PASCO and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have teamed up to celebrate STEM educators who have created and are using effective STEM curriculum in the classroom.

A total of five 2013 PASCO STEM Educator Awards will be given to teachers exhibiting excellent in STEM education.  One elementary school educator and two teachers from middle and high schools will receive a prize worth approximately $4,500.

Consisting of experts selected by NSTA, the judging panel will be looking for entries that implement innovative inquiry-based, technology-infused STEM programs.  The best entries will be those that address a real-world application or problem, challenging students to use STEM skills to solve it.

To apply, fill out this application and submit it  by November 30th, 2012.

Good luck!
See on www.pasco.com

Since you are reading this blog, you are probably already “sold” on the concept of inquiry-based learning — or interested in it, at the very least.  Far from being a completely unstructured form of education, inquiry-based learning requires that a teacher do significant advance planning in order to achieve optimal results in the classroom.  Guiding student exploration and discovery is critical to the success of inquiry learning.

A post on the YouthLearn site concisely identifies some important components to inquiry-based learning, stressing the necessity of planning, as well as delving into the inquiry process in detail. It’s a great article for experienced teachers as well as those new to using inquiry in the classroom.  Read it here: www.youthlearn.org

Science fairs foster a spirit of inquiry in education, helping students to realize and experience practical applications of what they have learned in the classroom.  For teachers who see the benefits of bringing inquiry learning into the classroom, the question of how to do so while covering the curriculum can weigh heavy.

In a thoughtful blog post on the Canadian Education Association’s web site, English teacher Brooke Moore explores that question — among others — concluding that, “there is a distinct difference between giving students the liberty to go in many directions and scaffolding them to move in a purposeful direction with confidence.” Read more about Brooke’s experience with inquiry learning in the classroom here: www.cea-ace.ca.

It can be nerve-racking for teachers to surrender control of a classroom in order to let inquiry-based learning in.  A recent post on eMINTs‘ blog, “Networked Teaching & Learning,” guides teachers on ways in which to move gradually toward a model of open inquiry rather than diving in with both feet.  Among the recommendations offered: consider where each lesson lies on a “continuum of inquiry”; some are more naturally suited to closed inquiry sessions than they are to open inquiry.  In addition, the article suggests that a teacher try to limit the questions that he or she provides, allowing student questions to propel the experience.   “There are many small things we can do in order to make inquiry part of our lessons and units of study without jumping into student-led inquiry headfirst,” the article states. “If you struggle seeing your students as able to complete an inquiry independently, but you want to make your lessons more open, meeting open inquiry halfway might be a suitable compromise.”
See on blog.emints.org