Future teachers learn project-based skills through STEM partnership

奇利科市学区(CCSD)和 newbb电子平台奇利科斯 have joined forces to enhance STEM education opportunities for students through a mutually beneficial partnership. This innovative partnership brings personalized STEM learning experiences to young learners in the Chillicothe schools while providing invaluable teaching opportunities for future teachers who are pursuing degrees in education at OHIO Chillicothe. 

这次合作的核心是达纳·莱茨, a proud newbb电子平台 graduate and CCSD’s curriculum and instruction director, 监督该地区的STEM项目. Letts earned her Bachelor of Science in education from newbb电子平台’s 巴顿教育学院 and came home to Chillicothe to do her student teaching at Allen Elementary School before being hired to be a kindergarten teacher there. Now she leads initiatives to give every child in CCSD access to STEM education.

“Our number one goal is to ensure every child gets STEM,让我们说. “在人手有限的情况下，这很难实现. It takes a lot of hands to deliver personalized education for that number of kids. 光是奇利科小学就有600名学生.”

Through a program they call VOICE (Variety of Individualized Choices in Education), CCSD empowers students from kindergarten through high school to explore STEM subjects of their choice. 一年一次, 学生选择一个主题进一步探索, leading to immersive learning experiences guided by STEM facilitators.

Each spring Letts visits OHIO Chillicothe and speaks with students in their Elementary Science Methods and Middle Childhood Science Methods classes, sharing information on what STEM is and how it is implemented at CCSD. She discusses activities, grant writing, ways to get started, and more. Then the future educators get to visit Chillicothe Primary School classrooms where they gain hands-on experience in delivering STEM education. 

Senior early childhood education major Hailee Crowe said she felt she was making a difference when she helped facilitate the STEM projects at Chillicothe Primary School last year. She was impressed with the creativity displayed by the elementary students using limited materials to make a functional windmill.

“Students from many backgrounds and levels joined together to create and complete a challenging and inquisitive project,克劳说. “The students seemed to enjoy the chosen activities and worked together as a team. Students need to have engaging projects that promote higher levels of thinking. Chillicothe小学的项目就是这样做的! OHIO Chillicothe’s partnership with Chillicothe Primary gives future teachers an experience to see how we can use projects and lessons to promote higher thinking and boost children’s creativity and curiosity.” 

Junior Kayla Osborne appreciated learning how to incorporate science into the elementary curriculum and getting to help primary school students use commonly found materials to build a working windmill.

“It allowed us to get experience teaching more than reading or mathematics, 看到学生们富有想象力和创新精神,奥斯本说. 

洛娜,跟, 俄亥俄州奇利科斯的教育项目助理和讲师, highlighted the benefits of this collaboration to the pre-service educators she is helping to prepare for careers as teachers.

“newbb电子平台奇利科斯 teacher candidates are fortunate to have this opportunity to work with experienced STEM facilitators to practice teaching in this setting,布斯柯克说. “This experience gives them a chance to participate in a STEM program that serves as a model for schools across the country.”

利亚的浆果, 也是大三学生, enjoyed working with the primary students and learning from the STEM teachers. “我不知道我和学生们谁更开心! They had so much fun learning about wind energy and building wind turbines,” Berry said.

Letts said CCSD’s partnership with OHIO Chillicothe benefits all involved. She appreciates having pre-service teachers extend the reach of her team in the schools and enjoys getting to watch them learn and grow as future educators.

“拥有一个STEM实验室至关重要, and it helps our pre-service teachers gain experience in planning options for students and following their lead,让我们说. “职前教师有这样的经历真是太棒了. 当他们走进教室时，感觉并不那么陌生, 我们的期望是给学生发言权和选择权.”

While the pre-service educators from OHIO Chillicothe are gaining valuable STEM experience through the CCSD partnership, the students they teach also benefit from having college students in their classrooms. Letts said she looks forward to welcoming OHIO Chillicothe students into the primary school where the elementary students react positively to the pre-service educators.

“It’s exciting for our students to have someone young come into their classrooms,让我们说. 

Letts and Buskirk hope to inspire future educators as they get to actively participate in STEM education. 

“We want the pre-service teachers to see that there are awesome jobs here in the Chillicothe City School District and we want people who are interested in STEM to take a look at us,让我们说.