Mentoring Brochure | Mentoring Flyer
Introducing the CAPS Mentoring Program
for Southern California!
We want YOU to get involved!
What is the CAPS Mentoring Program?
The CAPS Mentoring Program is a pilot program developed by the CAPS Public Relations Committee that aims to encourage and empower students to explore their interests in scientific subjects through inquiry-based learning and exposure to real-world issues. The program will place professional scientists (CAPS members) in after-school programs to introduce students to the process of inquiry-based learning and how to develop a science experiment for students in 7th – 8th grades in Southern California*. The participating school programs will be determined by the CAPS Public Relations Committee.
This program is a supplement to appropriate grade level school-year teachings and the program curriculum is aligned with the newly implemented Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Through this program, CAPS member mentors will be trained to assist and guide students in the following areas:
- Science subject knowledge, extended to career pathways and options for further studies.
- Science experiment development, focusing on creating hypotheses to solving issues applicable to real life.
- Execution of project goals and research through becoming an expert in the scientific process & learning all necessary safety procedures when working on experiments.
- Collaborative skills, project management, and other areas of Common Core relative to science projects.
A CAPS member mentor who volunteers his/her time through the CAPS Program should expect a time commitment of approximately one hour per week during the school year of 2017-2018 from October-February, with a possibility of continuing the program further into the school year. Mentors will be matched as closely as possible with the selected school programs, based upon subject area and area of expertise requested.
How do I sign up?
Simply apply online here.
***Note: Positions are not guaranteed, spaces are limited. All volunteers are required to consent to a background check and fingerprint clearance prior to working with students.
How will mentoring work?
CAPS will train mentors on a comprehensive curriculum with simple experiments to demonstrate scientific methodology. Classroom mentors will introduce themselves and give a presentation regarding their professional background and area of scientific expertise. Mentors will also introduce small scale, group projects that can be completed in a single classroom session to get students ready for bigger, student-identified projects! Students will be directed by their program teachers to begin development of hypotheses and experimental procedures. CAPS mentors will return to the classrooms to help guide students with their projects along the way and to inspire them on their journey through the scientific process! At the end of the program, students will have developed their own science fair project, which they can be proud of and inspired to complete during the school year.