Goals and Purposes:
One of the cy.Scan projects in the Five Points neighborhood involves after-school technology and science classes. There are two main purposes of this program. The first is to provide instruction in science and math for 7th through 12th graders during after-school hours in the Five Points neighborhood of northeast Denver and within the context of community-based activist projects. The program is designed especially for girls and minorities in ways that have been shown to attach youth to learning, to school, to the study of science and math, and to civic participation in their communities.The second main purpose is to ensure that community youth master basic and sophisticated computer and technology skills as a way to increase their ability to succeed in school, and to succeed economically after they complete their education.Components:
There are four main components to the program. First, members of the community have begun a Youth and Technology Center at 26th and Welton, in the heart of the Five Points community. This area is predominantly African-American and Hispanic and is considered to be one of Denver’s poorest in socio-economic status. At the invitation of the community, we started classes on December 1, 1999. These classes were for 8th grade African American girls and included sophisticated biology (biochemistry, cell organelles, plant structure and functions) and technology (graphics, multimedia authoring, desktop publishing, JAVA programming).Our project is unique in integrating community service with research. Preliminary data analysis of the first five months suggests several things that might be useful for culturally responsive classrooms or science teachers who want to interest girls and ethnic minorities in the study of science. It appears that the girls we have been studying have identities that can be influenced in pro-academic ways according to two continua. One is defined by the extremes of being respected vs. being a victim. The second is defined by the extremes of gaining empowering individual attention from adultsvs. being ignored or restricted by adults. Our argument is that these two continue define the cultural space in which the girls construct their identities and there is a middle space which disposes them much more to academic learning than others spaces. For example,
The second main component consists of identifying ways that the 5 Points community already uses (or wants to use) science, math and technology. We have identified the practice of science in several places in the community, including
- East Side Health Clinic
- Namaste (hospice)
- Black American West Museum and its historical information on Dr.
- various individuals who provide their own pre-natal care and
- media personalities such as local meteorologists
The third component encourages students to use their new skills to participate in community activism projects with the support of community members and experts in relevant areas. The goals of these projects come from the community and the students as novice scientists develop their identities along trajectories aimed at making them "experts" in the study and practice of science.The fourth component is an evaluation of how technology and community-based science/math has: (1) increased students’ proficiencies in science, math, and technology; (2) influenced student conceptions of themselves as students and as scientists; (3) attracted more girls to study science or choose science as a career; (4) influenced student peer groups; (5) connected students to their communities; and (6) increased student political activism on behalf of themselves or their communities. We collect data in an on-going fashion and are willing to make all of our information available to researches, the public, parents, and teachers.