Priorities:University of utah student priorities
1. Science and math curricula move toward providing students with more hands-on, problem-solving type learning experiences. Teachers do not always have the requisite skills such as building, design, prototyping, and tech skills (for example, video-producing, web design, 3-D printing, etc.) to provide these experiences in an effective and relevant manner. For example, if a math or science lesson could be practiced by building something out of wood, does the teacher have the skills to help students use requisite tools to build something out of wood? If students could practice a science skill by creating something with a 3-D printer, does the teacher know how to use a 3-D printer?
- Ideas include
- Partnering with Lassonde to incorporate such experiences into current classes, like the ED PS 2140 Using Technology in Diverse Classrooms
- Offering extracurricular workshops aimed specifically at pre-service elementary school teachers to learn together in Lassonde Studios
- Creating partnerships with teachers in nearby school districts who practice inquiry-based, problem-solving based lesson plans in their classrooms so pre-service teachers could see students building and prototyping first hand
- Offer interdisciplinary courses for an endorsement (similar to an arts endorsement) which focused on implemented hands-on learning experiences for students
2.Per the Governor’s statement, the College of Education could use more spaces to create innovation quickly.
- Ideas include
- Establishing an institute within the College of Education which would focus on exploring international best practices in teaching. This institute could bring together students and faculty and interested counterparts from other parts of the world to share evidence-based, best practices in education
- Establishing classes (or a minor?) within the College of Education focused on writing curricula using evidence-based, best practices
- Offer a lecture series devoted to innovations and research in education
3. Access to school children with whom students can try out new practices can be difficult to establish and sometimes finding sites in which to observe best practices can be difficult for a variety of reasons
- Ideas include
- Establishing an elementary school within the College of Education which could serve as an incubator for innovative practices under the supervision of master teachers
- Establishing a close relationship with an elementary school in the valley whose teachers and administration work closely with the College of Education in order to try and research innovative practices in education
- Create an after-school program within the College of Education which could serve the above purpose.
4. Students in the College of Education practice creating engaging and effective lesson plans based on Utah Common Core Standards, however,generally they do so without the benefit of seeing grade level text books.
- Ideas include
- Establishment of a textbook library in the College of Education which would house textbooks in all subjects across grade levels with which students could practice writing lesson plans.
2019 University Innovation Fellows
Our University Innovation Fellows 2019-2020 Project
