The Impact Of Out Of School Time (Ost) Math And Science Clubs On Elementary And Middle School Students, Teachers, Schools And The Undergraduate And Graduate Fellows That Facilitate Them

Out-of-school time (OST) clubs can positively affect students in grades 3-8 by reinforcing concepts learned during the normal class hours, learning new concepts, and providing an outlet where the children are free to interact more casually with the instructors and their peers. RAMP-UP (Recognizing Accelerated Math Potential in Underrepresented People), a National Science Foundation funded GK-12 outreach program at North Carolina State University (NCSU), has established OST Math Clubs and Energy Clubs at three, local, inner-city elementary schools and Fun Applications in Math and Engineering (FAME) at two middle schools. These clubs are run by undergraduate and graduate RAMP-UP Fellows from North Carolina State University and Shaw University. Having the RAMP-UP Fellows lead the clubs allows the teachers the opportunity to relax, to interact with the children less formally and to learn something new. The hands-on nature of the activities in the clubs lends itself well to encourage, develop and expose the math and science ability (in students) that may not be demonstrated during the regular classroom time. This additional opportunity for students and teachers to interact provides the teacher with a wider view of a student’s ability (especially a student from an underrepresented group). Undergraduate and graduate Fellows have also benefited by leading and facilitating the clubs. The paper, “The Impact of K-12 Outreach Programs on Graduate and Undergraduate Experiences,” by Kate Caldwell, Jessica McCoy, Lynn Albers, Althea Smith, Elizabeth Parry and Laura Bottomley from the 2007 ASEE Conference showed that through their work with RAMP-UP, undergraduate Fellows have improved their public speaking skills, felt more prepared for their careers, and felt that they were making a difference simply by being positive role models. In addition, by working with OST clubs, the undergraduate Fellows work directly with the graduate Fellow who exposes them to new areas of research, helps strengthen their math and science skills and provides an opportunity to discuss their post-undergraduate plans. Among the NCSU Fellows a much higher percentage of undergraduate Fellows plan to attend graduate or professional school, as compared to similar statistics for the entire university undergraduate population. The graduate Fellow benefits in much the same way and additionally develops managerial and administrative skills. Out-of-school time science and math clubs in elementary and middle schools not only benefit the children, teachers, undergraduate and graduate Fellows but they also benefit the elementary school, the universities and the communities they support. We will show the impact on 3-8 students and teachers through observation and surveys. We will also survey the undergraduate Fellows and teachers working with the clubs.