This past summer nearly 160 educators from 13 school districts and two charter schools kicked off a yearlong professional development program called STEM Teacher Quality Initiative (STEM TQ). Launched in 2011, STEM TQ has graduated some 500 teachers. The regional community effort aims to develop exemplary teachers who can provide quality learning in STEM, so […]
With great care, Paul Markovits unravels a child-sized t-shirt and dangles it before a packed room of teachers. It reads “ECLIPSE ’79,” and was worn by his 4-year-old daughter when Markovits’ young family witnessed the last total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States. That was nearly 40 years ago on February 26, 1979, and […]
Being part of the Washington University in St. Louis community means giving back. WUSTL’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP) and its campus partners offer a variety of educational opportunities and community resources for St. Louis area educators and schools. Below is a list of enrichment opportunities. K-12 Connections Programhttps://gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/k-12-connections/K-12 Connections connects the Washington University community with volunteer opportunities […]
Our Pinterest board is filled with lessons, activities and crafts for the winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) for any grade and subject matter. Winter STEM challengesFive festive, fun and fabulous STEM challenges![see pin here]13 Hanukkah crafts for kidsFrom DIY menorahs to Hanukkah themed decorations.[see pin here]10 educational holidays craftsThere’s something for everybody. A roundup 10 of our […]
Gobble, gobble! We’ve put together a feast of Thanksgiving activities and crafts for your classroom. Thanksgiving scienceCollaborative, hands-on activities.[see pin here]Thanksgiving STEM challengesChallenges follow the path of Pilgrims settling in America.[see pin here]Thirsty ThanksgivingAmount of water used to produce Thanksgiving foods.[see pin here]Thanksgiving for older kidsTips for Thanksgiving learning in the upper grades.[see pin here]Letters from the […]
Great strides are being made in education research. Despite those great efforts by great people challenges persist. In particular, effectively scaling up or replicating successful educational programs proves difficult. The solution to bridging the gap between research and practice is Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR). William Penuel, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and […]
Don’t let Halloween lesson planning scare you. We’ve got you covered. We’ve put together a goodie bag full of Halloween-inspired lesson plans to share with your students. It’s messy but the kids will love this erupting pumpkin experiment.[see pin here]Interesting infographic on how countries mark this holiday.[see pin here]A perfect Halloween-themed math activity for upper […]
For many K-12 educators, the topic of evolution can be an intimidating one. However, as the foundation of biology, evolution is a crucial subject to address in the science classroom. That’s why the ISP offers educators the resources they need to teach this important topic with confidence. Below is a round-up of some of our […]
His fans call him Mr. Roco, and he may be the most famous member of the Institute for School Partnership (ISP) team at Washington University. Each week Mr. Roco visits local schools with the MySci Investigation Station, where he is often met with screams from his adoring, or slightly terrified, fans. Mr. Roco is, after […]
A voice crackles over the intercom, calling for the attention of all engineers in the building. However, the listening ears belong, not to adults, but to the students of Bermuda Elementary in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. The students at Bermuda were about to participate in the first of many all-day builds as a part of an […]