MINNEAPOLIS - Summers might mean time off for students, but for many teachers, it's a chance for continuing education.
That was the case this summer for teachers in the Minneapolis Public Schools district. More than a dozen packed into a classroom at Wilder Elementary for a week-long workshop to learn about STEM. That's science, technology, engineering and math for the unintiated.
This is just part of the training they will receive in this program that is administered by St. Catherine University in St. Paul. "That involves three courses," explained Doug Bullinger, adjunct professor at St. Catherine. a summer week long workshop, meetings in smaller groups throughout the school year to work on a STEM project, and then another follow up course next summer where teachers will present their project.
Teachers from different schools are working in groups, across grades and disciplines.
"By working together in the team, I'm learning now about how a mathemetician would look at is as opposed to how a scientist would look at it, and we're all learning the engineering," said teacher Sharon Meirhofer, who is a science teacher at Southwest High School.
Yvonne Ng, Educational Specialist with the National Center for STEM at St. Catherine University says it only makes sense to start focusing on the youngest students if the nation wants to train more engineers, scientists and mathemeticians.
"Children come in eager to learn, and they they've been filtered out," said Ng. "By the time the college professors see them, it's a smaller pool, and it's not your greatest potential.
That's why Ng is willing to get down on her hands and knees with a group of teachers devising an engineering experiment with weights and pulleys.
"They can't really help the students, get through the bumps, understand the joy, get the insights of the problem solving and the approaches unless they've done it themselves," said Ng.
By working in teams, the teachers will devise curriculum that can be adapted to their needs, whether they teach third grade math, or 7th grade science.
Right now St. Catherine University is working with Richfield and Minneapolis school districts. They hope to add more.
"It's really fun to see them," said Bullinger. "It's a lot of fun. It's an exciting thing to be a part of."
(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All rights reserved.)