Vocational Technology.... The Little Train Of Change... (5-3)

Well what do we have here...? I shudder to think that vocational technology could even be pondered to be a failure! I can contest from the one day I spent here I witnessed a form of education that hasn't even come close to being grasped in public schools! Has society lost its mind!? Since when does an outlet of preparation for future learning as well success in the job market become a bad idea!? I am appalled that a technology preparation that functions like a college is considered a "non-factor in the player's market." When I say college, I understand that any class that involves technology is offered in a technology preparation campus. I would like to call this OTC. This document is telling me that working on a computer doesn't involve any skill and therefore any person that knows how to fix a computer isn't wanted in the job market. I think all of us are well aware whether we like it or not to admit that technology plays an important factor in the success of life.

This is the very idea that has put America in a crisis from their lack of understanding as to why jobs are being outsourcing from Japan, China, and India. These countries have found the way to better themselves while making an impact from what they couldn't grasp before Globalization 3.0.

When we order food at the local McDonald's do we ever stop to think... Where is my order taking place? "John Doe must be sick today because he wasn't at the first window to take my order."
Actually, Mr. Doe is being replaced and outsourcing by a calling center in India that is taking thousands of orders before collective America can even blink an eye. The man at the window is thanking the man in India that is taking away "cushy lifestyles" from Americans. The man in the window doesn't realize what he has done!

SO I HAVE TO SAY THIS AGAIN, AMERICA, THE "CLARION CALL" HAS LONG PASSED... AMERICA IS FALLING IN THE QUICKSAND! STOP GETTING FAT AND START GETTING TO WORK!

Just because President Bush has told America, "I am asking you to do something that has never been asked of you before and that is to do hard work." Doesn't mean he is free of his criticisms.

What he neglects to represent was followed by a war with no plan.
One of my favorite moments of his presidency was provided by comedian Lewis Black. He said, "Bush went into war alone because of the fact he meddled in other countries affairs and had no plan for success or recovery after the war." In his comedic standup he intimidated George W. Bush and Colin Powell. Bush had exclaimed in the skit that he didn't know anything else existed except the United States Of America. Then Colin Powell had told Bush you are about to engage in a war so that would mean you are fighting someone outside the United States. " Look George, here is a globe.... see.... countries."

Life doesn't have an "easy button" like the "Staples" slogan provides... maybe President Bush watches to much television. He asked Americans to do "something hard." To me, that seems contradictory because he watches hard work all day long at his ranch while never spending more then an hour a day at the White House. God only knows if he spends more then an hour there you would see his CIA (now known as the Completely Ignorant (Exponent Deleted) fly him out and have to spend their day on guard so he doesn't let himself choke on another pretzel.

The proposition "No Child Left Behind" has become an utter failure as well. Why must students suffer as a collective from a reform that doesn't guarantee success like it was promised to do so. The word "promise" is used loosely because of the fact Bush needs a victory and fast!

When the "War On Terror" or (ter' ) was launched, the after effects on the economy was overwhelming. Bush isn't to blame for the job loss... that is what happens in war. However, his remark of jobs increasing after the war effort is laughable. Apparently, he is unaware of the "business cycle." Which displays from the flowchart that jobs will go up eventually from the heavy loss because rebuilding occurs at some point. I don't want to hear how great everything is going because jobs are coming back! This happens if times are bad. People do what they have to in order to survive!

Now with the latest news, "President Bush has proposed a different approach, one that would allow, but not require, states to spend federal funds on career and technical education."

"Career and technical education success should be measured, in large part, by its contribution to improved achievement levels, as well as higher rates of high school graduation and enrollment in, and completion of, postsecondary education. "

President Bush, I hope you reconsider this reform for the sake of the future of the United States Of America. I'm telling this administration if they have any logical thought process that this would be a immeasurable mistake. All of the plans that have been distributed or currently in development are keys to "Pandora's Box." These boxes (that's right... I said more then one) were never meant to be open... but now the "Armageddon In Flame" has slipped in unnoticed. The image that was branded on the administration won't change for me, but the administration might want to hit that" C-Sharp" or the whole administration will come up flat.

AMERICA HAS NO TIME LEFT TO SIT AND GORGE BECAUSE THE FOOD IS GONE! IF THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACT ISN'T FOLLOWED IN TWENTY FOUR HOURS SOCIETY WILL BE DOOMED TO LIVE INTO WHAT THEY ACCEPTED AS A SUCCESS!

I GUESS THEY WERE TO BUSY COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR SOCIAL LIFE... AND THEIR NEEDS. THE FUTURE RESTS IN THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO
"GET FAT." I ONLY HOPE THAT AMERICA RECEIVES THIS MESSAGE. OTHERWISE, LIFE WILL CONTINUE THE "DOWNWARD SPIRAL" THAT IS SO CATASTROPHIC THAT I MIGHT BE WRITING THIS. OH WAIT, I AM!

I am sincerely sorry if I have offended anyone with this standpoint. I feel as though that my opinion shouldn't be kept inside because I am so sick of people not standing up for what they believe in. If this post is too controversial feel free to dispose of it. However, I know my name won't be forgotten with this is sent.... (message sent.)

Best to all, -John Ott

P.S. I will send the link of the "Education Isn't Important" when I find it. (UPDATED) Use the link below... (The following explains the reason why people are "fat and lazy." I don't understand this at all. Only 27% said education beyond high school is essential! That is ridiculous!
http://www.detnews.com/2005/schools/0505/01/A01-167664.htm

Folks:

Something we had intended to add to the agenda for our next meeting.

Published: April 27, 2005

Commentary

Does Vocational Education Have a Role to Play In High School Reform?

By Gary Hoachlander

By adding a heavier academic load to their CTE programs, many students are choosing to work harder rather than withdraw from career and technical education.

As the high school attracts renewed attention as a focus of school reform, it’s an opportune time to ask some hard questions about the role vocational education, now more commonly called career and technical education, or CTE, should play in secondary education. The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (Perkins III) is currently up for reauthorization, but President Bush has proposed a different approach, one that would allow, but not require, states to spend federal funds on career and technical education.

Current national and state school reform efforts are dominated, and rightly so, by the goal of boosting academic achievement for all students. High schools, however, have long had an additional goal: preparing students for success in the workforce. These two aims are not mutually exclusive—academics are, of course, essential in the workplace—but nor are they exactly the same. Given the academic emphasis of current reform efforts, as well as the dramatic changes in the world economy and labor markets, can we expect high schools to do both well?

We can start by examining what we know about career and technical education’s effectiveness, no simple task given the many expectations placed on career and technical education in policy and in practice. Besides charging CTE with strengthening students’ technical skills, preparing them for work, and improving their earnings, Perkins III established the premise that CTE must be accountable for academic achievement as well.

The legislation clearly indicates that career and technical education’s success should be measured, in large part, by its contribution to improved achievement levels, as well as higher rates of high school graduation and enrollment in, and completion of, postsecondary education. Commissioned by Congress to provide guidance for the Perkins reauthorization, the recent National Assessment of Vocational Education, or NAVE, report looks broadly at the effectiveness of career and technical education over the past 10 years. Its findings suggest that we may want to reconsider some of our expectations.

The NAVE report found career and technical education to be highly successful in improving earnings, for both students who enter the workforce right out of high school and those who work while going to college. The more CTE courses students took, the more their earnings increased. These benefits accrued across many groups, including students who are economically and educationally disadvantaged, those with disabilities, and both men and women. Students who took both a core academic curriculum and CTE courses reaped the greatest earnings benefits of all. Seven years after high school graduation, students earned about 2 percent more annually for each vocational course they took, or about $450 per course, based on average annual earnings of about $24,000. By this measure, career and technical education works.

One of the great ironies in the high school reform debate is that we criticize academic instruction for failing to do what it is supposed to do, while we condemn career and technical education for succeeding in doing what it was designed to do.

Critics of such education have long worried that vocational courses would lure students away from more rigorous academic study and doom them to stagnation in low-paying jobs. The NAVE report shows otherwise. Nearly all students (96.6 percent) choose (vocational courses are electives) to take some CTE courses in high school. About one-fourth of all high school seniors are vocational “concentrators” (students earning at least three credits in a single vocational program area). While it is true that lower-achieving students are more likely to be concentrators than higher-achieving students, fully 15 percent of all high school seniors with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher were concentrators in 2000.

Moreover, the 1990s saw vocational concentrators taking more—and more rigorous—academic courses. Some 50 percent of concentrators completed the “New Basics” academic core curriculum in 2000, up from about 19 percent in 1990, while the number completing a college-preparatory curriculum nearly tripled. They also improved academically. On 12th grade tests for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, vocational concentrators boosted their reading scores by about 8 scale points between 1994 and 1998, and their math scores by about 11 scale points between 1990 and 2000.

More vocational concentrators enrolled in postsecondary education immediately after high school during the 1990s than did in the 1980s (54.7 percent and 41.5 percent, respectively). It turns out that many enrolled later, so that by seven years after graduating from high school, nearly three-fourths of CTE concentrators had participated in postsecondary education or training to some extent. Eighteen percent eventually earned a bachelor’s degree, and by eight years after high school graduation, 53 percent of concentrators had earned a postsecondary degree or certificate.

---

What do these findings tell us? Participation in career and technical education has clear labor-market benefits, and these increase with greater participation. CTE has continuing appeal to students, and to a broader range of students than previously. By adding a heavier academic load to their CTE programs, many students are choosing to work harder rather than withdraw from career and technical education. There is some evidence that this coursework helps keep students who might otherwise drop out engaged in school and inspires more students to enter college. The coursework is certainly compatible with more rigorous academic study, improved academic achievement, and postsecondary enrollment.

But compatibility may not be enough. The crux of the matter for some high school reformers is whether or not career and technical education can contribute directly to improved academic achievement. From the NAVE report, the fairest assessment of this is that, although CTE does not detract from this goal, it does not necessarily aid in its realization. This despite a series of innovations ranging from tech-prep programs of study to career academies to efforts to incorporate more academic content into vocational courses.

Policymakers need to take these findings seriously and do some careful thinking about the role of career and technical education in high school. We can begin by asking how much we value the employment advantages that participation in such programs produces. Do these gains matter—for students who do not go to college, as well as for those who do and need to support themselves while in school? If we do care about these outcomes, we should be careful about adopting policies that, by design or by default, squeeze career and technical education out of the high school curriculum. We should also be wary of strategies that restructure CTE to produce greater academic achievement, but may jeopardize the earnings gains it now produces.

---

Can we have it both ways? Can we create in high schools a CTE curriculum that preserves real gains in earnings and employment while also promoting greater academic knowledge and skills? Perhaps. But the truth is that we don’t yet know. There are at least two major obstacles to finding out.

Even where CTE supposedly has been redesigned to promote such learning, such as in career academies, there is little evidence that this objective has been achieved.

First, most vocational curricula and instruction in high schools are not currently designed to produce academic learning. Career and technical education generally has been formulated to produce the very outcomes we observe: employment gains resulting from specific occupational preparation emphasizing basic technical and employability skills. One of the great ironies in the high school reform debate is that we criticize academic instruction for failing to do what it is supposed to do, while we condemn career and technical education for succeeding in doing what it was designed to do.

If we are really serious about expecting career and technical education to produce both academic and employment gains, there is a great deal of work to do on redesigning curriculum and teaching to accomplish these dual aims. Relatively little work has been done on the tedious but essential tasks of specifying clearly how to upgrade the academic and technical content of career and technical programs and courses.

Most CTE teachers have not been trained to exploit the academic content in technical instruction; most academic teachers know little about how their disciplinary knowledge is used in industries and workplaces. Other than exhorting educators to “integrate” and “articulate,” public policy has said very little about how this is to be accomplished.

Second, we don’t currently have measures that can appropriately assess career and technical education’s contributions to academic learning. Even where CTE supposedly has been redesigned to promote such learning, such as in career academies, there is little evidence that this objective has been achieved. It is possible that these reforms have simply failed. But it is also possible that we are using the wrong metric to evaluate them. So far, the only gauge of these efforts’ academic results has been standardized achievement tests. And, by that measure, these efforts have performed no better (or worse) than the conventional academic curriculum. Standardized tests are vital to our efforts to improve student performance, but the fact is that they assess very narrow definitions of academic achievement. For the most part, they do not measure students’ diagnostic abilities, capacities for bringing interdisciplinary knowledge to bear on complex problems, understanding of systems, or facility in applying abstract knowledge and academic skills to authentic, real-life situations.

Are the new forms of vocational education that are emerging in some high schools around the country producing this kind of learning? They purport to be, but we don’t really know because we do not have valid, reliable assessment instruments to tell us whether or not this learning is occurring. It would be a good idea to find out. Public policy could help by clarifying the kind of academic and technical learning outcomes we seek from restructured career and technical education, and by supporting the substantial research-and- development effort needed to create good assessments.

Is there a role for career and technical education, as conventionally practiced or substantially restructured, in high school reform? It depends. If our only objective is academic achievement, especially as measured by existing standardized assessments, the answer is probably no. There is very little evidence that career and technical education, in its traditional or emergent forms, will produce this result. However, if we believe that the earnings and employment advantages resulting from CTE are important, in tandem with academic achievement, we should be careful about casually casting career and technical education aside. A policy of benign neglect is always hazardous.

If we believe that career and technical education could play a significant role in high school improvement if it is refashioned to produce not only earnings gains but also increased academic mastery, then we have considerable work to do.

Federal policy could lead this effort. But to achieve significant progress, the legislative agenda needs to address more squarely the difficult challenges posed by curriculum redesign, professional development, and expanded assessment. Anything less will squander an important opportunity to make both employment and higher academic achievement accessible to the large numbers of high school students left behind in our current system.

Gary Hoachlander is the president of MPR Associates Inc., an education research and consulting firm with offices in Berkeley, Calif., and Washington. MPR Associates was one of several firms conducting research for the recent National Assessment of Vocational Education.

A Virtual Model for K-12 Education?

Folks:

Found this interesting as regards our efforts to cast K-12 education as a porject-based "customer driven" initiative.

http://www.ive.kbcc.cuny.edu/

Best,

Jim

Laptops and Learning in 21st Century Classrooms

Folks:

A little someting on 21st Century Classrooms Learning and Laptops. This would make a nice addition to our initiative and the Wireless Oakland opportunity for K-12 Education.

http://www.techlearning.com/content/epubs/laptops/

Best,

Jim

North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy

Folks:

Anyone interested in participating?

Group seeks volunteers for frog count
Of The Daily Oakland Press

Quick! Before they croak!

The North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy needs volunteers to listen to frog and toad calls this spring.

The conservancy has been wanting to do a frog and toad survey for several years now, said Cynthia Balkwell, "because for one thing they are a good indicator of water quality."

Balkwell has participated for three years with the Friends of the Rouge listening for croaks, trills and other calls in the Rouge watershed. She's coordinating the conservancy's frog study as well as listening.

"I personally am going to be surveying in the south part of Springfield Township," she said. "What we would like to do is have survey groups in each of the four headwaters. Those would be the Shiawassee, Flint, Clinton and Huron rivers."

Each volunteer will be asked to visit a particular site three times during the spring to listen for frogs and toads.

And, despite the snow on the ground and the ice on the ponds, frog and toad season is not that far away. The western chorus frogs and spring peepers will get started soon.

"Soon as it gets above 46 degrees, somewhere in there and the snow starts to melt off the ground," Balkwell said.

Volunteers can attend a training session at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Holly Nature Center in Sorenson Park, 5142 East Holly Road. Volunteers will receive information and recordings of frogs and toads to acquaint themselves with their calls.

For information, or to register for Thursday's workshop, call the conservancy office at (248) 846-6547.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/032305/loc_20050323011.shtml

From Go Figure to Rigor!

Folks:

At least their was mention of the renewed understanding of the value of Vocational Education (highlighted line).

Reaction to governor's education plan mixed
Of The Daily Oakland Press

Oakland County educators have mixed feelings about Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposal to create a more rigorous academic curriculum for high school students statewide.

Many curriculum directors agree the Michigan Scholar Curriculum - which requires four years of English, three of math, three of science, two of a foreign language and 31Ž2 of social studies - represents a reasonable educational foundation for all students.

"Obviously, we want our students to be as best prepared as possible before they go off to college and the work world," said Larry Boehms, principal of Troy High School and president of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.

Troy already requires its students to meet the governor's proposed standards, but graduation requirements are not uniform across the state.

Michigan is one of 13 states now attempting to align high school curricula with college entrance requirements.

To monitor student achievement, legislators have decided to replace the Michigan Educational Assessment Program high school test with a college-entrance-style exam.

Much of the impetus for change stems from the fact that nearly a third of the nation's college-bound high school graduates are placed into remedial courses in language and mathematics, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Still, some local educators are concerned that not all high school students have been adequately prepared to be successful in the higher-level academic courses the governor's proposed curriculum prescribes.

Expanded tutoring and academic intervention programs may needed to ensure all students can be successful.

"Saying this is going to happen is not enough," said Michael Yocum, director of learning services for Oakland Schools. "There are some big changes that need to take place."

Other area educators are concerned that implementation of increased academic requirements could limit opportunities to enroll in enrichment courses such as band, art and theater.

Karen Eckert, director of curriculum for Oxford schools, said Granholm's proposed curriculum consumes 15.5 credits of the 22 a student needs to graduate.

What's more, it does not consider other course requirements some districts impose, such as physical education and computer science.

"This would not leave students a lot of time to do exploration through electives, and I think high school is a time when kids need to explore where their interests and aptitudes lie," she said.

Incorporating academic skills in certain courses outside the core curriculum may offer a solution.

"We need to begin to wed what people used to call vocational education with the academic curriculum," Yocum said.

He argued that, in addition to changing graduation requirements, the state needs to examine course content to ensure all learning pursuits help prepare students to succeed after high school.

Granholm's proposal is not the first curriculum reform idea proposed in Michigan. About 10 years ago, state leaders tried to create a standardized curriculum, but concerns over local control and other issues stymied the measure.

But today, educators are becoming increasingly convinced that the academic bar in Michigan needs to be raised.

They argue that efforts to achieve that goal, however, will require more than a one-size-fits-all approach to curriculum development.

"Students at this level don't come in neat little packages," Boehms said. "You've got to look at individual academic skills and aptitudes and plan for what will make each student most successful."

Amy Payne of the Capital News Service contributed to this report.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/032105/loc_20050321027.shtml

A variation on our theme / Youth Leadership

Folks:

Student driven / Project based / Learning & Understanding

Sunday, March 20, 2005

Students' ideas take shape from Troy to Plymouth

Metro teens add their voices to boards and councils

By Amy Lee / The Detroit News

Getting involved

Several communities in recent years have placed teens on municipal boards to get a younger perspective on everything from city growth to libraries to historic preservation. Some cities also have youth councils, which are boards made up entirely of kids 18 and younger. Teens interested in serving their community on boards and commissions can contact the following officials to find out more.

Birmingham: Seaholm High School students can contact community services liaison Cheryl Shettel at (248) 203-3702.

Farmington Hills: Call Youth & Family Services at (248) 473-1841 for information about the Mayor's Youth Council or on opportunities to sit alongside adults on city boards.

Northville: The city's Youth Advisory Committee can be reached at (248) 374-0200.

Plymouth: The city's Community Youth Advisory Commission can be reached at (734) 354-3201.

Royal Oak: The city's Youth Assistance office can be reached at (248) 546-8282.

Southfield: Call the city's clerk's office at (248) 796-5150.

Troy: Applications are available on the city's Web site, or by calling the community affairs department (248) 524-1147.

FARMINGTON HILLS -- Concerned that there was nothing to do in their city, a group of students raised $60,000 and turned the unfinished second floor of the Farmington Hills Ice Arena into an attractive teen hangout.

The sleek, 3,500-square-foot space now draws crowds on weekends, thanks to the kids' group called the Mayor's Youth Council.

"I want to make sure that my opinion is heard because if I don't get out there, maybe other people will and I'll lose the chance to make a difference," said Laura Miller, a sophomore who got active partly because "my mom always wants me to sign up for stuff I can put on my college application."

Farmington Hills is one of a growing number of communities that are turning to students for input on how to improve their towns, either by appointing them to formerly adult-only boards or to youth-only advisory committees. Novi this month joined cities such as Northville, Plymouth, Troy and Birmingham in finding new ways to get student input.

For cities, it's a chance to get a younger perspective on issues as diverse as library services, city beautification and historic preservation. For kids, it's a chance to have a say.

"I definitely have some opinions and beliefs that would benefit the city, and I know other kids do, too," said Chris Jodoin, 15, a sophomore at Novi High School who is excited about the opportunity.

"We're the future and what they do right now affects us. We should have a say in it," Jodoin said.

Novi's City Council agreed to allow 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students to become nonvoting members on four of the city's 15 appointed boards and commissions.

"This is a chance for them to be more civic-minded and be able to participate and share their thoughts on how they want their community to look," said Lynne Paul, Novi councilwoman who pitched the proposal. "I've said many times before that as hard as I try to think like a teenager, I just can't."

Evolving from grief

In Farmington Hills, the growing youth involvement began when a car accident killed classmate Dan Lee in front of the high school. A group of students persuaded the city to install a left-turn sign at 12 Mile and Rollcrest in front of Harrison High School.

"Kids pushed and brought that to the forefront," and adults became more accepting of student input on city matters, said Todd Lipa, the city's director of youth and family services.

In communities where student involvement on boards has developed, school districts often serve as a liaison between the city and the students who want to participate. Students typically apply in writing for a position. Some communities ask students to write an essay about their concerns and how they can assist board members.

Commitments range from quarterly meetings to weekly meetings, depending on the board. And not all students can be counted on to dedicate the time, said David Waller, who has worked with several student advisers during his 11-year tenure on Troy's planning board.

"Showing up -- that's the dilemma. It's not often apparent the level of commitment a student will have," he said. "But regardless, I applaud it. We have to keep trying to impress upon them the value and importance of what we do."

Troy a leader

Troy may be a model for students involved in their community. Students serve on an all-teen Troy Youth Council and can also apply to serve as a nonvoting member of 14 adult boards. The city began appointing kids to adult boards in 1999.

Kids have offered advice on everything from traffic issues near the high schools to entertainment and activities at the Troy Daze festival to an analysis of open space and wetlands within city limits.

The city's two student library board advisers can largely take credit for the library's ongoing initiative to become a wireless hot spot, enabling anyone with a laptop computer to link up to the Internet from anywhere in the 50,000-square-foot library, said library director Brian Stoutenburg.

"They want to be wired all the time," he said. "We love having them because a large part of our clientele is our teenagers and they're traditionally very difficult to serve because, well, we don't know anything about them."

Library board teen advisers Lauren Andreoff, a junior at Detroit Country Day, and Chang Chen, a junior at Troy High School, are vocal and persistent in their desire to see Troy's library become "technologically more avant-garde," as Stoutenburg put it.

"They're maybe not as familiar or comfortable with technology as we are," Andreoff, 16, said of her counterparts on the library board.

She got involved with the adult board because she spends much of her time doing homework or studying at the library.

"Being in a leadership position and being involved makes me feel like I'm doing something to help the world around me," she said. "I've always been interested in what goes on behind the scenes at the library and the things they have to deal with. The community there fits me."

Aiding Birmingham, Plymouth

Familiarity drew Kyle Astrein, 17, a senior at Birmingham Seaholm High School to serve her city's popular downtown. Astrein's family owns Astrein Jewelers and the teenager also works part time at the upscale retail shop Caruso Caruso.

Astrein served on the city's principal shopping district board, which is made up of about 15 retailers and community members. She felt retailers were missing out on the cash teens have to spend, even in the pricey downtown boutiques.

The group was willing to listen to her concerns and Astrein said she could sense a slight change in the downtown vibe after about a year.

"I saw the new advertising around Birmingham move away from being so sophisticated to having a more youthful and broader feel," she said.

In Plymouth, teens have undertaken their biggest challenge -- to design and raise more than $75,000 to replace a toppled fountain in Kellogg Park. Members of the city's youth advisory commission held a design contest and, in February, selected an 11-year-old girl's submission for the design of the new Fountain of Youth, as it has been dubbed. The teens hope to begin fund raising in April.

"It will take time and a lot of money, but it's just weird there without the fountain," said Sarah Pursell, 14, a freshman at Plymouth Salem High School. "We've never done anything this big, so we're pretty excited. We'll do anything to make this happen."

You can reach Amy Lee at (248) 647-8605 or alee@detnews.com.

THINKING is the BEGINNING to STARTING

Folks:

THINKING LIKE SCIENTISTS: Birmingham district center focuses kids on environment


BY LAURA ANGUS
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER

March 17, 2005

Bingham Farms Elementary School teacher Michelle Zibell's fifth-grade class spent a recent morning studying energy flow and ecosystems, not as students in a classroom, but as scientists in a lab.

Students peered into microscopes to study organisms and dipped thermometers into insulated containers containing hot water to see how energy flows.

Welcome to the Environmental Center in the Birmingham school district, where for more than 30 years students have learned about everything from pollution to pollen by doing, not just reading.

"It's all hands-on," said Zibell. "It's really a good thing for us."

Located on 10 acres behind the Bingham Farms Elementary School on 13 Mile Road, the center, with its surrounding nature trails and swamps, is a regular stop for elementary classes full of kids studying science.

Next month, the center will host its fourth annual fund-raiser to raise money for extras the district can't afford in these tough economic times. The center's office and teaching supplies budget, for example, has been trimmed from about $3,500 to $2,000 in recent years. Prior fund-raisers have raised thousands of dollars and paid for items such as carpeting and an outdoor shelter.

"The whole mission of the environmental center is to be, and to teach students to be, environmentally responsible," said Barbara Pepper, the center's teacher-consultant.

The Environmental Center property was originally part of the land intended for Bingham Farms Elementary School in the 1970s. After the school was built, a group of parents, teachers and students proposed it be used to create an outdoor learning lab.

After gaining support from the school board, the center opened in October 1972.

The center serves as a complement to the science curriculum for the district's elementary schools, while middle school students come for special projects and clubs, and high school students often volunteer to help with projects.

Third-graders come to study insects outside, for example, while second-graders have hunted for tracks in the snow while studying habitats.

"It's kind of cool looking at the creepy, crawly things," said Brad Benghiat, 11, of Southfield, as he looked at a display of animal skulls as part of a lesson on the food chain during a recent visit of Zibell's class.

Additions to the center this coming school year will include an observational beehive, expected to be built where students can watch the pollination process take place.

Also, a recent donation from a student's family means the center now has an extensive fossil and mineral collection. Pepper said she hopes to incorporate this into the second-grade program with a simulated fossil dig.

"It would be like the kids were doing a real dig," Pepper said.

THINK GREEN

•WHAT: Garden Garage Sale and Birdhouse Auction to benefit the Birmingham School District's Environmental Center

•WHEN: 1-3 p.m., April 30

•WHERE: At the center, 23400 W. Thirteen Mile Road in Bingham Farms

•WHY: To raise funds for projects and supplies at the center

•CONTACTS: To make a donation for the auction, or for information, contact Barbara Pepper at 248-203-3403 or bp03bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us

Copyright © 2005 Detroit Free Press Inc.

V-Tel Videoconference / A Work in Progress

Folks:

Hi James;
I am going to try and set this up for next Thursday.9:00am... in our room.... not sure if it will give them enough notice time....
Will do what I can.....
Tom


Hi James;
I have not been able to put through paperwork for a rescheduled event yet.
The meeting rooms are booked from now to the end of the school year, but I will try to get the units into the room again. It will be very crowded though for any activities. I will do what we can here to make it happen.
Tom