Animals in the classroom can bring a sense of excitement and wonder to the learning environment. Although, this is often a common reason for incorporating pets into the classroom research shows that having a pet in the classroom can provide other benefits in addition to making learning fun. When...
September kicked off our second E4 Cohort group! We're excited to have teachers that want to learn how to successfully implement project based learning into their classrooms. The cohort sessions are based on the E4 process and takes teachers through the necessary steps when working through a...
The summer is always a hectic time of the year, especially for students! There are numerous educational opportunities for students to partake in over the summer. This summer we had our second Animal Related Career Summer Intensive for high school students. Take a look at what we did...
We are well into the beautiful season of summer! Many educators are on summer break but that does not mean that they stop thinking about their classrooms and what should be planned for the fall. If you are looking for ideas or are wanting to learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards...
Animal and plant dissection are school lessons that have been integrated into biology and life science classrooms for many years. There are times when students or teachers don't like the idea of dissecting an organism that was once living for educational purposes. If you fit that category and...
In Chicago, over 1,000 dogs have been recently infected with the canine influenza virus and five had died within a short amount of time. Multiple pet stores have closed as a result of the widely spreading infection and pet parents are understandably on high alert. With the recent outbreak of the...
Earlier this month members of the STEM team were able to attend the National Science Teachers Association annual conference here in Chicago. The conference is always loaded with educational programming to help you prepare and extend your lessons. The focus is of course science but heavily...
In December of 2014 The University of Illinois Extension partnered with the Cook County Forest Preserve to present Reflecting on Practice to fellow educators and staff. Reflecting on Practice was developed at the Lawrence Hall of science and is a professional learning program for informal science...
The Young Naturalist Awards are sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. The competition is a research based science contest for students in grades 7-12. The deadline is March first so get your entries in soon! Learn more...
In January I was given the honor to present to educators, Chicago public school board members, superintendents and administrators at the annual Superintendents Commission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity. I spoke on inquiry based teaching and the Next Generation Science Standards. It...