Kids Survey Network Research Mentors Sought for Local Schools

This opportunity is available to: 
Anyone

This is a call for Research Mentors for the Kids Survey Network Kids Survey Network (KSN), a major educational research and development project funded by the National Science Foundation. KSN’s educational mission is to promote data literacy, engaging young people in the power and interest of inquiry and reasoning with data, and preparing them for responsible and successful use of data in citizenshipand work. More broadly, KSN represents a new kind of learning environment—an apprenticeship network—that aims for an improved synthesis of depth, rigor, and enjoyment in informal learning. Participating via local after-school and other informal education programs, teams of young people ages 11-14 nationwide will develop survey studies on topics that matter to them, while building skills and understanding through online games, visual tools, community forums and expert mentoring.

For February - April of 2009, TERC, the lead organization, is seeking research mentors to provide expert mentoring for KSN survey project teams. Research mentors would be expected to:

• Have formal training or practical experience in survey research methods.

• Have an interest in improving public understanding of survey research;Guide their KSN team through a survey project, providing as-needed advice and structured online feedback at critical points during the project.

• Meet weekly with their KSN team at online sites for 10 weeks, 2-3 hours per week.• Attend KSN 1hr orientation and half-day training at TERC (Spring only).

• Participate in weekly conference calls with TERC to discuss mentor experiences

• Consent to participate in a research study involving 2-3 interviews, 2 questionnairesand weekly observations. The interviews would be conducted outside KSN team meeting time.Research mentors are needed to work with KSN teams located in Boston, MA and Barnstable,MA (on Cape Cod). All mentoring can be completed online, and there are no travel requirements for the position.

Work-study grants may be available for qualified undergraduate students through Harvard at:http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pbh/psn/fundraising/individualfunding.htm

For an application, contact Rinat Harel at rinat_harel@terc.edu.