Giving Youth Control | Click2Science
Supporting Youth Development Through STEM

Giving Youth Control

Purpose: Frontline staff and volunteers will provide opportunities for youth to direct and manage their own learning.

As a result of ongoing, consistent professional development efforts, frontline staff and volunteers will be able to:

  • Describe the impact of self-determination, goal setting, and decision making in preparing youth to be contributors to STEM.
  • Consider youth interests and identities in planning experiences.
  • Ask youth for their input in program design and incorporate that feedback in meaningful ways.
  • Encourage all youth to explore and express their interests during STEM activities.

Staff Development Guides

Staff development guides are designed for coaches and trainers to use when providing professional development to frontline staff or volunteers. These downloadable step-by-step professional development guides include agendas, social and experiential learning activities, videos learning modules, supporting documents and handouts. The guides available below are designed to support the skill Encouraging Collaboration. For more information about Staff Development Guides, please visit About Staff Development Guides.

  • Creating My Project

    Participants will learn how to provide opportunities for youth to direct and manage their own learning and explore strategies to help young people learn to be problem solvers and contributors to computer science.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Training (large group)
    Length: 
    60 minutes
    Preview

  • Tinkering

    Participants will learn how tinkering is important to learning in computer science and prepare to engage youth in directing their learning.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Meeting (small group)
    Length: 
    35 minutes
    Preview

  • Project-Based Learning: An Overview

    Participants will engage with the components of projects-based learning to learn ways to support giving youth control.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Training (large group)
    Length: 
    90 minutes
    Preview

  • Giving Youth a Role

    Participants will do the Make Your Own Rules activity to learn how to support giving youth more control over their learning.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Training (large group)
    Length: 
    90 minutes
    Preview

  • Examples in Action

    Participants will watch the Giving Youth Control in Investigations Video-Based Learning Module to learn how to give youth more control in their STEM learning experiences.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Coaching (one-on-one)
    Length: 
    15 minutes
    Preview

  • Encouraging Youth Choice

    Participants will work through the Youth Voice and Choice Video-Based Learning Module and create an action plan to give youth more control of their STEM experiences.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Coaching (one-on-one)
    Length: 
    15 minutes
    Preview

  • Considerations When Giving Youth Control

    Participants will discuss their concerns and the "Developing a STEM Project" Video-Based Learning Module in order to give youth control of STEM learning experiences.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Meeting (small group)
    Length: 
    15 minutes
    Preview

  • A Class Meeting

    Participants will plan a class meeting to learn how to give youth more control in the learning space.
    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Situation: 
    Meeting (small group)
    Length: 
    30 minutes
    Preview

Browse All Staff Development Guides

Self-Directed Web Lessons

Click2Science Web Lessons offer self-directed, on-demand professional development for frontline staff and volunteers. Web Lessons are hosted on Penn State Extension Better Kid Care learning management system. To complete a Click2Science Web Lesson, please review our instructions for accessing lessons on Better Kid Care. For more information about self-directed Web Lessons, please visit About Web Lessons.

  • Giving Youth Control

    When youth have control of their learning they are more engaged, learn skills such as self-determination, goal setting and decision-making, and are more likely to enjoy learning. This module features interactive experiences and resources to help facilitators learn skills to give youth control of their learning experience and to focus on interests and developmental levels of youth. This is one of 20 STEM facilitation skills that help STEM click for school-age children and youth.

    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control

    Learn More

Browse All Web Lessons

On-Demand Webinars

Click2Science hosts virtual professional development webinars each month focused on out-of-school time learning environments. STEM, professional development best practices, and other relevant events. All webinars are recorded and made available for on-demand viewing. The recorded, on-demand webinars below are designed to support the skill. Encouraging Collaboration. For more on-demand webinars or to register for an upcoming webinar, please visit our Webinar page.

 

  • What Can We Learn from Summer Camp? - 6/6/18

    What Can We Learn From Summer Camp?

    This webinar focuses on great summer camp experiences. How can we provide youth with challenges that stretch them but don’t push too far? What are the best aspects of camping experiences that can be part of any summer program? Learn what makes camp experiences so impactful on young people and how you can incorporate those traits into your own summer program.

    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Date: 
    June 6, 2018

  • Creating a Making and Tinkering Summer 05/10/17

    Creating a Making and Tinkering Summer

    What is Making and why are some people so excited about it? In the field, making is defined as the act of creating something. The reason it has gotten much press recently is technology. Advances in technology have limited how much we make for ourselves. You can't just tinker around with your car when your check engine light comes on.

    Strategy: 
    Supporting Youth Development Through STEM
    Skill: 
    Giving Youth Control
    Date: 
    May 9, 2017

Browse All Webinars