BSA STEM NOVA Counselor and SUPERNOVA Mentor Training

Introduction This course is intended to provide potential Nova Counselors and Supernova Mentors with the basic information they need to assist Scouts in completing the requirements to earn the Nova and Supernova awards. The prerequisite for this course is an understanding of the BSA Nova program. 2

Learning Objectives • Understand the adult roles in the BSA Nova program • Review Counselor/Mentor requirements, duties and responsibilities • Know how to register as a Counselor/Mentor • Understand the methods of counseling & mentoring • Know how to guide a Scout through the Nova and Supernova process 3

BSA STEM Adult Roles • • Unit STEM Coordinator Nova Counselor Supernova Mentor STEM Nova Program member/chair – District, Council and National levels • STEM Camp staff – Summer camp, camporees, Jamboree 4

Unit STEM Coordinator • Unit Contact person for all things STEM related • Trained at a STEM Counselor / Mentor course – Does not need to be a STEM Supernova Mentor • Promote the program to scouts and parents • Help scouts with ideas on how they can earn the Nova and Supernova awards • Work with leaders to add fun STEM activities to meetings and outings • Work with the District STEM Coordinator to ensure Supernova awards are recorded and presented Every unit should have a STEM Coordinator 5

Nova and Supernova Nova Supernova 6

Role of Counselor / Mentor • A teacher and coach – Help scout develop questions, research ideas & answers – Guide scout in project setup and execution • Safety, resource management and data collection • Analysis and reporting results and extracting meaning of results • Inspire discussion of project activity and help them understand conclusions • Encourage completion of activities – Verify requirements for awards are met – Ensure consistency across all participants over time • Ensure safe activities and youth protection 7

What is a Counselor / Mentor? • Nova Counselors – Adults with little to some knowledge in STEM topics • Need not be professionals or experts • Willing to research and study to be ready to guide participants – Guide youth participants in research and experiences – Maintain quality and safety • Supernova Mentors – Adults with skills and education in award topics • Professional-level engineers, scientists, educators and hobbyists who use STEM skills often – Guide youth in significant accomplishments in STEM topics – Maintain quality and safety 8

Who Can Be a Nova Counselor? • Have you ever played baseball, golf, football, bowling, archery, etc. ? – You understand motion of objects • Have you ever cooked, built things, worked in the garden, ran a race, did construction, etc. ? – You know how to measure things and make calculations • Have you ever gone fishing, dug a hole, rode a bike, hit a baseball, fixed a car or bike, etc. ? – You understand simple machines • Have you ever walked, drove a car, sailed a boat, or enjoyed AC? – You understand energy production and use • Have you ever read a book or researched on the internet? – You understand how to prepare to help the participants Anyone who understands the material and can guide learning can be a Nova Counselor 9

Who Can Be a Supernova Mentor? • Possess skills and education in award topics – Engineers, Scientists, Accountants, Software Engineers, HAM Radio experts, Educators, Doctors, Meteorologists • Able to guide youth participants to significant accomplishments in STEM topics – Provide guidance and experiences, but not overt teaching – Support explorations of STEM ideas and projects in depth – May take many months to accomplish Supernova activities • Do NOT need to have a specific STEM background – Supernova activities involve science applicable to all STEM fields – Possibly at the Einstein Supernova level – may need an expert in a specific field 10

Counselor / Mentor Requirements Nova Counselors Supernova Mentors Must be age 21 or older Registered as a Nova counselor (position code 58) Unit-position/ requires no fee Must be age 21 or older Registered as a Supernova mentor (position code 52) Non-unit position / requires no fee Youth Protection Trained Training helpful Nova Counselor/Mentor Trained Can be a parent or scout leader NOT the parent or Unit Leader of the Scout (some exceptions) Able to guide participant activities over many months Knowledgeable in STEM topics (is able Possess skills and education in STEM to research topics or find expert) topics and guiding students Approved by the Unit Approved by the Council Nova Committee (Supernova Mentor Information Form) 11

• • STEM is FUN! Be safe! Encourage youth Age makes a difference • Group size • No time limit 12

Best Practices (1) • Every Scout deserves a Trained Leader – Nova Counselor / Supernova Mentor training – Trainer’s EDGE • Know the award requirements – Stay current (New Nova Awards & changes released occasionally) • Age Appropriate Expectations – Help youth be successful in each challenge – Adjust for learning disabilities The BSA STEM Nova program gives Scouts the incentive to become lifetime learners regardless of their abilities and needs. 13

Age makes a difference: Characteristics and Needs of Scouts Program Age and Experience Group Structure Learning Styles Cub Scouts, Webelos • • Boys 8 – 10 years old Grade 2 – 4 Little math or science contact • Generally in Dens of 4 – 8 Scouts • adult leader • • See and do Tactile and visual Structured Learning Open to everything – no preconceived notions Boy Scouts • • Boys 11 – 18 years old Grade 5 – 12 Some math and science education • Small groups of 2 to 8, with a buddy • Youth leader • • • See and do Tactile and visual Use EDGE teaching method Eager to explore new worlds Science may be seen as “too hard” Varsity Scouts, Venturers • Young Men and /or Women • 14 – 20 years old • Grades 8+ • Groups of 2 or more (with a buddy) • Youth leader • See and do • Reflection, research, brainstorm • Self directed – Counselor is a team leader • Emulate adult as role model • Science and Math may be seen as “un-cool” 14

Tailor Your Teaching Method Coaching Cub Scouts, Webelos, younger Boy Scouts Mentoring Older Boy Scouts, Varsity, Venturers • Share knowledge • Share extensive experience • Lead experiences • Support explorations • Provide advice • Guide activities • Teach Scout • Listen, guide thinking and analysis • Help Scout learn on own Explain Demonstrate Guide Enable 15

NOVA Program Activities Example • Boy Scout Shoot! Requirements summarized: q Watch TV or read about science, collect questions and ideas, discuss with counselor (3 hours) q Complete ONE Merit Badge: Archery, Astronomy, Athletics, Aviation, Rifle Shooting, Robotics, Shotgun Shooting, Space Exploration, Weather q Discover (study) or use a computer simulation to study projectile velocity q Visit an observatory or flight, aviation or space museum; Find a satellite and observe it q Build a catapult; Design a pitching machine; Design and build a marble run. Discuss your design, data, and experiments with your counselor. q Discuss with counselor how science affects your life.

Best Practices (2) • When a Scout develops questions… – If you don’t know the answer use this as an opportunity to look up together. Make a note of common questions to review ahead of meeting with the Scout. • Ask leading questions – “Compare and contrast …”, “What if …”, “Why did …”. • Show them, then let them do it • Not all experiments work the first time! – Discuss and try again • Develop Junior Scientists • Let more experienced Scouts lead Nova activities. You should supervise and ensure that the activities are complete and the key ideas have been discovered. 17

The SUPERNOVA Award The requirements for each Supernova award are based on the ages of the Scout and are increasingly challenging • Cub Scouts - Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Supernova Award • Webelos Scout - Dr. Charles H. Townes Supernova Award • Boy Scouts - Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova Award and Thomas Edison Supernova Award • Venturers - Dr. Sally Ride Supernova Award, Wright Brothers Supernova Award, and Dr. Albert Einstein Supernova Award

SUPERNOVA Program Activities Example • Boy Scout Dr. Bernard Harris Supernova Award – Requirements BRIEFLY summarized: q q q q Must be First Class or higher. Earn at least three NOVA awards for Boy Scouts. Earn Scholarship MB and four MBs from approved list. Complete two Supernova activity topics. Each topic includes research, preparation, set up, coordination, organization, analysis, reflection, reporting. Participate in science fair or math competition. Shadow science professional or explore a science career and present. Present NOVA program to Cub den or other youth group Review scientific method and use it to examine a selected topic 19

Mentoring the Scout Supernova Activity Project or Experiment • Science project or experiment should be challenging. and should require a significant investment of time and effort on their part – Age and Skill-level appropriate – “Challenging” while not being discouraging and too difficult • The Scientific Method guides the process • Activity Topics are good examples • Some form of report OR an oral presentation required • Einstein award has more stringent requirements 20

Nova / Supernova Reports • Report style for Nova and Supernova activities is up to the scout – – – Oral Written Poster Virtual poster Video production Any format of scouts own design with mentor’s advance approval • Objective to communicate what was learned and how Experiment Title: Question: Research: Hypothesis: Procedure: Data: Results: Conclusions/New Experiments: 21

The Scientific Method Make an Observation / Ask a question Report results (was hypothesis correct? ) Research subject Test Hypothesis by doing an experiment Make a Hypothesis Review results of experiment and make a conclusion University of Scouting Jan 23, 2016 22

Risk Mitigation Situation Risk Scouts research topics on the Internet • Scouts in contact with adults not known to them • • Different levels of education or understanding of material • STEM activities contain hazards • Mitigation Contact with inappropriate content Susceptible to Cyber Bullying Inappropriate contact Allegations of inappropriate contact • • Missed program opportunities Disrespect from/to peers Bullying • • Adjust teaching techniques to abilities and preparation level of Scouts Maintain group discipline “No Cheap Shots” policy • • Injury Property damage • • Use safety gear and practices Maintain control of activities • Youth Protection training and policies Youth follow Buddy System 23

Completion of Award • • Congratulate scout! Inform unit leader Fill out paperwork Celebrate awards with an appropriate ceremony 24

Nova Awards Approval Process • Must be approved by a counselor who is a registered BSA adult leader • Complete a standard Advancement report (form 34403) noting which Nova was earned by each scout • Turn form in to Scout Shop in order to purchase Nova patch (first Nova earned) and/or pi pins (2 nd all subsequent Novas earned) • Cards available to help organize and track what NOVA awards your scouts are working on University of Scouting Jan 23, 2016 25

Supernova Awards Approval Process • Require submission of official Supernova application form – http: //www. scouting. org/filestore/STEM/pdf/Supernova. Application. pdf • Signatures of several people (next slides) • Recommended that District/Council sign off include a “look over” of completed work • Requirements different for Einstein Supernova University of Scouting Jan 23, 2016 26

Approvals for Supernovas (all except Einstein) • Unit Leader (Not Mentor) • Supernova Mentor (Council approved) – A parent may mentor their own child only as one of a group of scouts working on the same award. Please note names all scouts when submitting application • District STEM or Advancement Chair (with review of completed work) • Scout Executive – Council Office (Not Scout Shop) may stamp • Approved Application and Advancement Report (form 34403) submitted to Scout Shop to purchase award University of Scouting Jan 23, 2016 27

Approvals for Dr. Albert Einstein Supernova Gold Award (Venturing) • Unit Leader (Committee Chair or Crew Advisor – not Mentor) • Supernova Mentor – (Council approved) – May not be parent under any circumstances. • District STEM or Advancement Chair – Requires candidate to present both oral and written reports on their original research to the local Council STEM committee (of at least three current Supernova Mentors) • Scout Executive – must sign personally • Packet sent to National STEM Committee for review/final approval – – Application with all signatures Copy of written report on original research Proposed Nova Reports on Supernova activities, if possible • After national approval, award may be purchased from the National BSA STEM Office, the Scout Shops do not carry these. University of Scouting Jan 23, 2016 28

Will You Be a Counselor or Mentor? • The Youth of Today and the America of Tomorrow need your support • What’s Next – You have now completed BSA Nova Counselor/Mentor Training – Complete the Counselor/Mentor registration process • Get Registered with BSA • Take Youth Protection training on-line – Start sharing your STEM expertise 29

Application Process Nova Counselor 1. BSA Adult application (code 58 for Nova counselor) 2. Youth protection training certificate 3. Nova Counselor Information Form 4. Nova/Supernova adult certificate (if available) Submit copy of these 4 items to your Council/District STEM committee or Advancement chair Supernova Mentor 1. BSA Adult application (code 52 for Supernova mentor) 2. Youth protection training certificate 3. Supernova Mentor Information Form 4. Nova/Supernova adult training certificate (if available) Submit copy of these 4 items to your Council/District STEM committee or Advancement chair To sign up as BOTH a Nova counselor & Supernova Mentor • TWO BSA Adult applications (code 58 on one; code 52 for second) 30

Put your Council-specific slides here 31

Counselors / Mentors Resources • BSA STEM website http: //www. scouting. org/stem. aspx Ø Your council STEM website • Scouting and Boys Life Magazine & Bryan’s Blog • Facebook - Nova Award, BSA • Cub Cast on “CS and STEM” http: //www. scouting. org/Scoutcast/Cubcast/2014. aspx and http: //www. scouting. org/Scoutcast. aspx • Scout Cast on “BS and STEM” http: //www. scouting. org/scoutcast/2015. aspx • Various STEM and Science Outreach websites • Other Nova Counselors and Supernova Mentors 32

Summary • Adults can play an important role in engaging youth in BSA STEM activities • The Nova program adds recognition for work done to learn about STEM • Nova Counselors and Supernova Mentors must reregister each year – – Lead scouts toward improved awareness and interest in STEM Tailor teaching techniques to ages and abilities of Scouts Support BSA requirements and guidelines Make it fun! 33

Questions? 34