Methods of Smile: A Science Seminar Course in Deliberate Education

Oregon State University’s Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program is an enrichment program for minority and underrepresented K-12 students. Through an eight-year iterative process, SMILE has developed and refined a science seminar course that allows undergraduate and master’s degree students to explore science enrichment for youth. Students enrolled in the course are engaged in teaching and learning as a community of learners with a focus on service learning. The intended audience for the course is those students who are interested in working in educational settings with youth—as classroom teachers, science/mathematics professionals engaged in precollege outreach, and the like. The actual audience, though quite broad, represents those students who want to be better prepared as effective science educators in their various career roles. This article provides the context for the course, defines and examines deliberate education as illustrated by the structure and activities of the Methods of SMILE seminar course, highlights the elements of an effective community of learners as demonstrated through it, details the specific strategies and activities of it, and summarizes the next steps in identifying its impact in transforming the participants’ college experiences