The benefits of structured informal learning environments
The benefits of structured informal learning environments were more than cognitive. Field trips to science centers could generate in students enthusiasm and wonder that would not normally develop in the traditional classroom setting [17; 18]. Research has shown that motivation, attitude, and academic engagement play key roles in mathematics and science achievement [19; 20]. These experiences may also create an interest in the STEM disciplines, which had an impact on students deciding to pursue STEM as a career later in life [21]. Real world applications that were meaningful to students raised their interest in STEM [22], and these additional programs encouraged students to consider college majors in a STEM field [23]. The STEM subjects were traditionally male dominated, but these informal learning environments gave girls an opportunity to learn in these fields in a non-competitive setting [18]. Increasing student interest in and motivation to pursue STEM through informal learning opportunities could help address the issues of international competition and an under skilled domestic workforce. The combination of informal learning and STEM has been the focus of research and financial investment. Matriculation School of Kumbakonam The National Science Foundation, through its Science Learning + program, will provide up to $14.4 million in grant funding for researchers to investigate best practices in informal learning with a specific focus on STEM learning for students of all backgrounds [24]. Reference [25], in its report of recommendations to the president, suggested that students be involved in out-of-school STEM learning activities including after school programs, STEM contests, and summer programs. The Aggie STEM summer camp fit these recommendations and sought to motivate young people to pursue STEM fields.
Project Based Learning The method of instruction prevalent at the Aggie STEM summer camp was project-based learning (PBL). PBL was described as students working to solve real world, difficult problems through an inquiry process that required gathering information, collaborating with peers, developing a plan, and presenting a unique solution [26; 27; 28]. This active learning engaged students in problem solving that was substantially different from the traditional classroom and emphasized the use of knowledge in a context. Therefore, while rote knowledge may not be enhanced by PBL, evidence has shown that PBL enhanced the application knowledge of students [29]. This application of knowledge translated into students being able to use their formally taught knowledge in meaningful ways,http://www.karthividhyalaya.com/ thus helping them make the connection between the classroom and real life. Benefits to using PBL, much like the benefits of engaging in informal learning, were both cognitive and affective. PBL was found to be beneficial in increasing young children’s knowledge and made learning enjoyable and meaningful [30]. Middle school students who learned in a classroom that effectively implemented PBL learning strategies appeared to be more engaged and more motivated in the classroom than students in a classroom that used traditional lecture methods [31; 32].
At High Tech Middle, where students were admitted based on a lottery system and where PBL was an integral part of the learning experience, students performed at a high level on standardized tests, and 99% of graduates went to college after high school [33]. In the high school science classroom, the use of PBL was shown to prepare students to be more successful than similar non-PBL instructed peers [34]. Implementation of PBL over a three-year period in one high school resulted in higher student motivation, greater self-image, and an increase in the total number of students meeting college entrance requirements [35]. Real world applications that required students to combine knowledge that they acquired from the classroom in order to address problems could help students to see themselves as the problem solvers of the future. PBL was used widely in engineering courses on the college level because of its similarity to actual engineering work that involved the application of an interdisciplinary set of knowledge to complete a project that could possibly take a long period of time to finish [36]. While PBL and informal learning may improve student's.https://www.facebook.com/karthividhyalaya/
