Track 3: Innovative Teaching & Learning

Give them a V.O.I.C.E.!   Personalizing STEM learning experiences

Join us to learn how we provide 1400 students in grades K-6 with the opportunity to choose their own area of study and follow their passions. Our innovative structure, V.O.I.C.E. (Variety of Individualized Choices in Education), allows our students to select their own learning experiences in environmental science, project marketing, podcasting, culinary science, and many more areas. A small-town district with a 98% poverty rate, we work closely with a wide array of community partners to provide unique, small-group experiences to all of our students. We will furnish you with everything from schedules, partnership ideas, examples of student applications, and ideas for the first steps you’ll need to implement a similar system in your district.

• Dana Letts, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Chillicothe City School District
• Heather Tarlton, STEM Facilitator for Chillicothe City School District

Session ID: 19

Incorporating STEM and ELA practices in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms

This interactive session will focus on best practices for early literary skills using a STEM based design cycle. Participants will engage in the design cycle process and an inquiry activity while brainstorming ways to incorporate English Language Arts into the lesson. This session will utilize a text from the Good Night Little… Series, a collaborative set of books and activities codesigned and developed by The PAST Foundation and Ad Astra Media, LLC.

• Alyssa Reder, STEM Program Coordinator for PAST Foundation
• Mandy McCormick Smith, Director of Research for PAST Foundation

Session ID: 49

Let the bodies hit the floor: Integrating classic texts with science

Ever struggle to think of ways to make classic texts relevant? Or to use grade-appropriate examples in science class to make the topic more relevant? In this session, you’ll learn how English Language Arts and science courses can integrate in authentic ways using classic texts like Medea, Hamlet, and The Crucible. The session will focus on Anatomy and Physiology, but the presented strategies can also be applied to other classes like Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, and Sociology. Almost any text — particularly those included in the literary canon — will work, especially if there’s murder involved!

• Jenna Bates, Teacher for Bio-Med Science Academy
• Shana Varner, Teacher for Bio-Med Science Academy

Session ID: 51

Unlock the Learner-Led Classroom: Self Organized Learning Environments

Participants will be immersed in the process of Self Organized Learning Environments (SOLE). Unlike the time required to frontload and execute PBL, SOLE sessions centered around curated BIG questions are quickly planned and delivered within a class period. We begin by asking attendees to “suspend their disbelief” and participate from a learner perspective. We will then take time to understand the research developed by Sugata Mitra who won the million dollar TED prize for his talk. Finally, we will engage with the @Startsole platform (free to all) to look at the many resources available to educators that make SOLE sessions easy to create and facilitate. Attendees will leave with an actionable resource they can immediately integrate into their classrooms and schools.

• Sam Crews, Ohio STEM Learning Network Manager, Akron Hub for Akron Public Schools (NIHF STEM)
• Jeff McClellen, Founder, Startsole for Startsole

Session ID: 46

Using Claim Evidence Reason to Implement Higher Level Thinking Skills in STEM

This session will focus on how to use the Claim Evidence Reason instructional strategy as a tool to guide inquiry in all classrooms. Participants will learn what the CER strategy is and how they can begin to introduce it in their classroom in a scaffolded approach. Participants will be actively engaged with a variety of other highly effective instructional strategies and will explore how these can also be used to support teaching through an inquiry lens. Teachers who are new to a STEM classroom or use of the design process will benefit from this session. Coaches and mentors may benefit from refresher training of CER and its practice across all content areas and the benefit it can provide to students of all abilities to grow STEM application with authenticity.

• Monique Binkley, Lead Teacher & Biology Coach for Akron NIHF STEM High School
• Katie Lovell, Instructional Specialist for Akron NIHF STEM High School

Session ID: 32