We are in the midst of an ambitious education initiative and at the very core is the important question…what is best for our students’ academic future? While acquisition of knowledge is important, what does it allow our students to do? What does it allow them to become? Does lecturing basic facts lead to skill acquisition?
Read MoreThe math department hosted 19 middle school math teachers, on November 13th. The day was an opportunity to meet them and to collaborate and exchange ideas. Our invitations were met with a lot of excitement, and that made the day easy to put together.
Read MoreEleven young men from The Rock ventured out to Kansas State University to compete in their annual high school programming contest.
Read MoreAt the very core of our STEAM Initiative is the inclusiveness of all its aspects. It is our objective to impact each student in each of his classes, allowing him to experience an holistic academic culture. Throughout my research, travels, and conversations I have discovered that the cornerstone of our initiative, without debate, are the people within the Rockhurst community. Our creativity, our desires to improve, our professionalism, our care for our students, our openness to new ideas…these are paramount to meeting our objectives. No purchasing of materials or building new structure can meet what we can do as teachers. We are STEAM.
Read MoreCome gather 'round people wherever you roam and admit that the waters around you have grown and accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone if your time to you is worth savin' then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin'. - Bob Dylan
Read MoreGreetings from the land of curricular and co-curricular robotics.
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2015. The supermoon and a total eclipse of the moon, all in one night. What could be more fun or fascinating?
Read MoreA recent visit to the Rockhurst High School STEAM program at the invitation of its enthusiastic and exuberant director, Mr. Greg Owsley, proved to be exciting and exhilarating. As the years pass since my retirement in 2010, the fond memories of the ROCK rest ever gentle on my mind. The soul of Rockhurst has always been dedicated and enthusiastic teachers instructing students focused on learning and formation in the Jesuit tradition. Well, those things have not changed. But Jesuit education and the Rockhurst tradition have always asked “what’s next?” And so it is with the STEAM program, an integration of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. A number of co-curricular clubs and activities make this a total approach to learning and solving problems. In my own experience as a teacher and administrator, I always believed in the maxim, “it’s not the answers one seeks, but the questions one asks” that provides the foundation for learning and thinking.
Read MoreQuite a bit of the talk around the STEAM initiative has revolved around the first and last letters; S- for Science and M- for Math. The other letters are not being ignored at Rockhurst. The Communication Arts department was created to add more opportunities in the arts. Introduction to Movie Making, Advanced Film Making, Introduction to Broadcasting, Introduction to Photography, Public Speaking, Newspaper and Yearbook are a few of the classes in the CA department that provide students with an opportunity to “communicate artistically”. As the Communication Arts department continues to grow, a few clubs have been started to introduce students to the existing courses available and to possible courses.
Read MoreOne of the more empowering aspects of Jesuit education is that we have a pretty clear vision of the people our students are becoming when they cross the graduation threshold. In fact, the characteristics are laid out specifically in the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation. As such, new programs are filtered through the Grad at Grad lens.
Read MoreRecently I came across an article about Boyan Slat, a young man who three years ago gave a TEDx talk about his innovative, “radical” plan to remove plastics from oceans. The talk went viral likely as a result of several factors: his plan was simple in that it’d be powered by the oceans themselves; it would rely on a 62-mile-wide floating wall anchored to the ocean floor; it would in theory remove millions of tons of plastic in the oceans; and the idea’s creator, Slat, was then 18-years old. Today and $2 million raised later, this young dreamer’s idea is being acted upon.
Read MoreAfter administering the Active Learning Classroom survey designed by Steelcase Education, 253 students responded.
Read MoreAs professional educators it is our obligation to our craft to continue to develop our toolbox of skills as the world our audience lives in changes. By meeting our students where they are at…in their world…we are required as teachers to reflect on creative strategies that allow our students to grow academically during their formation at Rockhurst. Professional Development is a key aspect of our careers as teachers and is also an crucial component of STEAM.
Read MoreWhen I notice the many changes that have occurred during the transition to the new classroom, I am most impressed with the way in which the students seem to be more engaged in daily activities. This has been achieved with new furniture/technology and with the introduction of the personal whiteboards to the students. The whiteboards serve many functions in the new classroom, including privacy and visibility.
Read MoreIn January of 2015, my friend Mr. Bill Palin, a lawyer in Boston calls my cell. “Hey Greg, I just finished helping teach this course at MIT. The level of sophistication is really not that great, you should run this class at your school.”
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