Maine School Science Volunteers (MSSV) recruits volunteers
from the available pool of scientific professionals in the areas where they
want to work and after a period of working with an experienced volunteer,
places them in one of the science based programs sponsored by MSSV.
The program was
originally based on volunteer participation in regular science classes. In this
roll the volunteers offer a variety of benefits to the classroom. Their advanced training in science often
gives them insight into the scientific material being presented in the class
programs. Volunteers can provide classroom demonstrations or experiments
otherwise difficult or impossible to carry out without additional classroom
assistance. As mature professionals, they may also reinforce the claim that
mastery of the scientific material can lead to rewarding careers. Finally, the
presence of an extra adult in the classroom who is very familiar with the
subject material multiplies the attention that can be given to each student
during the class session.
A new type of
activity has been successfully implemented in several school districts. This
activity is science clubs which generally meet after school. These programs are
sponsored by the school and require the participation of a regular faculty
member of the school. They generally meet every month for a couple of hours and
offer a combination of theory along with hands-on activities and experiments. A
number of science club presentations have been prepared and presented to the
clubs with more being generated each year. A list of the present subjects is
provided in the section of this web site titled “classroom modules”.
The volunteers are provided by MSSV without charge to the
schools.
Working arrangements
which may fit the needs of the teacher or volunteer are:
A volunteer may meet
on a regular basis with one or more science teachers for one or more classes.
Some of our volunteers have been working with the same teacher for several
years on a regular scheduled basis one or more times per week.
One can arrange for a
volunteer to assist in classes for a particular subject at an appropriate time
during the school year. Several MSSV volunteers assist in the teaching of electricity
and magnetism, for example.
Volunteers with specialized knowledge can present classes on
their specialty at the time when the teacher is covering this material.
Volunteers with experience, and in most cases, advanced degrees in certain
fields, can be scheduled for assistance in their area of specialization.
At the very least the volunteers provide an extra person to
assist in the science classroom, but in addition they have working knowledge
and professional background that can enhance the classroom experience.
The relationship of the volunteer to the classes and the
teachers is rather open-ended. It is hoped that the individual teachers and
their assigned volunteers will work out an arrangement which complements the
needs of the classroom and the ability and interest of the volunteer.
The program has received financial support from several
business organization and professional societies. The program receives technical support from
the founding organization at Northeastern University in Boston although we are
now an independent Maine-based non-profit corporation.
MSSV is continually searching for additional volunteers. We
need people with a strong background and experiences in some scientific area
and the ability to schedule a few hours a month during and after school hours.
Contact Info:
Anyone wishing to participate as a volunteer, to request the
services of a volunteer, or to provide needed financial support is invited to
contact MSSV.
Winnie Chan (President)
CHANJAW@comcast.net phone: (207) 833-6184 or:
Ellen Bennett (Volunteer Recruiting) ellenb@earlham.edu phone: (207) 721-9575
For information about MSSV activities see:http://maineschoolsciencevolunteers.blogspot.com/
