Real World STEM in the Classroom
Schedule & Workshop Presentations for 2016 STEM Education Conference
DAY 1 – Wednesday, June 15, 2016 – CSU’s Julka Hall
Grades 5-8
8:158:45
8:459:00
9:00 –
10:30
Grades 9-12
Registration and Breakfast – Julka Hall Atrium
Opening Remarks and Agenda – Julka Hall Atrium
Shari Insley
North Olmsted Middle School
Licia Kovach
Laurel School
Julka Hall Rm. 338
Roller Coaster Science
Julka Hall Rm. 340
Harnessing Solar Energy
During this session, teachers will explore the
concepts of potential and kinetic energy
transformations by constructing a roller
coaster. We will begin by discussing energy
transformations and construct a roller coaster
from pipe insulation and masking tape. We will
spend the second half of the session exploring
online roller coaster simulations to further
enhance student understanding of energy
transformations.
The purpose of this workshop is to have participants create
hands-on lessons that describe ways to harness solar energy.
These lessons will have students explore and answer
questions such as: What materials are used to make a solar
cell? How are these materials processed and used? How
does sunlight convert to electrical energy in a solar cell?
Current, voltage, resistance and power will be introduced
and explored by designing a solar panel that will energize a
fan motor. This workshop is applicable for anyone who
wishes to gain insight into developing science and
engineering curricula, specifically in the area of alternative
energy.
BREAK 10:30 –10:45
Licia Kovach
Laurel School
10:45
–
12:15
12:151:00
Julka Hall Rm. 338
Harnessing Solar Energy
Forest Clayton
MC2STEM High School (CMSD)
The purpose of this workshop is to have
participants create hands-on lessons that describe
ways to harness solar energy. These lessons will
have students explore and answer questions such
as: What materials are used to make a solar cell?
How are these materials processed and used?
How does sunlight convert to electrical energy in
a solar cell? Current, voltage, resistance and
power will be introduced and explored by
designing a solar panel that will energize a fan
motor. This workshop is applicable for anyone
who wishes to gain insight into developing science
and engineering curricula, specifically in the area
of alternative energy.
Julka Hall Rm. 340
Recycle and Reuse: Exploring Earth’s Biogeochemical
Cycle’s through Winogradsky Columns
Our planet reuses everything on it in order to support life
through an amazing recycling system called the
biogeochemical cycle. In this workshop, you will learn how to
instruct students through the various biogeochemical cycles
through the creation of Winogradsky columns. Participants
will also examine the different realms of project-based
learning and understand how taking the PBL approach in
your lessons will allow your students to actively explore and
acquire a deeper knowledge of the world around them.
LUNCH – Julka Hall Atrium – Special Guest Speaker, Jeff McClelland –
Founding Director of SOLE Cleveland (Self Organized Learning Environment)
Candice Quinn
Cleveland State University
Amanda Nugent
St. Edwards High School
Julka Hall Rm. 338
1:00 –
2:30
Devices of Mass Instruction:
Technology in the STEM Classroom
Are you curious about ways to incorporate
technology in your teaching practice? During this
interactive session educators will learn about free
and easy to use technologies that will heighten
student engagement. You will walk away with
ideas and digital resources that can be
implemented in your lessons right away. Special
attention will be paid to formative assessment
and ongoing feedback, and you will leave with
ideas and digital resources that can aid in
transforming your classroom in the digital age
starting tomorrow.
2:30–
2:45
Julka Hall Rm. 340
Real Life Mini Math Projects: Caffeine Overload,
Baseball Double Play and Formula One Racing
Engage in hands-on, interactive mini math projects that
involve chemistry and physics application problems. This
session will comprise of three separate projects that can be
used at the Algebra II or Calculus level. The “Caffeine
Overload” project requires the students to keep a daily log of
their caffeine intake and using exponential decay, they will
approximate the amount of time it takes for the caffeine to
leave their system. The “Baseball Double Play” requires the
student to find a video clip of a baseball play that contains at
least three exchanges of the ball and using quadratic
functions, the students will model the trajectory of the ball
throughout the play. The “Formula One Racing” project
requires the students to use integration and critical thinking
skills to optimize a refueling strategy of the given parameters
to win a race. This project culminates in a class race in which
the students try to beat the instructor’s time.
Program Evaluation in Your 1:00 p.m. Classroom
DAY 2 – Thursday, June 16, 2016 – CSU’s Julka Hall
Grades 5-8
8:15–8:45
8:45–9:00
Grades 9-12
Registration and Breakfast – Julka Hall Atrium
Opening Remarks and Agenda – Julka Hall Atrium
Licia Kovach
Laurel School
Shari Insley
North Olmsted Middle School
Julka Hall Rm. 338
Science in the Write Place Part 2
9:00–
10:30
During this session, teachers will learn how to use
interactive notebooks to help students understand
and process science concepts. We will begin by
looking at sample writing prompts in the
notebooks. We will spend the second half of the
session working in teams to write a variety of
sample prompts to use in the classroom. Finally,
we will end the session by bringing together
everything we've learned from the session by
writing about the roller coaster experience in our
new Interactive Science Notebooks.
Julka Hall Rm. 340
Science to Engineering: Capstone Engineers
Without Borders
The purpose of this workshop is to have participants
experience engineering curriculum that is
experiential, interdisciplinary and has real world
application. Workshop participants will work
through a case study that will introduce them to the
organization, Engineers Without Borders. The case
study will ask the participants to brainstorm
particular needs (local, regional or global), then
choose one particular need and apply the
engineering design process to it. Participants will
begin to solve the problem by addressing each step
of the process. The presentation will also include
information on how to create a cost estimate to
make the project feasible. This workshop is
applicable for anyone who wishes to gain insight into
developing engineering curricula at the high school
level, 9-12.
10:30–
10:45
BREAK
Jeremy Bishko
Shaker Heights Middle School
Julka Hall Rm. 338
Bare Your SOLE and Bag Build
10:45–
12:15
12:15–
12:30
In 1999, educational researcher Dr. Sugata Mitra
conducted his pioneering “Hole in the Wall” experiments
to study how children learn in self-organized settings.
Children with little or no input from an adult instructor
led themselves on a process of enthusiastic exploration,
discovery, and peer coaching that resulted in the ability
to learn almost anything- new languages, the solution to
complex questions, science and math, and more.
Professor Mitra has honed this work into a concept of
Self-Organizing Learning Environments or SOLEs, which
draw on children’s natural curiosity to create a dynamic
space for students to learn, interact and develop critical
problem-solving skills. This session will be an
introduction to the SOLE approach; see how you can use
SOLE to develop the critical thinking skills necessary for
STEM education. Teachers will answer a “big question”
then learn about the process and receive resources. SelfOrganized Learning Environments can work with
students of all ages.
Amanda Nugent
St. Edwards High School
Julka Hall Rm. 338
Devices of Mass Instruction:
Technology in the STEM Classroom
Are you curious about ways to incorporate
technology in your teaching practice? During this
interactive session educators will learn about free
and easy to use technologies that will heighten
student engagement. You will walk away with ideas
and digital resources that can be implemented in
your lessons right away. Special attention will be
paid to formative assessment and ongoing feedback,
and you will leave with ideas and digital resources
that can aid in transforming your classroom in the
digital age starting tomorrow.
Evaluation, Certificate of Completion & Return of Check Deposit – Your 10:45 a.m. Classroom