“This is going to be fun!” When fifth graders walk into a classroom set up for the next science lesson with that level of enthusiasm, something very right is happening, and it’s not magic. Their teacher, Sarah Carter, knows engaging science learning – the messy kind, with hands-on lessons and authentic, sometimes unpredictable inquiry that […]
Educational leaders throughout the St. Louis region are invited to boost STEM learning for K-8 students in their schools and districts by encouraging teachers to participate in STEM TQ, an immersive professional learning experience designed to enhance teaching and learning about science, technology, engineering and math. Applications to participate in the 2023-2024 STEM TQ Cohort […]
An ISP-led collaboration with three St. Louis area school districts aimed at improving math outcomes for all students is featured in Success Stories from Catalyzing Change, a new book published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Available now on pre-order, the book, edited by Karen J. Graham, Robert Q. Berry III, Sarah […]
Brittany Stephens was on the lookout for an old-fashioned rotary phone over the summer. No stranger to kindergarteners or the classroom, Stephens is confident that having the clunky relic on hand will help kindergarten students in her classroom grasp the concepts of then and now. “Being encouraged to think creatively and find the tools I […]
Science teacher Jaime Schneider has earned a reputation for herself. Students come to her class expecting something phenomenal, and she’s happy to deliver. Where else in the building can a seventh grader get a chance to set methane bubbles on fire or generate mystic-looking fog with dry ice and a bucket? “I always start with […]
“Science is something we do.” For longtime high school science teacher David Ganey, the key to engaging students in a deeper understanding of science in the real world lies in focusing on what they can see, touch and feel. “What exactly does an environmental scientist do?” he asks. “You can tell students about it, or […]
Heavy rains and flooding impacting so many in the St. Louis region in late July have also been felt by the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis (ISP). Efforts are underway to recover flood damage to the mySci Resource Center located at 6601 Vernon Avenue in University City. The building, which […]
Roughly 22 years into his career, Brendan Kearney knows one thing for certain: teaching science is his jam. “I’ve always loved science, and teaching the subject ignited my passion,” says Kearney, who teaches science – and only science – to third, fourth and fifth graders at Glenridge Elementary in Clayton. For the next school year, […]
Mistakes are easy to make, and often hard to accept, but sixth grader Valeria Rodriguez is getting more comfortable knowing she’s not always going to have the right answer. “When I was younger, making mistakes made me a little anxious because I thought I did something wrong,” says Valeria. “But now I know that if […]
There are no worksheets in Rachel Thomas’ sixth grade math class at Ritenour Middle School. They don’t memorize formulas, either. Even more impressive is the way students rally around one another as they tackle the latest high-level math problem that Thomas has thrown their way. They’re in this together. “The focus on high-level tasks has […]