Education Commons^™

Personal Reflections / 12.20.19, José M. Torres

Personal Reflections

Happy Holidays. After a week of final exams and projects, our students are headed off to spend a couple of weeks at home with their families. Others will be traveling as part of Intersession trips to Spain, Hawaii, Mexico and Poland, just to name a few. One of our faculty members, Paavo Husen, will host a Russian teacher in his home as part of an exchange program with students from Lyceum Physical Technical High School, St. Petersburg. Our staff, including faculty, will also spend some time away re-energizing and recovering from what seemed like an incredibly speedy first semester. My …

2019 Annual Report, Imsa Fund

IMSA Fund Reports

No abstract provided.

Report Of The President / November 20, 2019, José M. Torres

President's Report

LEADERSHIP MATTERS

This report provides the Board of Trustees with information regarding Academy activities and the progress that we are making toward achieving our IMSA Impact and Outcomes Statement and Priority Outcomes. I organize the Report of the President, where appropriate, around the IMSA Impact and Outcomes document:

Three pillars:

1. STEM Teaching and Learning
2. Operational Capacity
3. Stakeholder Engagement

One Strategy—Strengthen Employee Engagement and IMSA’s two priorities for Academic Year 2019-2020

1. Advance equity and excellence-- Supports IMSA Impact and Outcomes Statement
2. Implement our Global Strategy (formerly "international Strategy and includes Innovation Campus, Phase 1) --Supports IMSA Impact and Outcomes Statement …

Personal Reflections / 11.20.19, José M. Torres

Personal Reflections

As we prepare to gather around the table next week to celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to thank you for taking the time to read these reflections and for your commitment and support of IMSA. I also want to ask you to take time to reflect on the many blessings you have, and to encourage you to be thankful.

Building A Positive Culture Around Mental Health, Kevin Kusy

Staff Publications & Research

Creating a safe and open environment for students and staff to talk about mental health and wellness is a key to developing healthy, productive students. This session will discuss how to effectively develop and sustain mental health interventions within an educational setting.

Collaboration And Inquiry For The Science Classroom, Jessica Amacher, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Faculty Publications & Research

Science is a collaborative endeavor, where most of the significantly influential advances are achieved by groups of scientists working together across varying institutions and disciplines. To reflect this, we should offer opportunities for our students to learn, research, and communicate with their peers. In this workshop, we share models that we have found successful for designing opportunities, as well as ideas for topics that promote real world application and cross disciplinary work for students, drawing from our experiences with the International Student Science Fair and other international strategies. We will help interested teachers in developing their own working groups to …

Holistic Approach To Academic Support At Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Amy Keck, Diane Hinterlong

Publications & Research

Academic support is critical to the success of students, and gifted students are no exception. The support they need is as unique as the students themselves. The difficulty of the material challenges some students, some struggle with time management, others struggle with breaking tasks into smaller chunks and other executive functions. The challenges become even more significant in a residential environment where students need to adjust to living and learning independently while also developing new social groups. Parents may also need assistance in helping students transition into this new, more independent role. Presenters will share application-based ideas from real-time programs, …

Be The Change: Re-Ignite Student’S Passion For Problem Solving & Mathematics, Joseph Bolz, Marti Shirley

Faculty Publications & Research

Outcomes!

• I will be able to facilitate an open ended and open middle problems in the classroom, complete with questioning techniques and student prompts.
• I will experience how to modify a textbook problem into a richer open task that encourages discussion and multiple approaches, with a focus on tailoring them to real world applications.
• I will leave with a list of questions, perfect for posing to students while engaged in the problem solving process, and also useful for any class period when students are lacking persistence

Reimagining Introductory Biology Pilot Study:Preliminary Findings, Amber Stitziel Pareja, Hannah R. Anderson

Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Year Of Inquiry Into Student Mental Health, Amber Stitziel Pareja, Katie Berger

Publications & Research

Year of Inquiry Objectives

• To engage in an in-depth examination of a current challenge that significantly influences IMSA’s work and mission
• To identify both the scope of and potential solutions to the challenge
• Topic: Student mental health and well-being

Classroom Assessment Literacy: A Think-Pair-Share Workshop, Hannah R. Anderson, Aryn C. Karpinski,

Publications & Research

Classroom teachers spend a significant portion of their time in assessment-related activities, yet have not received commensurate time in formal training in evaluation and measurement techniques. This workshop will use the Think-Pair-Share collaborative learning strategy to discuss and implement assessment best-practices that educators can easily adopt for their own teaching.

Microcredentials: Promoting Imsa's Signature Strategy, Angela Rowley, Nicole Ross

Publications & Research

Signature Strategy: A Model for Interactive Online Educator Development

Micro credentialing is a process through which professionals can gain credit or recognition for learning new skills, requiring less time and less monetary commitment than certification or degree programs. Typically, micro credential programs offer education in specified skills. For example, a teacher can gain a micro credential in Inquiry-based questioning techniques. Micro credentials may be obtained for learning broad concepts, such as STEM education. While there is no set template or regulation on micro credential programs (anyone can offer and distribute these credentials), most require the student to demonstrate skill acquisition …

Upskilling, Reskilling And Learning Agility, Richard D. Busby

Publications & Research

What We Know...

• Technological developments will result in both need for new skills and job loss or replacement
• Some business units will be disproportionately impacted in the next 5-10 years
• Impact depends on rate of technology adoption

Personal Reflections / 10.24.19, José M. Torres

Personal Reflections

Not long after becoming the first Latino superintendent in Illinois’ second-largest school district, Elgin School District, with a student population of 40,000 students, I visited all of our 56 schools. When I visited schools, I introduced myself in classrooms, stating I was the “Superintendent,” which meant I was the “boss of the principals.” In Spanish, I said, I was the “Mero Mero” (the Big guy in charge). As I visited a third-grade classroom at Channing Elementary School, Lissette (not her real name), a 9-year-old Latina girl with big brown eyes and black curly hair said to me, "I want to …

Personal Reflections / 10.9.19, José M. Torres

Personal Reflections

As I wrote to you last year during the 2018-2019 Academic Year, IMSA conducted a “Year of Inquiry” focused on student mental health. Through town hall meetings, interviews, focus groups, literature reviews, and data analysis of different surveys completed by IMSA students, we sought to understand deeply the factors impacting student mental health at IMSA. The results of the Year of Inquiry were three recommendations to be considered during the 2019-2020 Academic Year, mainly:

• Implement an Academy-wide major assessments master calendar
• Establish a policy and practice of "no homework" to be assigned over extended weekends and "no major assessments" on …

09. Marketing Schedule, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

SocEnt

No abstract provided.

01. Intro To Socent & Design Thinking, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

SocEnt

This module will introduce students to Social Entrepreneurship, Forms of Social Engagement, the Fourth Sector, and how SocEnt is related. The module will explain expectations, deadlines, the project, and exciting additions to the curriculum. It will also cover the main framework of SocEnt this year: the Design Thinking framework.

02. Socent Intro Part 2, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

SocEnt

This module aims to go further into the lean startup than students have done in previous modules. It introduces three key features from the lean startup: the minimum viable product, the Build-Measure-Learn loop, and pivots. These three techniques are integral in the lean startup methodology, which focuses on minimizing risk, failing fast, and using the minimum amount of resources, time and funding.

03. Socent Networking Fair, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

SocEnt

No abstract provided.

04. Market Research And Market Analysis, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

SocEnt

This module introduces students to the basics of market research and consumer analysis. Students will learn about credible primary and secondary data collection methods necessary to conduct in-depth research on their target audience. This module also explores the methods of analyzing customer behavior as well as customer insight to better understand the needs of a certain target audience.

07. Business Structure And Scaling, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

SocEnt

This module causes students to further expand upon their product/service by exploring different types of business structures (non-profit vs not-for-profit vs for-profit) and the five stages of scaling their business after its initial implementation. These skills are vital for the students to be able to adequately plan for their businesses.

06. Mvp Development / Market Competition, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

SocEnt

The goal of this module is to emphasize how to develop an MVP through market validation and research. Students will learn concepts regarding market validation that will help them when they are developing their own MVPs. In addition, they will learn how to develop a unique MVP for their niche audience. By the end of the module, students should be able to start ideating and developing their own MVP.

06. Mid, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

Students will present part of their SLX project to different facilitators to be given guidance.

02. Policy Analysis, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

The process of policy analysis is t he most important thing that we learn in EnACT. The skill of recognizing how a policy was created, passed, implemented, and evaluated can apply later in students’ lives as active citizens. To do this, we utilize what is called the Policy Cycle. By comprehensively learning each step of the Policy Cycle and recognizing its use, students will be able to analyze policies that exist in the real world and be better adept to participate in political discourse.

01. Intro To Government And Policy, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

In order to be a successful member of society, one must be able to understand the way that our government functions. It is the civic duty of citizens to vote, and to do so in an informed way; it is also beneficial to understand how elected officials actually do their jobs. This module is meant to serve as a very quick breakdown of how the major components of our governments work so that students can approach policy in an informed matter.

04. Economic Policy And Activism, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

Economic policy is responsible for organizing government budgets, money supply and interest rates as well as setting levels of taxation. It also covers the labor market, national ownership, and many other areas of government interventions into the economy. Through the analysis of Trump’s tariff war with China, we can discover the relationship between the policy cycle and economic policies.

03. Enactivism, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

Activism is one of the most effective ways to make change from a citizen’s perspective. It had a major role in ending slavery, promoting equality, protecting the environment, and many other relevant issues. This module explains social movements and how they work. It also goes hand in hand with Policy Analysis.

05. Health Care Policy And Activism, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

Healthcare policy in the United States is aimed towards the costs of care for citizens as well as access to quality care. The healthcare system includes services provided by medical professionals in order to treat, diagnose, and prevent mental and physical illness and injury. There has been an increasing strain on consumers due to the rising cost of healthcare in the country.

10. Pre Slx, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

This module aims to provide students with an opportunity to put finishing touches on their projects and get final feedback.

09. Clash Of Enact, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

This module serves to test students on content (and some fun stuff) in an interactive, entertaining way.