Education Commons^™

Creating The Next Generation Of Innovators, Britta W. Mckenna, Lawrence Bergie

Britta McKenna

Our educational system has been designed to test for knowledge and to teach to tests that measure said knowledge. We train our students for tests, but they crave applied learning opportunities to connect their knowledge to the real world. Employers are looking for talent that can problem-solve, work well in teams, ask good questions, communicate and apply knowledge and skills.

Creating The Next Generation Of Innovators, Britta W. Mckenna, Lawrence Bergie

Lawrence Bergie

Our educational system has been designed to test for knowledge and to teach to tests that measure said knowledge. We train our students for tests, but they crave applied learning opportunities to connect their knowledge to the real world. Employers are looking for talent that can problem-solve, work well in teams, ask good questions, communicate and apply knowledge and skills.

Creating The Next Generation Of Innovators, Britta W. Mckenna, Lawrence Bergie

Publications & Research

Our educational system has been designed to test for knowledge and to teach to tests that measure said knowledge. We train our students for tests, but they crave applied learning opportunities to connect their knowledge to the real world. Employers are looking for talent that can problem-solve, work well in teams, ask good questions, communicate and apply knowledge and skills.

“Analyze, Acquire, Apply, And Write” As A New Learning Model In Science, Jeong Choe

Jeong Choe

I have developed a new teaching and learning model called AAAW, which stand for Analyze, Acquire, Apply and Write. This model grows from action research and unique experience in teaching a biochemistry course to high school students who are talented in math and science. In this model, students first "Analyze" lab data to generate questions that lead them to "Acquire" background knowledge. Students then go back to the data and "Apply" their new knowledge to better understand the data. Finally, students "Write" about the connections they make from their reading, data analysis, and application of the data. The rationale behind …

“Analyze, Acquire, Apply, And Write” As A New Learning Model In Science, Jeong Choe

Faculty Publications & Research

I have developed a new teaching and learning model called AAAW, which stand for Analyze, Acquire, Apply and Write. This model grows from action research and unique experience in teaching a biochemistry course to high school students who are talented in math and science. In this model, students first "Analyze" lab data to generate questions that lead them to "Acquire" background knowledge. Students then go back to the data and "Apply" their new knowledge to better understand the data. Finally, students "Write" about the connections they make from their reading, data analysis, and application of the data. The rationale behind …

Preparing Students For Careers That Do Not Yet Exist, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee

Glenn W. "Max" McGee

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), as a self-described "teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry," has a history of pursuing innovations closely aligned with the vision and framework of the National Science Education Standards. Innovations include both methods and materials for inquiry-based student instruction as well as for delivering professional development for pre-service and practicing teachers. Instructional innovations described include yearlong student inquiry and research projects (SIR), self-paced physics instruction, student-driven energy and engineering projects, instruction in innovation and entrepreneurialism, and a host of student-led outreach activities to "ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific minds of students …

Preparing Students For Careers That Do Not Yet Exist, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee

Publications & Research

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), as a self-described "teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry," has a history of pursuing innovations closely aligned with the vision and framework of the National Science Education Standards. Innovations include both methods and materials for inquiry-based student instruction as well as for delivering professional development for pre-service and practicing teachers. Instructional innovations described include yearlong student inquiry and research projects (SIR), self-paced physics instruction, student-driven energy and engineering projects, instruction in innovation and entrepreneurialism, and a host of student-led outreach activities to "ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific minds of students …

The Complexity Of Reform Efforts In Science Curriculum And Instruction: A Case Study Of The Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy Chemistry Teacher, Tang Wee Teo

IMSA History

This study explores how teacher-initiated site-based reform in a specialized STEM school is conceptualized and enacted, how and why curriculum reform ideas change in the process of enactment, what qualities of teacher agency are entailed, how these qualities are acquired, interplayed, become generative, and/or are influenced to effect different curriculum reform outcomes, and how different conditions support and further teacher agency to make a more defensible curriculum.

In a critical case study of a highly experienced and qualified science teacher, I follow a teacher who initiated efforts to reform the advanced chemistry curriculum. This teacher wanted to make the curriculum …

The Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy Research And Dissemination Network Academic Year 2002-03 Final Report To The Smithsonian Institution, Steven R. Rogg

Steven R Rogg

This document is a status report on the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy’s (IMSA) Research and Dissemination Network, which is funded as a contract with the Smithsonian Institution. In response to significant recent changes in project organization and activities, this report traces key developments of the project over its ten-year history. The report concludes with a summary of accomplishments during the current 2002-03 academic year.

Imsa 2061 Program Year 2001-2002 Summary Report, Steven R. Rogg

Steven R Rogg

In 2000 IMSA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Project 2061 established a partnership, IMSA 2061, to offer unique and nationally recognized professional development programs for mathematics and science teachers and education leaders. Participants in the IMSA 2061 professional development programs learn to use the tools, research, and experiences of education reform to enable all students to achieve the learning expressed in state and national standards. Activities described in this report fall into two categories, Introductory Workshops and long-term programs with districts. IMSA 2061 Introductory Workshops help educators become aware of how to apply Project 2061 publications …

What Does Problem-Based Learning Look Like In Classrooms?, Linda Torp, Sara Sage

Publications & Research

WHETHER THINKING ABOUT THE UNIVERSE, THE AMBIGUities of life, or the wonders of learning—educators realize that the whole is so much more than any collection of parts. As they work with learners of all ages, they constantly strive to create experiences that are holistic and connected. Ones that enable students to tackle the complexities facing us as citizens in a global community, as well as in everyday situations. Ones that reveal a need to be open-minded and adaptable. Ones that consider the interrelatedness of systems, both natural and contrived.