D228 Hosts STEM Academy for Feeder School Teachers

The Bremen High School District 228 Science Department hosted a STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) Academy June 15-17 for science teachers in all of its feeder schools. The event took place in the Instructional Materials Center at Oak Forest High School.

More than 100 teachers from School Districts 142 (Forest Ridge), 143 (Midlothian), 144 (Prairie Hills), 145 (Arbor Park), 146 (Tinley Park Community Consolidated), 160 (Country Club Hills), 228 (Bremen High School District), St. Christopher (Midlothian), and Trinity Lutheran (Tinley Park) were eager to take time out of their summer vacation to work together to develop a network of knowledge and resources based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Day one introduced Kindergarten through 5th grade teachers to performance expectations for NGSS. Day two brought Kindergarten through 8th grade teachers together to identify the three components of a performance expectation. On this day, hands-on learning was included through building a mouse-trap car. The process showed teachers how to guide students through a problem-solving process. Day three, for Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, consisted of developing a performance expectation including specific engineering practices.

D228 Science Department Supervisor Steve Granat said, “I truly believe that teachers are lifelong learners. They need time to learn, digest, process, and put professional development into action. Time is valuable and the fact that we have 100+ teachers coming together for three days is truly remarkable. It’s an exciting time in the world of science as we work together to implement the new Next Generation Science Standards. This group, through collaboration and support from administration, is off to a great start in implementing new curriculum and high-quality science instruction.”