Collaboration Institute in Tucson, Arizona

On December 4-7, 2011, team members from new and renewing collaboratives met to learn how to effectively lead NGCP activities in their states. More than 40 individuals from 10 states were hosted by the Girl Scout Council of Southern Arizona. Participants engaged in multiple professional development sessions designed to assist them in their outreach and implementation efforts. These leadership team members will begin hosting collaborative events across the United States beginning in February. Watch this newsletter and the NGCP website for event details and for announcements about new collaboratives forming.  NGCP will be adding at least 6 new collaboratives during 2012.

Collaboration Conference Report Available

The National Girls Collaborative Project held the first national NGCP Collaboration Conference on October 20-22, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Over 150 participants engaged in meaningful networking and professional development activities, all focused on engaging more girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The goals of the event were to increase collaboration between local girl-serving STEM professionals and national level experts, increase access to research-based program models and resources, and to provide training and incentives to collaborate on a local, regional, and national level.

A summary document has been created, featuring conference highlights and descriptive information about the professional development sessions. View the webinar about the conference to benefit from the strategies and resources provided at the conference.

NGCP is hosting the 2012 National Collaboration Conference:  Advancing the Field through Collaboration, Capacity Building, and Equity during April 25-27, 2012 immediately preceding the USA Science & Engineering Festival. Registration will be available in late January.

To learn more about the Conference visit: http://www.ngcproject.org/collabconf2012.

The Exemplary Practice Spotlight for December comes from research recently published in the American Sociological Review focused on the reasons why female undergraduate engineering students leave engineering, conducted by Erin Cech, Brian Rubineau, Susan Silbey, and Carroll Seron.

 
One compelling finding from the research is female engineering students lack in 'professional role confidence'. Professional role confidence relates to believing in your ability to go out and become a professional engineer, and believing that being an engineer aligns with your interests and values.
 

The researchers suggest two main strategies for undergraduate programs to increase female students' confidence in this area, both of which have also shown to benefit K-12 girls:

• Bring practicing engineers into the classroom.
• Offer more directed internship opportunities for students to work with engineers on real-world engineering projects.

For K-12 girls, exposure to practicing engineers and other STEM professional role models helps to counteract negative stereotypes and facilitate the belief that women can succeed in these professions. Offering opportunities for K-12 girls to work on real-world STEM projects facilitates a better understanding of what STEM professionals really do, encourages critical thinking, and helps makes connections between interests and future careers.

4-H Science

The 4-H Science professional development tools and resources help prepare staff and volunteers to increase their ability to implement quality 4-H Science programs. These tools and resources are based on leading practices and are adaptable to other out of school time programs that incorporate science activities.

Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier

Digital Nation is an interactive website reporting on the digital revolution and how it is changing our lives. The website includes online Digital Workshops for parents and educators that provide opportunities to learn how to be a better parent, teacher, or caregiver to "digital natives" and gain the knowledge and skills for understanding, analyzing, and participating in our technology-infused world.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/resources

KIDS Aftershool

The KIDS Afterschool website covers a wide range of subjects including science, math, and engineering in ways that support learning during the school day. Activities are based on the philosophy that teaching children to talk together about learning experiences is as important as actually engaging in them.

http://beyondthechalkboard.com

Earth Exploration Toolbook

Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET), is a free online resource designed for students to develop data skills. Each activity, or chapter, introduces one or more scientific data sets and analysis tools that enable users to explore aspects of the Earth system.

http://serc.carleton.edu/eet/index.html

The STEM Connector™ serves as a network to link those advocating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education across disciplines and distances. Launched in November 2011, this website allows key players to discover partners within STEM education across the country, to provide contact points, and to create both national and multi-national platforms to share and network STEM strategies and activities. STEM Connector™ provides a way for those running STEM education systems to connect their ideas to improve STEM education on a national and international scale.

http://stemconnector.org