Kids Taking Over! Peer Coaching as a STEM Strategy

Gail Hutchison ~ Dominique Gardner ~ Maggie Goodman ~ Brett Nicholas National After School Association Conference-DC March 10, 2015

Why do Peer Coaching? Peer Coaching

Fosters youth development and community investment

Ownership and Autonomy

Promotes a curiosity in STEM and a deeper understanding

of STEM topics

The power of someone having purpose

Peer Coaching program objectives and quality After School programs share these standards:

After School as a Perfect Setting Peer Coaching

Opportunities for skill building.

Integration of family, school and community efforts.

Consistent rules and expectations; continuity and predictability.

Supportive relationships characterized by warmth and closeness.

Connectedness, caring, support and responsiveness.

Opportunities to belong and for meaningful inclusion regardless of demographics or abilities.

Fosters responsibility and meaningful

challenge.

(Eccles et. al., 2002).

Understaffed Programs

Use teens that know your program when you need an extra set of hands!

Positive Reinforcement of Program Participants

Create more opportunities for youth leadership to be more engaged and

excited. This will lead to program growth.

Youth will be more inclined to learn and foster a positive environment.

When a Student Needs Extra Support

Try developing a peer coach to serve his or her

peers and help them grasp difficult STEM concepts.

To Inspire kids to reach their full STEM potential.

When are Peer Coaches Useful? Peer Coaching

Always willing to participate and serve. Demonstrate how to talk to audiences of all

ages. Learn content quickly and can communicate

content in the simplest terms. Show leadership capabilities.

Radiate an excitement that is contagious.

Selection Peer Coaching

Positive Effects Peer Coaching

MSI Peer Coaches in Action Peer Coaching

Training Peer Coaching

Who will your peer coaches be serving? How to build on their strengths and prepare them to teach independently:

Begin with a pre-developed script.

Have teens make it their own script that emphasizes inquiry.

Teaching communication skills activities using improv, theater, and role playing.

Model how to teach when interacting with younger participants.

Conflict resolution/professionalism.

Quick Start Lesson Package for Peer Coaches Peer Coaching

UV Beads

Stomp Rockets

Fingerprinting

Garden in a Glove

Newspaper Tents

Take some time now to organize your thoughts, make some preliminary choices for your peer coaching team and think about where they could best serve your program.

Initial Planning Peer Coaching

Determine what audience would be best suited for peer coaching. What programs do you currently have in place that youth could

facilitate? Choose activities and determine leadership development exercises that fit your group and train your peer coaches by modeling these lessons/behaviors.

What can you implement in the next six months from what you learned today?

Short Term and Long Term Planning Peer Coaching

Recap Peer Coaching

Fosters youth development and community investment

Ownership and Autonomy

Promotes a curiosity in STEM and a deeper understanding of STEM

topics

The power of someone having purpose

Here are a few ideas of additional resources that might help you: Click2Science

www.click2sciencepd.org

MSI-Chicago Lesson Resources http://www.msichicago.org/programs/summer-brain-games/ http://www.msichicago.org/education/educator-resources/classroom-activities/

MSI Science Clubs Slideshare Page

www.slideshare.net/msiscienceclubs

Dont forget us! Were here to help you any way we can.

Dominique Gardner (773) 947-3185, dominique.gardner@msichicago.org Maggie Goodman (773) 753-1379, maggie.goodman@msichicago.org Gail Hutchison (773) 753-3874, gail.hutchison@msichicago.org Brett Nicholas (773) 753-6256, brett.nicholas@msichicago.org

Resources Peer Coaching

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