Learning To Communicate About Science In Everyday Language Through Informal Science Education

The University of Colorado's Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) program, in which university students participate in classroom and after school science activities with local precollege children, seeks to develop children's interest, identity and abilities in science, while simultaneously developing university participant's interest and understanding in education and their abilities to communicate about science. The Communication in Everyday Language Assessment (CELA) component of our assessment suite has been used to evaluate university student teaching in these informal educational settings. We find significant positive gains a result of participating in the PISEC program.