April 2023

As part of Project EDUCATE (Educators of Diversity: a Unified Collaborative to Aspire Teacher Education) a high school student panel, designed and implemented by the afterschool club students, was held at Washington Junior High school.

One teacher exclaimed, “When Cougars Meet Panthers: A High School Panel Q & A” was a HUGE SUCCESS this morning because of these fantastic high school students. They did a great job answering questions for our incoming Panthers!

As part of the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence is STEM Education Project EDUCATE grant project, two field trips were recently held to engage participating students in the teaching profession by visiting the BGSU campus for the day. Project EDUCATE (Educators of Diversity: a Unified Collaborative to Aspire Teacher Education) is a grant-funded project from the Ohio Deans Compact and the Ohio Department of Higher Education in which NWO at BGSU’s College of Education and Human Development partners with community mentors and 8^th-12^th grade students, teachers, and administrators in the Washington Local Schools District to encourage diverse students to enter the education profession.

The first group included eighth graders along with freshmen and sophomores from Whitmer High School, the majority of whom are interested in the education field. The second group of 25 students were juniors and seniors, all who are part of the Teaching Professions program at Whitmer.

Unique to BGSU, students engaged in a Virtual Simulation classroom activity, which simulates a real classroom setting with student avatars. Participants were challenged with “teaching” the avatars in an effort to expose the group to a practical experience teaching students with specific learning needs without being in an actual classroom.

Also distinctive to BGSU was a visit to the newly opened Radbill Center for College and Life Design Thinking, in which features inclusive and collaborative spaces for students to work with Life Design coaches as they explore options and use the design process to map out their college experience, while gaining tools and skills to succeed.

Participants were also part of an Education Panel with current BGSU Pre-Service teachers, and learned firsthand about the teacher preparation and college experience at BGSU.

Also included were visits to the College of Education Technology Resource Center and the Curriculum Resource Center at the BGSU Jerome Library.

Article submitted by Christina Ramsey, Principal of McKinley STEMM Academy

Last fall McKinley STEMM Academy 8th graders were invited by Matt Yarder of The Yarder Mfg. Co. to get an exclusive sneak peek of the beginning stages of development of the Glass City Riverwalk Raintowers. They learned about the relationship between Yarder Manufacturing and how Yarder used the Engineering Design Process to create the towers. They also visited Graphite Design + Build and learned about the artistic design elements of the Raintowers, learning how the editing and revision process played a huge role in the final design of the towers.

In March the students were honored to be special guests at a press conference about the Raintower Dedication and learned more about the Toledo Metroparks’ dedication to the community, building one of the best river view parks in the nation. They were also able to share their learning and a presentation that they created to outline the design process and the steps involved to create these beautiful towers. Christina Ramsey, principal of McKinley stated, “Our students were so impressed with the progress of the Raintowers that they can’t wait to see the final product. The entire 8th grade class will be back later this spring to get a tour of the completed sections of the park. We give a HUGE thank you to Yarder Manufacturing, Graphite Design+Build, Metroparks Toledo and the Greater Toledo Community Foundation for allowing us to be a part of this special project. We are really grateful to be a part of such a great community that supports our learning and our future.”

OSLN Offerings:

OSLN STEM Innovation Summit
Registration is now open for the inaugural Ohio STEM Innovation Summit. The event will recognize and celebrate the STEM educators, leaders, and partners who exemplify STEM practices that inspire students and grow Ohio’s future. The summit will bring a day of professional development breakout sessions conducted by teachers and administrators from across the state.  

Early bird registration ($55) ends April 19. For more information and registration:
https://tinyurl.com/42sm23xt

OSLN Ohio Rural Educator Program 
Science teachers can connect their lessons to real-world agriculture needs, helping students connect to agriculture careers. The Ohio Rural Educator Program (OREP) fosters those connections. The Ohio STEM Learning Network and Education Projects & Partnerships are recruiting for the third and final cohort of the program.

During the 2023-2024 school year, 15 middle school science teachers will receive the training, resources and support necessary to transition a current classroom lesson into a hands-on, problem-based learning lesson with a focus on agriculture.
https://tinyurl.com/42khnty7

OSLN Computer Science and Code.org Professional Development
The Ohio STEM Learning Network (OSLN) offers professional development to all Ohio teachers looking to bring the critical ideas of computer science and computational thinking to their students. Each program targets a different age group:

• OSLN Computer Science K-5 Program (Grades K-5)
• Code.org Computer Science Discoveries (Grades 6-10)
• Code.org Computer Science Principles (Grades 9-12)
• Code.org Computer Science A (Grades 9-12)

Priority registration closes May 1, 2023
https://tinyurl.com/4whafahm

OSLN Integrated Teaching and Learning
The Integrated Teaching and Learning Program is designed for teams of teachers seeking strategies for effective and meaningful integration of their grade-level content. Program participants will explore, learn, and apply the 5-step Integrated Teaching and Learning Protocol, ultimately creating a year-long integrated curriculum map. This protocol can be combined with any instructional approach, ranging from traditional teaching to problem-based learning. Priority applications close April 3, 2023.
https://tinyurl.com/2p92k5f4

OSLN Fostering STEM Institute Cohort 2
Now recruiting for a second year, the Fostering STEM Institute helps instructional specialists and teacher leaders foster STEM culture and instructional practices in their schools. The institute is designed around essential tenets of effective instructional coaching, transformational professional learning, and quality STEM education. The Fostering STEM Institute includes both workshops and a residency opportunity. Applications close June 2, 2023
https://tinyurl.com/4aez6n88

BGSU Math Camps

We are entering our 4th year of offering *completely free* virtual enrichment camps during June and July for students in grades 3-8 in mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. Keep your child's mind active this summer

https://youtu.be/gYSsPlTj94Q

Sylvania STEM Center Summer STEM Camp offerings

8 brand new camps for wide variety of age groups and times, including coding, building, and making camps.

Info: https://www.sylvaniastem.org/summer-camps

STEAM and Creative Activities at the Toledo Museum of Art

For more than a century, this community resource has offered classes for every age, every experience level, and every schedule. All classes and workshops are related to works of art in the TMA collection. Students will visit the galleries, learn about some of the iconic works of art, then combine that inspiration with their own creativity.

For more information and an application, visit toledomuseum.org/education/classes

NASA offerings:

NASA STEM Curriculum materials
Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at https://www.nasa.gov/education/materials/

NASA science resources for your classroom
NASA Wavelength is a digital collection of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels — from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs. https://science.nasa.gov/learners/wavelength