December 2023

In late November a group of students from Washington Local Schools enjoyed a daylong Campus Experience on the campus of Bowling Green State University. Through Project EDUCATE, described below, the students, who are interested in teaching careers, learned about BGSU’s Virtual Simulations Laboratory and how it works in the classroom. They also visited the Radbill Center of Life Design to learn about BGSU’s Life Design principles, along with design thinking. This was followed by a tour of the Jerome Library’s Curriculum Resource Center, the Tech Resource Center and a visit to the BGSU Planetarium.

This article is from the Ohio Deans Compact Connector newsletter

Fostering a culture of innovation helps to promote new ideas and to rethink ways to address current barriers to higher levels of learning. As a way to explore and incentivize promising practices to redesign educator preparation programs, the Ohio Deans Compact awards grants through the Incentive Grant (IG) Program. Using a competitive request for application (RFA) process, Ohio institutions of higher education can apply for funding to redesign their educator preparation programs. 

As an incentive grant recipient, Bowling Green State University is partnering with Washington Local School District and Whitmer High School to connect and engage junior high and high school students interested in the teaching profession. 

Project EDUCATE (Educators of Diversity: Unified and Collaborative to Aspire Teacher Education) is a comprehensive, holistic approach that, when implemented from middle school to career placement, is designed to place diverse students on a meaningful and impactful pathway to becoming an educator. 

Through the implementation of Project EDUCATE activities, team leadership from Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education (NWO), the College of Education and Human Development at BGSU, and district partner Washington Local Schools expects to: 

• Increase interest in and pursuit of education careers among BIPOC students; 
• Support and retain BIPOC students throughout their educator preparation programs and into their careers; 
• Create more just and equitable teaching and learning environments for BIPOC teachers and students; and 
• Embed program activities and resources into participating institutions to maximize growth and long-lasting impact. 

“We believe that relationships are the connecting factor to developing a pipeline into the teaching profession, particularly when we’re looking to diversify the educator workforce,” shares Emilio Duran, Ph.D., Professor, Science Education at Bowling Green State University. “Building relationships takes time, and there’s no substitute for it.” 

One of the unique facets of the partnership between BGSU and Whitmer High School is the use and application of life design and design thinking—a creative process and skills used to establish forward thinking mindsets and as a way explore and solve challenging problems. 

“We’re trying to help students think about their interests and future career plans based on their beliefs and values and then explore where their career interests align,” explains Greg Dickerson, Life Design Coach at BGSU. “One of the core concepts of life design is to explore important questions and decisions in a person’s life including education, careers, and a person’s overall purpose. We know that purpose is one of the key factors that steer people to the field of education. So, as we think about purpose and the alignment of skills and interests, we believe these concepts can be introduced at the high school level.” 

Whitmer High School teacher, Felicia Singleton, shares that while the initial goal of the partnership with BGSU was to increase students of color going into the field of education, the partnership has blossomed into other avenues. 

“Increasing diversity is good for everyone,” Singleton shares. “Everyone needs to be exposed to different perspectives—adults and students. We all benefit from a diverse workforce, especially in education, and students need to see themselves in these roles.” 

Felicia and her Whitmer colleagues are focused on ‘planting seeds’ early by engaging junior high students through after school programs with mentors of color, including teachers, coaches, counselors, etc. These younger students work with mentors to identify goals and receive guidance and direction. At the high school level, Felicia works with 9th and 10th-grade students and then many of those students move into the senior-level teaching professions classes. 

“Over the past few years, our teaching professions program has doubled in size,” Singleton shares. “I believe that the work we are doing with BGSU to introduce life design and design thinking is part of that growth, and I am really proud of that. There’s nothing better than watching my students feel excited about what they accomplish, and I am excited to see where this can go with students setting their goals for their future.” 

“I believe students are the future and they are the thinkers of tomorrow,” explains Dickerson. “It is incumbent upon us that they are prepared and ready to tackle life’s challenges—critically and innovatively, and to make this world a better place. By helping them uncover their sense of purpose, the life design and design thinking concepts are additional ways to help prepare students for the future.” 

Due to unforeseen administrative issues, the Ohio Academy of Science has extended the deadline to create or reactivate an account on their online platform, ProjectBoard. All teachers and students must create accounts to submit science fair projects into a District Science Day or STEM commercialization or STEM business plans into the Ohio STEP State Competition. The new deadline for creating an account is January 16, 2024!

Submissions for all programs opens December 18, 2023. The submission deadline for Buckeye Science and Engineering Fair, the ISEF-affiliated fair that is the first step for qualifying for the International Science and Engineering Fair, is until 11:59 pm on January 31, 2024. The submission deadline for District Science Day, Ohio STEP, and the Annual Meeting is until 11:59 pm on February 26, 2024.

Sheila Cubik, OAS STEM Advocate, stated, “We are looking for mentors to comment on student projects within ProjectBoard and judges for our in-person district fairs, our online virtual district fair, Ohio STEP, and for our virtual State Science Day! Please volunteer and share the word with STEM professionals and educators who enjoy supporting youth in their scientific endeavors!”

Please visit: https://projectboard.world/oas/ for more information and to create an account as a student, teacher, mentor, or judge. Contact Sheila Cubick, OAS STEM Advocate, at scubick@ohiosci.org for more information about our programs, volunteer opportunities, or ProjectBoard account creation!

Ohio STEM Learning Network Offerings

Computational Thinking PD

Computational Thinking (CT) is a framework that describes a set of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Using CT, “students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions”). CT may be considered a precursor to developing computer programming skills, having much broader applications. The skills, attitudes, and approaches that make up CT are fundamental, universal, transferrable, and particularly appropriate and useful in the modern computer age.

Facilitated by Dr. Jerry Schnepp, this professional development session will prepare educators to enrich their pedagogy and assessment with CT. Participants will learn to apply CT concepts to promote creativity and innovation in their classrooms and to imbue students with essential mindsets for 21st century careers.

This session will be held at BGSU Levis Commons
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Date: Thursday, January 11th, 2024 BGSU Levis Commons, 1655 N Wilkinson Way, Perrysburg, OH 43551
Light dinner, refreshments provided
Cost: FREE 

Space is limited for this program! 

Please register to attend: https://forms.gle/HK8m8JMtfnAJVqjA6

Ohio STEM Learning Network #STEMorbitsOhio Design Challenge

Each year, the Ohio STEM Learning Network hosts a design challenge where students collaborate to create a workable solution to key issues facing our world. Any school in Ohio can participate in the challenge.

This year’s statewide design challenge features an exciting space program called Starlab. Students will explore what it means to live and work in space.

Register on OSLN.org by Jan. 9, 2024 to receive a free guidebook detailing the challenge process from start to finish, including how students can connect their solutions to programming from the Ohio Academy of Science.

Ohio STEM Innovation Summit

The 2024 Ohio STEM Innovation Summit centers on community. Join OSLN on June 4, 2024, for a day devoted to fostering connections and collaboration, aimed at strengthening the Ohio STEM community and empowering educators within it.

The 2024 summit will focus on professional learning with sessions led by teachers, administrators, and partners from across the state. The Ohio STEM Learning Network has revamped session tracks to match the Ohio STEM designation rubric and quality model that form the foundation of STEM/STEAM designation:

•  Culture for Learning
•  Learning and Teaching
•  Pathways to Success in Careers
•  Disadvantaged and Underrepresented Groups in STEM

Share experiences and ideas by applying to lead a session.

Learning Blade free STEM awareness curriculum

This supplemental curriculum provides interactive and engaging lessons on various STEM topics by exposing students to STEM, Computer Science, and CTE.

Designed for students in grades 5-9, Learning Blade can help teachers foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and understanding of careers. Please see the link below for more information:

https://osln.org/how-we-help/classroom-opportunities/stem-career-awareness-platform/

GP-EXTRA 

Attention 6th-12th Grade Science/STEM Teachers and Administrators: 

• Are you looking for engaging scientific activities for your students? 
• Would you like to get your students involved in an authentic research project on local environmental health issues in Toledo? 
• Would you like to increase your students’ knowledge of scientific fields and careers? 

BGSU’s Geology department in conjunction with NWO STEM is proud to offer GP-EXTRA, a FREE place-based science opportunity to all schools in Northwest Ohio. This three-session project focuses on lead contamination in our community and gives students authentic, hands-on opportunities in science. Students learn about lead-based hazards, collect samples from their homes, analyze them, and apply knowledge to real-world applications. 

100% of teachers last year reported their student's problem-solving skills and critical-thinking skills increased because of this program, and students reported an increase in knowledge, interest, and attitudes towards science! In addition, 100% of teachers surveyed at the end of last year would recommend GP-EXTRA to others! Sample activities, testimonials, and further information can be found on the GP-EXTRA website.

BGSU Department of Computer Science

Code for Her program for 5th - 8th grade girls; five Sundays January through April 2024.

These sessions/activities will be related to topics of cybersecurity including concepts such as cyber-bullying and the importance of creating safe passwords. For more information please see: code4her.org

BGSU Educators for IMPACT WINTER VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Hosted by BGSU’s College of Education and Human Development

January 20, 2024, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the website.

Keynote Address: Dr. Katie Peters of Washington Local Schools, Sticks and Stones vs. Empathic Connections

Free and open to pre-service teachers, K-12 educators and administrators, and college faculty. 

Register here.

NASA Power to Explore Student Challenge

Audience: Students in grades K-12
Entry Deadline: Jan. 26, 2024
Contact: support@futureengineers.org

The Power to Explore Student Challenge invites K-12 students to dream up a new space mission powered by a Radioisotope Power System (RPS) to a destination with limited light. The writing contest is open to individual students attending U.S. public, private, charter, or home schools – including those in U.S. territories and schools operated by the U.S. for American personnel overseas. Forty-five semifinalists will receive an RPS prize pack, nine finalists will receive an exclusive virtual session with a NASA expert, and three winners will be awarded a trip for two to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.