Spring Intersession

HUGHES STEM HIGH SCHOOL INNOVATION LAB

THE INNOVATOR

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS Feb. 18

Feb. 19

Feb. 21

June 9 -12

Literacy Design Collaborative Refresher

Speed Mentoring Event

Woodrow Wilson

Fellow/Pre-service

Teachers training series

Blended Learning

Institute

Cultivate Innovation A student shows off her art work created during team building exercise during Intersession

On the 7th of January 2015, the Hughes STEM High School 2015 Spring Intersession commenced with the first of ten meetings that will culminate in week-long immersion learning experience from March 23rd to 27th. For the “Gentleman’s game”, the first class was about providing the foundation for golf training that is scheduled to continue throughout the upcoming weeks. Professional golfers were invited to tutor students, as they learned basic skills such as holding the golf club in the swing and the layout of the golf course. Students initially practiced with the trainers in the Innovation Lab, using active gaming (exergaming) hardware. Exergaming is a novel brand of gaming where video gamers have the opportunity to move around and participate in the sport actively while at play, instead of sitting and it helps to incorporate physical

Literacy Design Collaborative and Math Design Collaborative training

coming soon!!

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Spring Intersession (Continued)

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activity into video gaming. Golf exergaming using the PlayStation 3 console was used to provide initial golf tutoring for the students before moving on to the actual golf course. The golf intersession is much more than a mere exercise of athletic prowess. According to Mr. Lane the game of golf requires character attributes of honesty, fairness, cautiousness, obedience and self-control.

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Thus, apart from the obvious fun and excitement of learning to play a new game, and the clear health benefits of physical exercise, the golf intersession aims to inculcate desirable social attributes in the participating students, with the intention of equipping them with the skills to thrive and excel both within the school environment and in the outside world. In November, all students have the opportunity to apply for the intersession offering of their choice. The process is

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accomplished through electronic survey where students select their first, second, and third choice based on the menu provided. There are over 50 intersessions, each involving a unique type of activity and given an attractive name such as “Gentleman’s game”, “Kickers and Eaters”, “Big Red Barbeque” to make it more interesting. Spring Intersession is all about

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allowing students to discover learning through exploration of personal hobbies and interests. Mrs. Sebastian co-facilitator for Spring Intersession 2015 comments “for an intersession to be a unique, fulfilling and fun learning experience, students and teachers all have

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important roles to play. Zeal, passion, cooperation, collaboration, and a deep interest in participating and learning from the activity are all essential ingredients of a successful intersession”.

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Want to know more about Spring Intersession? Contact: HughesInnovationLab@gmail.com

“Equipping students with skills to thrive and excel”

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In the spirit of action-based learning, 12th grade Physics teacher, Mr. Cox, and his student teacher, Mr. Guenther with their students proceeded to put the theory of Projectile Motion into an observable, participatory and impactful learning experience through a hands-on experiment on the front steps of the Hughes STEM High School building on the 15th of January 2015.

Gregory, a student in Mr. Cox’s class, explained that the objective of this exercise was to measure the distance an object travels from point A to point B, “You need to have the right coordinates for the object to hit its mark… nothing unusually different happened than what I originally expected.”

The learning outcomes of the experiment were to predict how variable initial conditions (speed, friction between the

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projectile and the launcher, launch angle, mass, diameter, initial height and air resistance) affect a projectile path, to utilize theoretical reasoning to explain these predictions and to describe why the use of the simulation was a good method for studying projectiles. The aim was to compare the theoretical assumptions to the practical observations.

During the experiment, projectiles were launched by the student-teacher from the top of the school tower directly overlooking the front court. A student recorded time of the projectile once it was launched from its stationary position and made contact with the ground below.

On the ground, another student confirmed the time that the projectile hit the ground then measured and recorded the horizontal distance from the point where

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the projectile was predicted to hit the ground to the point where it actually hit. This simulation was repeated several times. Mr. Cox added, “We measured the height of the tower to be 45 meters, then used mathematical

calculations to predict the most likely spot where the grapes would land.” A whiteboard was used as the ‘bull’s eye’ on which the projectiles were expected to land. Another student in the class,

Hands-on, action-based learning

Mr. Cox and his students examining the site of

impact of the projectile

“Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere

intellectual play.”

Immanuel Kant

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Kierra, stated, “The main objective was to measure the height of the tower. I was measuring the drop position from a specific position to where it actually landed. The grapefruits landed at varying positions due to wind direction and other factor”, she said.

This activity supports the concept of constructivism, defined as “a philosophy about learning that proposes that learners need to build their own understanding of new ideas.” (Miami Museum of Science, 2001). The concept of constructivism was initially championed by Jean Piaget (stages of cognitive development) and Howard Gardner (multiple intelligences). This philosophy gave rise to the 5 ‘E’s instructional model,

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developed by Roger Bybee, a notable constructivist who worked with the Biological Science Curriculum Study (Miami Museum of Science, 2001). The 5 ‘E’s represent – Engaging (capturing the students’ attention with new activity), Exploring (getting the students involved in the topic and providing them with a chance to build their own understanding), Explaining (providing students with an opportunity to communicate what they learned and figure out its meaning), Extending (applying new knowledge to unfamiliar situations) and Evaluating (determining how much learning and understanding has taken place).

By applying the 5 ‘E’s, this

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experiment placed students in a better position to understand, internalize, recall and apply the new knowledge. This kind of evidence-based learning embodies the academic quality of the Hughes STEM High School. If you or your team would like to know more, contact HughesInnovationLab@gmail.com References Miami Museum of Science (2001). Constructivism and the five E’s. Retrieved from: http://www.miamisci.org/ph/lpintro5e.html

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In October 2014, the Greater Cincinnati Center for Social-Emotional Learning (CSEL) facilitated an hour-long engaging workshop for 9th graders. This was the first meeting of several planned throughout the remainder of the year. CSEL workshops are aimed at cultivating desirable social attributes among students so as to groom them

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for various opportunities. This workshop was focused on the importance and art of listening.

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According to CSEL, listening is the basis of all learning and knowledge—one must listen first, in order to speak intelligibly and effectively. The art of listening becomes increasingly important as today’s society increasingly places more emphasis on being heard rather than listening. A 9th grade teacher, Dr. Stevens, opined that the

Building Tomorrows’ Leaders Today

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CSEL’s programs have had significant impacts on the students’ social skills and have enabled them to maintain good behavior both within and outside the classroom. He commended school administration and the Innovation Lab for making the CSEL workshops possible.

Continued The art of listening is

increasingly important …

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with local initiatives and spreading the word. Many of

the students reside in the Avondale community identified as having food deserts making this experience particularly fitting.

Furthermore, Ms. Battle recommended improvements for subsequent intersessions, particularly concerning the variety of partners in the community with whom students can collaborate and gain experience. She is thankful for the partners from this year’s fall intersession however hopes to increase the number of partners in order to give students more learning options and a richer learning experience. If you are interested in learning more about Fall intersession, contact HughesInnovationLab.gmail.com

Retrieved Feb 12, 2015. http://archive.cincinnati.com/article/20111112/COL01/111130305/Lost-Food-Desert

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The Fall 2014 intersession took place during the

week of the 10th of November 2014. According to Ms. Battle, it was an excellent opportunity for students in the 8th grade to put into practice some of the things they learned in class. The activities for this intersession, which included urban farming and gardening within city limits, exposed students to ways by which food can be home-grown even within city blocks thus providing a healthy alternative to processed and fast foods.

Also students gained vital experience in identifying food deserts and their characteristics while working on possible solutions including urban farming. Students are encouraged to advocate for the elimination of food deserts in their community by volunteering

Fall Intersession

urban farming

gaining vital experience…

For more information about Greater Cincinnati

Social Emotional Learning Contact Virginia Rhodes

vrhodes@cinci.rr.com

2515 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati OH 45219

Hughes STEM High School

The Innovation Lab at Hughes STEM High School is a state of the art, multi-purpose

training facility supported by the University of Cincinnati. It is a clinical and

demonstration space that supports collaboration and fosters real-world innovation

among students, educators, industry, entrepreneurs, universities and STEM

advocates. As an extension of the Innovation Lab, the Hughes training center offers a

variety of professional development delivered by experienced teachers. Our mission

is to empower learning communities and equip educators with tools and strategy to

evolve generations of conscious and highly skilled learners.

THE INNOVATOR 001, FEBRUARY 2015

http://hughesstem.cps-k12.org/

www.HughesInnovationLab.com

513-363-7438