Overview July 17, 2018

Timing

Timing determines when projects can be implemented and therefore when various learning opportunities are available.

Youth are capable of collecting rigorous and accurate data (Ballard, Dixon & Harris, 2017) however they need opportunities to learn both science practices and pertinent content knowledge (Trumbull, Bonney & Grudens-schuck, 2005). These learning experiences take time. In ongoing projects conducted over longer durations, participants have opportunities to conduct regular and ongoing observations, an important practice for constructing hypotheses and explaining results (Trumbull, Bonney, Bascom & Cabral, 2000). CCS projects can be integrated into science content standards affording more time to engage in CCS projects in classroom settings.

In selecting or designing a project to support learning for youth, there are a variety of questions you can ask about potential project timing:

Are you interesting in conducting your project over a long period of time or over a shorter duration?

Are you using the project as a way for students to learn science practices and content or to gain initial exposure to how scientists work?

Do you want to explore programs that have a fixed timeline or have flexibility for project implementationwith when you implement the project?

Project timing consists of when the project event occurs or the best time to conduct the project due to seasonality. The Christmas Bird Count for Kids is an event-based project and only available for participation during specific dates in December through January each year. Other bird monitoring projects, such as BirdSleuth K-12 are available year-round allowing participation to occur at any time over any duration. Some species or phenomena are not easily monitored throughout the year and therefore project participation is limited to particular times based on seasonality. The Lost Ladybug Project recommends participation in ladybug monitoring during early summer when plants are still lush and ladybugs are out.

Trumbull, D. J., Bonney, R., & Grudens‐Schuck, N. (2005). Developing materials to promote inquiry: Lessons learned. Science Education, 89(6), 879-900.

Trumbull, D. J., Bonney, R., Bascom, D., & Cabral, A. (2000). Thinking scientifically during participation in a citizen‐science project. Science education, 84(2), 265-275.

Event-based

Ongoing

Seasonal

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