Summer PD in South Dakota Day 2!

We're back again reporting from Platte-Geddes Elementary School for a second day of professional development with teachers coming together to design what Problem Based Learning will look like in their districts.  Teachers from Platte-Geddes, Ethan, Burke, South Central, Gregory, Marty Indian School, Colome, Wessington Springs, Wolsey Wessington, and White Lake worked on designing numerous projects to fit under the topics and problems to build upon the work they began yesterday.  We all had an exciting day as we had an opportunity to hear from South Dakota Secretary of Education Melody Schopp PhD and the support for this innovative work. Today was full of teachers collaborating and brainstorming for possible projects that can take place throughout a full semester that are meaningful to their students and communities.  In addition to the collaborative planning time, teachers also had a chance to attend break out sessions with Jill Weimer PhD from Sanford Research, to hear about great ways to incorporate this wonderful resource into their problem based work.  Over all a productive day with great conversation and lots of ideas flowing around the room.  We're at it again tomorrow!

South Dakota Summer STEM Professional Development

Today, 116 teachers from across South Dakota descended on Platte for the first of four days of STEM teacher professional development.  PAST was joined by staff and facilitators from the MidCentral Educational Cooperative based here in Platte.  We spent the day introducing STEM as a delivery system, the common core standards, and brainstorming the first of several problems, projects and products that will be developed during the next four days.

Teacher's brainstormed projects that focused on topics including community development, communication issues between towns, citizenship, lack of local grocery stores in some towns, revitalizing business and industry, and sustainable farming.  Other schools decided to take on themes that focused on more specific targets including understanding water quality, how to manage our local landfills, community recycling, and how to increase attendance at school arts programs.  Lots of ideas, lots of collaboration and so much more to come tomorrow.

Murals for change

As the 2012 school year winds down, we have a chance to reflect back on our work with students and teachers in implementing problem based learning.  We often get the question what should PBL look like?  The Girls Empowerment Mural(GEM) Program is an example of a possibility of what it can look like.  "It" can look like educators brainstorming together on how we can empower our students.  And, it can look like students coming together to share ideas on how they can become change makers in their community.  When all said and done it can look like the murals pictured where students answered the question "How can you create change, in your home, your, school, and your Linden community?" through art making.  The panels created on recycled boards, were conceived and created by our 5 GEM high school leaders.  They came together once a week to brainstorm ideas and discuss how they would take on such a project.  Along the way they recruited the help of fellow students, educators, and artists.  In the end their concepts ranged from young women combating cyber bullying to creating safe and clean community spaces for all.  The leaders are immortalized in portraits through out the panels, but in reality the ideas are going to live on through the dialogue they inspire.  So as people try to envision how PBL can look, we look forward to designing more solutions that empower our young people to take on meaningful work!  

Linden STEM at COSI

Friday night families and friends from the four STEM elementary schools, Hamilton, Linden, South Mifflin, Windsor, along with Linden McKinley 7-12 STEM Academy enjoyed an evening at COSI celebrating all the student projects from the spring term. From the Hamilton's awesome new garden to Windsor's wonderful penguins, from the hilarious murder holes in the 7th grade castle to Linden's beautiful paper airplane quilt, from South Mifflin's moving PowerPoint presentation to the 10th grade's funmation social studies board game, visitors were agog at the talent of the students. Crowning the one night exhibit was the debut of the GEM murals designed and painted by Linden McKinley art classes. If you missed the spring COSI Linden Nigh mark your calendar now for the February Fall Term Night.

Change the Equation: Vital Signs Forum

The South Dakota Innovation Labs Project sent a team to Washington DC for the Change the Equation: Vital Signs Forum. The team, Dan Guericki, Tiffany Sanderson, Jill Weimer and Annalies Corbin spent the better part of two days learning a lot about STEM around the country. We met lots of people with similar ideas and initiatives in their own states. We are looking forward to watching as Change the Equation moves forward.