community organizations in each school district,
as well as local businesses, rotaries, professional organizations,
and parents, to support the TechREACH program goals.
Evaluation
A third-party evaluator assesses how TechREACH affects students’ interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math. Outcomes are published in progress reports designed to inform potential replications and guide future project planning efforts.
Contact kmanuel@psctlt.org for a copy of the full evaluation report.
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