Place-based Education and My University Class

 The Fall of 2022 was a busy time for me.  I had the opportunity to lead a group of undergraduates in a new class called "Teaching Social Studies for Primary Teachers".  It was truly and amazing opportunity to learn and grow as a professional educator.  I truly enjoyed learning with my scholars.  They showed so much perseverance and learning each week in class.

I arranged for them to have a special opportunity to make a connection with experiential learning and place based education.  We toured Stan Hywet estate and participated in quests to learn about how they involve learners from the community to gain a historic perspective of the estate.  The students gained much knowledge about the history and impact created by the FA Seiberling family.  A special shout out to Toivo Motter and his willingness to help us grow and learn about the estate.

Power of the PBL

 One of the most exciting opportunities and challenges in 2022 was the powerful PBL created with The Akronauts, Myers School of Art from the University of Akron, and the Curated Storefront.  The Akronauts needed our scholars to design a mission patch for the launch of their rocket, The I Promise Project.  The project was a smashing success and we celebrated our scholars' work with a recognition banquet.

I was so proud of the way our scholars showed their habits of promise (problem solver, perpetual learner, perseverance, partner and perspective).  You can see their excitement in the pictures shared here and the final outcome of the patch the Myers School of Art artists designed for the Akronauts.

I believe our scholars learned the value of hard work-perseverance and will always remember this special day when they saw how a "challenge" can be solved when we work together to reach new heights!