Participant Responsibilities and Opportunities

Educator Responsibilities:

• Commit to work with a volunteer to create a meaningful, mutually beneficial collaboration
• Work with the volunteer to determine how he can best participate each time he comes to the classroom
• Periodically communicate with the volunteer outside of classroom to prepare for weekly activities
• Communicate honestly, and as often as necessary, with the volunteer and project administrators to help achieve project goals
• Participate in meetings to exchange ideas and improve the project

Educator Opportunities:

• A partner with new energy, ideas and enthusiasm
• New ideas and support from the larger group (through group meetings, brainstorming, and watching the experiences of other pairs)
• Access to Caltech's Educational Outreach office and the ability to inquire about other campus resources
• Possibility of funds for classroom projects

What Educators Offer:

• Their skills and experience as educators
• Their relationship with and knowledge of their students
• Classroom management skills
• Knowledge of pedagogy and its applications

Volunteer Responsibilities:

• Regularly volunteer in one or two classrooms for at least 15 weeks, beginning with the pairing meeting in November and continuing until the end of the Pasadena academic year in June.
• Show up at appointed times - dependability is critical to allowing educators to include volunteers in their plans
• Commit to work with an educator to create a meaningful, mutually beneficial collaboration
• Initiate periodic communication with the educator outside of the classroom to prepare for weekly activities
• Communicate honestly, and as often as necessary, with the educator and project administrators to help achieve project goals
• Participate in meetings to exchange ideas and improve the project

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Interacting with precollege students is fun!
• Make a difference in students' lives
• Classroom experience
• Work with an effective science educator and understand what challenges educators face
• Act as a role model

What Volunteers Offer:

• Deep content knowledge in a particular field, as well as a broad science education
• Experience of what it is to be a scientist
• Energy and fresh ideas
• Connections to other Caltech resources via the Educational Outreach office