Over a week in which they weren't in school, some Indianapolis Public School (IPS) students might have felt like they were not only on break—they were on television. In any case, they were having too much fun to consider that they were doing a lot of learning.
From Oct. 10-14, a cohort of the Woodrow Wilson Indianapolis Urban Teacher Residents (WWIUTR) from IUPUI created what you might call "CSI: Indianapolis" for a group of 6th through 8th graders. For the week of fall "Intersession"—a fall break week with no classes but special learning enrichment opportunities for students who choose to attend—the fellows gave the students gathered at Crispus Attucks High School a crime to solve. Solving it would mean using a lot of skills they've been working on in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) oriented courses. Students investigated the case of a missing tiger—the mysterious disappearance of the Crispus Attucks stuffed mascot from the school's main office.
The cohort came up with the idea at the direction of faculty at IUPUI. Last spring, IPS asked if the School of Education would consider having the WWIUTR fellows teach an Intercession course. In June, Gina Borgioli Yoder, clinical assistant professor of mathematics education at the IU School of Education at IUPUI, and Kathy Marrs, director of the Urban Center for the Advancement of STEM Education (UCASE) at IUPUI, taught the Woodrow Wilson Fellows in their first class, "Introduction to STEM Teaching."
"To prepare to teach that class, I researched Project-based Learning (PBL) and designed a PBL instructional unit around this Intersession idea to teach to the fellows," Yoder said. "The entry document for that PBL unit consisted of a letter from IPS administration asking the fellows to design and teach a week-long enrichment class. From there, the fellows and I started a 'know/need to know' list and we began brainstorming and researching ideas. They came up with the CSI theme and we recruited IPS science teacher and WWIUTR mentor, Lon Amstutz, to help us brainstorm and research. Once our summer class ended at the end of June, the fellows continued to talk and plan this unit during the fall semester, largely on their own time."
The result can be seen in this video on the IU School of Education YouTube page. The participating students became very engaged in the process, which Amstutz said nicely complemented in-classroom instruction the students have received. The fellows generally divided each day of the Intersession unit into their specialties, hitting math, chemistry, physics, and other STEM subjects along the way. The Woodrow Wilson Fellows said they felt like students picked up a considerable amount regarding each subject because they were so engaged in the process.
The week proved a good learning opportunity for the fellows and their students. The cohort members had a chance to engage a lesson plan with students; students had a chance to put classroom knowledge to use. Yoder said she came away impressed with the cohort's planning and execution of the week. "Their creativity and commitment to this project have been amazing! I am so proud of them," Yoder said.
The IU School of Education at IUPUI welcomed its third cohort of Woodrow Wilson Fellows this year. They are accomplished career changers and outstanding recent college graduates in STEM fields who will prepare for math and science teaching positions in the state's urban and rural schools. Woodrow Wilson Fellows at IUPUI can choose an M.S. in Education, M.S. in Mathematics, or M.S. in Engineering Technology Education with an option for Dual Certification in STEM and Special Education. Each of the Fellows receives a $30,000 stipend to complete a special intensive master's program at IUPUI. The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation of Princeton, N.J. administers the program.
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