MCLA Offering Teacher Workshop At Berkshire Museum
NORTH ADAMS – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), in collaboration with the Berkshire STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Pipeline Network, is offering “Use Your Noodle,” a teacher workshop lead by Berkshire Museum Education Program Manager Curtis Asch, as part of the STEM seminar series this fall.The workshop will take place on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Berkshire Museum, at 39 South St. in Pittsfield. The seminar is open to teachers K-12, the cost is $35. Pre-registration is required and capacity is limited.
Participants will take part in a hands-on experience and explore new teaching approaches that motivate students to think outside the box. Complimentary copies of the “Use Your Noodle” curriculum box kit and DVD will be available. “Use Your Noodle” is a flexible curriculum that helps teachers (grades K-8) to encourage students to think critically and creatively.
Teachers will learn ways to coach students to take an idea through the creation, review, and revision process, following the engineering/design model. Students will work together in groups to come up with ways to use noodles – pasta of any shape or size, raw or cooked – to create a project of any dimension, scope or scale that explores some aspect of their current course of study.
Participants also will receive an educators’ guided tour through the Berkshire Museum’s new interactive exhibition, the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation.
The STEM Pipeline Fund is a workforce development initiative designed to increase student interest and teacher preparation in STEM subjects. The goal of the STEM Pipeline is to build a pipeline between higher education, PreK-16, businesses, and non-profit agencies for the improvement of science, technology, engineering and math education, and is aligned with the Berkshire Compact for higher education.
To pre-register, contact Lisa Provencher at 413-662-5525 or e-mail lisa.provencher@mcla.edu. For more information, go to www.mcla.mass.edu/pipeline.
