Science

“It Would Be Cool to Make Up My Own Activities”: Youth Voice in STEM Teaching and Learning

Fostering youth voice means supporting young people in expressing their ideas, taking ownership of their learning, and engaging with their communities in meaningful and impactful ways. Out-of-school-time (OST) science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs have long provided these opportunities, empowering youth to drive their learning forward and see themselves as active contributors to the world around them.

Author/Presenter

Victoria Oliveira

Virginia Andrews

Patricia J. Allen

Gil G. Noam

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

For the promotion of youth voice to be successful, out-of-school-time (OST) program facilitators and classroom teachers need a common understanding of what quality looks and sounds like and support for implementing higher-quality instructional strategies. For well over a decade, the Dimensions of Success (DoS) observation system has provided such support in OST settings and, more recently, in middle-grade classrooms. In this article, we first demonstrate how DoS defines quality Youth Voice in OST and classroom settings through four vignettes based on observations of grade 5–8 classrooms and OST program observations, then provide strategies for educators to promote higher-quality Youth Voice by building on youth ideas and encouraging decision-making that drives their STEM learning forward.

Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Formative Assessment in Science and Engineering: Highlighting Multilingual Girls’ Linguistic, Epistemic, and Spatial Brilliances

Background
This study advances understandings of formative assessment by introducing the Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Formative Assessment (CLSA) framework, grounded in relational and embodied perspectives and culturally sustaining pedagogy. While formative assessment is widely recognized as a process for supporting learning, less is known about how it can be enacted in culturally and linguistically sustaining ways.

Author/Presenter

Shakhnoza Kayumova

Akira Harper

Tia Madkins

Esma Nur Kahveci

Year
2025
Short Description

This study advances understandings of formative assessment by introducing the Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Formative Assessment (CLSA) framework, grounded in relational and embodied perspectives and culturally sustaining pedagogy. While formative assessment is widely recognized as a process for supporting learning, less is known about how it can be enacted in culturally and linguistically sustaining ways.