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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.
- Building Design with 3-D Modeling: Students research and redesign their community using a 3-D modeling and architectural software called Anim8or.
- Podcasting: Students learn how to produce their own podcasts using the free software Audacity, add music and sound effects, and publish them.
- 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
TechREACH provides Guest Speakers from our cadre of over 150 mentors to visit clubs to talk about their careers, serving as role models for our students and exposing them to exciting STEM careers. Students have the opportunity to learn from more than one mentor through the career talks, as well as hands-on activities and field trips. In addition to Guest Speakers, each TechREACH club has a Champion who identifies resources to support club activities and helps identify and organize field trip opportunities.
For more information about becoming a TechREACH Guest Speaker and/or Champion, see: http://www.psctlt.org/techREACH/mentors/overview.html
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, integration of career-focused learning experiences into the curricula and club expectations. Schools select a teacher, who receives a stipend to deliver the program to approximately 10-15 students in each club.
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 (STEM). 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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