Inquiry Series

Back by popular demand, the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education (NWO) at Bowling Green State University’s College of Education and Human Development is bringing back the STEM Inquiry Series, a series of STEM professional development workshops to engage educators in quality STEM education to learn skills and

concepts in STEM teaching and learning to bring to their classrooms. The STEM Inquiry Series offers free registration and is open to in-service and pre-service teachers, higher education faculty, and business/community partners in the region.

The STEM Inquiry Series will feature four 3-hour long inquiry-based presentations from some of the leading names in STEM education research and professional development during the Spring of 2024.  Session topics include concepts from the Ohio Department of Education STEM School Quality Model: A Culture for STEM Learning, STEM as an Approach to Teaching and Learning, and Pathways to Careers. The series is sponsored by Bowling Green State University’s College of Education and Human Development, NWO, and the Ohio STEM Learning Network. 

Session FOUR:

Introduction to Computer Science for K-8

May 15, 2024

Facilitator: Christine Danhoff, Technology Integration Specialist
North Point Educational Service Center

BGSU Levis Commons
1655 North Wilkinson Way Perrysburg, OH 43551
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (dinner provided)

Teaching computer science in early grades develops critical computational thinking skills in young learners. This professional development session will focus on methods to integrate computer science standards into core subjects and cultivating early computational skills in K-5 students.

Registration: https://forms.gle/JWiYsnxLhhkhaAzA8

Certificates for contact hours will be provided.

Session ONE:

Personalized Learning Framework

February 15th, 2024

Facilitator: Heather Townley, Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West
BGSU Levis Commons
1655 North Wilkinson Way Perrysburg, OH 43551
5:00 pm- 8:00 pm (dinner provided)

Personalized Learning is a learner driven approach to education that empowers students to take ownership of their learning and is an essential component of STEM education.

In a Learner-Driven classroom:

• Students have ownership of their own learning, set goals, make choices about how to accomplish them and monitor progress towards achieving their goals.
• Students have balanced opportunities to work independently and collaboratively to ensure that their individual learning needs are met.
• Students experience authentic learning
• Personal learning pathways and experiences are student-driven.
• Students are provided with opportunities to progress at a pace that is appropriate to their needs in order to reach mastery of skills and competencies.

Registration: https://forms.gle/VjhojP1f98iotpDe7

Certificates for contact hours will be provided.

Session TWO:

Scaffolding STEM Culture through Design Thinking, Invention, and Entrepreneurial Spirit

March 12th, 2024

Facilitator: Jason Hubbard, Dept. of Teaching & Learning, Perrysburg Schools
BGSU Levis Commons
1655 North Wilkinson Way Perrysburg, OH 43551
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (dinner provided)

This session will facilitate experiences that will help teachers and school leaders to move toward building a STEM/STEAM culture within their classrooms/their school. Participants will explore a framework of activities focused on scaffolding design thinking and invention that:

• is adaptable across elementary through high school
• moves from light and fun designing for a fairy tale character to thoughtful and planned product design for a real-world community partner
• fosters innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, inquiry, and collaboration with individual accountability for students

This session will help participants move toward competency and development in the following area from the OSLN STEM/STEAM Designation rubric:

1.1 Cultural Strategies (Minimum rating required for designation: Executing)

STEM and STEAM schools exhibit age-appropriate, school-wide cultural strategies reflecting innovation, an entrepreneurial spirit, inquiry, and collaboration with individual accountability. ORC 3326.03 (C) (4) 3326.032(B)(3)

Cultural strategies reflect a community’s understanding of success. Community needs drive instructional and delivery strategies in each school. Habits of Mind reflect what a community values in a successful adult and are explicitly taught and continually utilized within the school. (Quality Model for STEM and STEAM Schools, p. 9)

Registration: https://forms.gle/63xM6YB3bFoGDPnc6

Certificates for contact hours will be provided.

Session THREE:

From Barriers to Belonging: Fostering Equity and Excellence with Design Thinking

April 18, 2024

Facilitator: Paige Espiritu, Assistant Technology Director, Ottawa Hills Local School District
BGSU Levis Commons
1655 North Wilkinson Way Perrysburg, OH 43551
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (dinner provided)

As STEM educators, we know that the world around us is rapidly changing and our students will most likely face a vastly different world of technology and innovation from today’s by the time they leave our classrooms. We want to ensure that our classrooms are an environment where they are welcomed warmly and leave feeling empowered with skills to navigate an unknown technological future. 

So to prepare our students we ask, how do you:

• Break down barriers to participation and belonging for all students in your STEM classroom?
• Infuse your curriculum with DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) practices that empower every learner?
• Design assessments that go beyond the textbook, activate higher-order thinking skills, and personalize learning?

Paige’s answer to these questions? Design Thinking! In this interactive session, Paige will take you through a hands-on Design Challenge experience similar to the ones she integrated into her own technology classes in order to create an environment where every student feels valued, respected, and capable of success in STEM.

By the end of this session, you will gain a deep understanding of Design Thinking and its power to foster belonging and equity as well as assessing your students’ learning authentically and holistically. Paige will also share practical strategies and resources to help incorporate students’ unique perspectives, identities, and passions into your learning process as well as making your curriculum accessible for diverse learners. 

Join us on this journey to transform your STEM classroom into a vibrant hub of innovation, collaboration, and belonging!

Registration: https://forms.gle/3u8ikMUyR37a6h8aA

Certificates for contact hours will be provided.