Inquiry Series

The Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education (NWO) at Bowling Green State University’s College of Education and Human Development invites educators to the STEM Inquiry Series, a series of STEM professional development workshops to engage educators in quality STEM education to learn skills and concepts in STEM teaching and learning to bring to their classrooms. The STEM Inquiry Series offers free registration and is open to in-service and pre-service teachers, higher education faculty, and business/community partners in the region. 

The STEM Inquiry Series will feature four 3-hour inquiry-based sessions highlighting current trends in STEM education research and professional development during the Spring of 2025. Session topics include concepts from the Ohio Department of Education STEM School Quality Model: A Culture for STEM Learning, STEM as an Approach to Teaching and Learning, and Pathways to Careers. The series is sponsored by Bowling Green State University’s College of Education and Human Development, NWO, and the Ohio STEM Learning Network.  

Session ONE:

Scaffolding Extraordinary STEM Culture through Design Thinking, Invention, and Entrepreneurial Spirit

January 14, 2025

Facilitator: Jason Hubbard
Hull Prairie Intermediate School

Hull Prairie Intermediate School,
25480 Hull Prairie Rd, Perrysburg, OH 43551

5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (light dinner provided)

This session will facilitate experiences that will help teachers and school leaders to move toward building a STEM/STEAM culture within their classrooms/their school. Participants will explore a framework of activities focused on scaffolding design thinking and invention that:

• is adaptable across elementary through high school
• moves from light and fun designing for a fairy tale character to thoughtful and planned product design for a real-world community partner
• fosters innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, inquiry, and collaboration with individual accountability for students

This session will help participants move toward competency and development in the following area from the OSLN STEM/STEAM Designation rubric:

1.1 Cultural Strategies (Minimum rating required for designation: Executing) STEM and STEAM schools exhibit age-appropriate, school-wide cultural strategies reflecting innovation, an entrepreneurial spirit, inquiry, and collaboration with individual accountability.

Cultural strategies reflect a community’s understanding of success. Community needs drive instructional and delivery strategies in each school. Habits of Mind reflect what a community values in a successful adult and are explicitly taught and continually utilized within the school

Registration: https://forms.gle/P5QmUUY4GAyk6q5V9

Certificates for contact hours will be provided.

More information and registration on the following three sessions will be announced soon

Session Two: Mastery Learning
February 18^th, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Marcy Raymond: location BGSU Levis Commons 
(light dinner provided)

Session Three: Project TILES: Teams for Immersive Learning Experiences and ThingLink
March 19th, 5:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. location TBD
Facilitator: Allison Goedde
(light dinner provided)

Session Four: STEM Education
April 22nd, 5:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Facilitator: Amy Boros
(light dinner provided)