The webinar discussed effective framing strategies for communicating the importance of early STEM learning. It began with an overview of FrameWorks Institute's research-based approach to framing complex issues. Experts discussed common misconceptions around STEM learning for young children and presented reframed messaging focused on brain architecture, activation, and fluency. Examples highlighted the benefits of informal STEM programs in building widespread interest and skills in STEM subjects. The webinar concluded with recommendations for sharing framing strategies to build broader support for early STEM education.

1. Making the Case for Early STEM Learning
With
Sheetal Singh, Early Learning Lab
Julie Sweetland, FrameWorks Institute
November 2, 2016

2. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved2
Using ReadyTalk
• Chat to ask questions
• All lines are muted
• If you lose your Internet
connection, reconnect using the
link emailed to you.
• If you lose your phone
connection, re-dial
the phone number
and re-join.
• ReadyTalk support:
800-843-9166
Your audio will play through your computer’s speakers. Hear an echo? You
may be logged in twice and will need to close one instance of ReadyTalk.

3. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved3
You Are Being Recorded…
• This webinar will be available on the TechSoup website along with past
webinars within a week: www.techsoup.org/community/events-webinars
•
• You can also view recorded webinars and videos on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/TechSoupVideo
• You will receive an email with a link to this presentation, Q & A, and collateral
informational materials within a week.
• Tweet us @TechSoup or using hashtag #tswebinars

4. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved4
Presenters
Assisting with chat: Becky Wiegand, TechSoup
Sheetal Singh
Director, Design and
Innovation, Early
Learning Lab
Julie Sweetland
VP for Strategy and
Innovation,
FrameWorks Institute
Susan Hope Bard
Training and Education
Manger, TechSoup

5. 5
About TechSoup

6. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved6
The Need Is Global – And So Are We
TechSoup’s mission is to build a dynamic bridge that enables civil society
organizations and social change agents around the world to gain effective
access to the resources they need to design and implement solutions for a
more equitable planet.
Countries Served TechSoup Partner Location NetSquared Local Group

7. . © TechSoup Global | All rights reserved7
Our Impact
Together, we build a stronger, more resilient civil society.
$5.4B
in technology
products and grants
employed by NGOs
for the greater good
35
languages used
to provide
education and
support
100+
corporate and
foundation partners
connected with the
causes and
communities they
care about
6.2M
annual visits to
our websites
600,000
newsletter
subscribers
empowered with
actionable
knowledge
79%
of NGOs have improved
organizational efficiency
with TechSoup Global's
resource offering*
*Source: survey conducted among TechSoup members in 2013

8. Making the Case for Early STEM
Learning
November 2, 2016

9. All children deserve the chance to grow, learn, and fulfill
their potential to be creative thinkers and doers. Yet too
many young children aren’t exposed to the engaging and
enriching experiences they need from birth to age five
that help them thrive and learn. The only way to close
this opportunity gap is to invest in the adults that care for
them.
9

10. What We Do
The Early Learning Lab uses
social innovation to source and
spread effective teaching and
family support strategies, so
parents, caregivers and
teachers have the tools to
help children ages 0-5 learn
early in their lives, when it
matters most.
10

11. • Supply: Work with technologists to ensure products are research-
based and meet the needs of the field; define and test high-value
technology design elements.
• Demand: Help program implementers and families understand the
range of tools available and make smart decisions on what to use.
• Research to Practice: Guide the field in understanding how to
meaningfully and effectively integrate technology into programs.
11
Accelerating the use of innovative
technologies requires operating at
three levels:

12. Our Early Learning Technology Work
• Work with partners to identify,
test, and build an evidence-base
for high-impact design elements
• Survey the field for current
technology needs and recommend
strategies for improvement
• Webinar trainings to bring the
latest technology research to
practitioners and program
implementers
• Curated events with field leaders
on technology best practices
• Incubation of new and improved
technology solutions
12

13. Making the Case
for Early STEM Learning
Hosted by Early Learning Lab &TechSoup
November 2,2016
Julie Sweetland, PhD, VP for Strategy and Innovation
@FrameWorksInst

14. Frames are sets of choices abouthow
information is presented:
What to emphasize, how to explainit,
and what to leaveunsaid.

15. DESIGNANDDIGITALMEDIA
SOCIOLOGYANTHROPOLOGY&PSYCHOLOGY
ADMINISTRATION
Strategic Frame Analysis
is a multidisciplinary approach to communicationsresearch
PUBLICHEALTHLANGUAGE&LINGUISTICS
POLITICALSCIENCE
ADVOCACY
JOURNALISM

16. FrameWorksinvestigatesthecommunicationsaspectsofsocialissues
• Harvard University Center on the Developing Child – how to translate science of early
childhood brain and biological development to inform sound policy
• AECF/KIDS COUNT Network - how to make the most powerful case for children’s issues
• Noyce Foundation – how to build public support for improving informal STEM learning
• National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation– how zoo and
aquarium interpreters can advance visitors’understanding of climate science
• Visualizing Change - how data from NOAA and other scientific sources can be built into
interpretation using displays such as Science on a Sphere or Magic Planet

17. You Say…They Think
Expert/Advocate
A A A B B B
Public

18. Expert/Advocate
“Science literacy is just asimportant
as the traditional literacies of
reading and writing - and we need
to promote them in the early years.”
Science is important if you want to be
a scientist, but little kids have no idea
what they want to be when they grow
up. Early on, they just need the good
old basics.
Public
You Say…They Think

19. Expert/Advocate
“Every child is a natural scientist -
they explore, inquire, and testwhat
they learn.”
Some kids are into science...and for
others, that’s just not their thing.
Public
You Say…They Think

20. Expert/Advocate
“Children need to engagewith STEM
concepts in lots of different ways,
multiple times, to really develop
knowledge and skills. Afterschool
programs can be a great setting for
these important learning
opportunities.”
Engineering class after school!?!Kids
just need to be kids. I don’t see the
value of doing the same thing after
school that they do in school.
Public
You Say…They Think

21. Which of these assumptions have you run into recently?
STEM isn’t for young children
STEM is only for kids who are into it
STEM is“hard”and free time should be“fun”

22. “Thebiggest problem in communication
is the illusion that it has occurred.”
George Bernard Shaw

23. Cultural
Model
Interviews
20
Media &
Field Frame
Analysis
414
Weconducted a comprehensive investigation
On-the-
Street
Interviews
92
Persistenc
e Trials
35
Survey
Experimen
ts
6200
Sample Size:
6,350
E
Expert
Intervie
ws
15
CM
OTS

24. AVOID ADVANCE
Exploration andexperienceBaby brain: Fill‘erup!

25. Brain Architecture
The brain is built much like a
house - from the bottom up -
in an active process. Skillsand
concepts developed in the
earliest stages of lifeestablish
the architecture and wiring
that supports laterlearning.
•Helps people appreciate how and why “early
matters”
•Expands thinking about early learningbeyond
the default explanation of the‘family bubble’
•Suppresses“container”thinking about learning
8758329=*2394x/q(230581119)ba
2
889982(ab)*39910=a(g)91910238
65(a)+83729(xl)4992-918839*0929
<e>930
259(23)
923582
035971
924657
8910(n)
923095
919<9>
14321
x/193292=912059(2)i
982 (x) 0712 = g(2)-8M<d>183942

26. Framed with Milestones
The overall goals of children’s
development in science are to deepen
their conceptual understandings ofthe
world around them, to increase their
comprehension of how science ispracticed
and to develop their abilities to conduct
scientific investigations. One of the most
important things parents can do to help
children meet and achieve these science
milestones is to provide a supportive
environment.
Reframed with BrainArchitecture
The developing brain is “wired” over time,
through experiences. Initial or simple skills
form the circuits that are bundled up into
more complex skills as children explore
and grow. When children are supported in
exploringthe world around them, the early
architecture of scientific understanding is
established. As adults interact with
children who are experimenting and
asking questions, they are building a
foundation for the ability to investigate
problems scientifically.

27. AVOID ADVANCE
Tapping intrinsicmotivationDraining the attentionbattery

28. Activation
STEM learning experiences
in the afternoons, in the
summer, or on weekends
activate interest in these
subjects by letting
children and youth
experiment with STEM in
hands-on, real-world
situations.
•Deepens appreciation of thedistinctive
contributions of informal learning sites
•Enables people to reason about howlearning
happens in informalenvironments
•Suppresses individualistic explanationsof
STEM disparities
•Suppresses zero-sum thinking abouttime

29. Framed with ProofPoints
Children who participate in informal STEM
programs show higher schoolachievement
in science and math, report higher levels of
interest in STEM subjects, andare more
likely to choose a STEMcareer.
Reframed with Activation
When children participate in effective
afterschool STEM programs, they get
hands-on experiences and havetime to
freely explore STEM subjects. This sparks
their curiosity and allows them to build up
knowledge over time. Activating a greater
interest in STEM through such programs
leads children to do better in science and
math in school. They may even become
more likely to pursue a STEM-related
career.

30. AVOID ADVANCE
Rich, multiplelayersZero-Sum
(More STEM = Less Something Else)

31. Fluency
Just as people need to be
immersed in real-world
situations to learn a
language, children need
to explore STEM concepts,
and use them, to fully
understand and become
fluent in thesesubjects.
•Deepens appreciation of thedistinctive
contributions of informal learning sites
•Enables people to reason about howlearning
happens in informalenvironments
•Suppresses zero-sum thinking abouttime

32. Framed with ExpertStyle
Young children develop science
understanding best when given
multiple opportunities to engage in
science exploration and experiences
through inquiry. The range of
experiences gives them the basis for
seeing patterns, forming theories,
considering alternate explanations, and
building their knowledge.
Reframed with Fluency/Immersion
Just as people speak a new language more
fluently when they learn it over time and
go out and use it, children learn a scientific
concept best when they encounter the
idea multiple times. When they have a
range of experiences, they have a chance
to notice patterns, come up with ideas
about how things work, test them out, and
consider alternative explanations. When
children are immersed in investigating
their world, they become more fluent in
science.

33. Let’s talk metaphors...literally.
Enter your questions in the chat box.

34. AVOID ADVANCE
STEM is Everywhere, ForEveryoneSTEM Is For “ThoseTypes”

35. Which example do you predict was the most effective
at building support for informal STEMlearning?
Robotics for kids
Music production
Programming apps
Community garden

37. Kids can learn many different, intertwined STEM skills together. For example, in
a setting like a community garden, students can conduct scientific observations
on how the environment affects certain plants. They can learn how to leverage
technology – which can be as simple as deciding between a shovel or a hoe, or
as advanced as setting up sensors to track key indicators. They can think like
engineers while building structures and systems for their plots. And, they can
exercise their math skills by calculating rainfall, nutrients, or predicting the day
the peppers will ripen.
Because these learning environments are flexible, and allow kids to explore
their interests, afterschool STEM programs are especially effective at reaching a
wide range of young people, not just those who already think of themselves as
“math and science kids.”

38. EffectivenessFactors:
CharacteristicsofWell-Framed
Examples
Concret
e
Conceiv
able
Causal
Credible
Collectiv
e

40. •Talking points
•Quick-start guide
•Animation video
•Infographics
•Fact sheets
•Slides
www.afterschoolstemhub.org

41. Thank you -
and frame on!
©2016 FrameWorks Institute.
Slides in this presentation were developed by the FrameWorks Institute for individual use and cannot be represented, adapted,
or distributed without the express written permission of FrameWorks. All images in this presentation are licensed for the
purpose of this presentation only and may not be reproduced elsewhere.
www.frameworksinstitute.
org
@FrameWorksI
nst
FrameWorks
Institute

42. Learn and Share!
Chat in one thing that you
learned in today’s webinar or
will try to implement.
Will you share this
information with your
colleagues and within your
network?
Please complete the post-
event survey that will pop up
once the webinar ends!

43. Get Your TechSoup Courses!

44. Upcoming Webinars and Events
11/15: Power Up Your Data with Microsoft’s Power BI
11/16: Fix It at the Library with DIY Repair Programs
11/17: How to Successfully Promote Your Year-End
Fundraising Campaign
11/ 22 5 Things You Didn't Know About TechSoup's Donation
Programs
Explore our webinar archives for more!

45. ReadyTalk offers dedicated product demos for
TechSoup organizations 4 times per week.
For more information: www.techsoup.org/readytalk
Please complete the post-event survey that will
pop up once you close this window.
Thank You to Our Webinar Sponsor!