Environmental Sustainability Workshop and Symposium

Day 1: Professional Development Day STEAM Tank Workshop

For High School Teachers

Tuesday, March 19, 2019
8:30 a.m. to 3 pm.
Earn 5 professional development credit hours

The goal of the Day 1 program is to actively engage the teachers who will be bringing their students to the Day 2 program.

Teachers bringing students to the April Sustainability Symposium are invited to attend this professional development program that will give them the tools to prepare their students to participate in the planned Symposium hands-on STEAM Tank activity.  Teachers will be given additional tools that will help them facilitate similar STEAM programs within their schools.  The STEAM Tank activity encourages collaboration, team building and problem solving and encourages an environment of success with students as global citizens.

Teachers will receive 5 professional development credit hours for participating in this workshop, and will also be provided with a pre-Day 2 Symposium activity that they will complete with their students prior to the event on April 11, 2019. All schools that register for the Day 2 Symposium are asked to send at least one representative to the teachers’ workshop. The workshop will be designed for secondary Science teachers however, secondary teachers from all disciplines with an interest in Science, Technology, Arts and Mathematics will be welcome to attend.

Board Members are welcome to attend and learn how the board of education can support teachers and students in the STEAM Tank Challenge.

Please note that teachers that register for both the Workshop AND Symposium will have priority registration should we exceed our capacity for this program.

Curriculum

Day 2: Environmental Sustainability Symposium

For High School Students

Thursday, April 11, 2019
8:00 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.

Rider University, partnering with the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the US Army, is inviting New Jersey high school students interested in STEM subjects, the environment, technology, business and conservation, (as well as their teachers) to participate in the Third Environmental Sustainability Symposium.  This daylong program will bring students together to learn about the tenets of sustainability and generate ideas about solutions for the 21st century. The STEAM Tank Challenge activity planned for the symposium creates meaningful connections between relevant content and the engineering concepts highlighted in the NGSS framework, within the context of a proposal of a Smart Idea. This format aims to develop successful learning opportunities that will encourage students to think about STEAM-based careers and studies as they prepare for college.

Outcomes include:

• Experience thinking about environmental issues as an aspect of STEAM topics
• Development of plans for a Smart Idea as a concrete business or project focused on solutions to current or anticipated sustainability issues
• Improvement of public speaking and interview skills through idea presentations and responding to judge panel questions
• Potential increase in the number of students who apply to college with an interest in STEM fields, environmental sciences, or sustainability majors
• Increased consciousness and understanding of the intersection of environmental, economic, and equitable issues as a result of exposure to sustainability topics
• Motivation to generate their own practical solutions to issues they are passionate about and feel empowered to move forward with these plans in the real world

Board Members are welcome to attend and learn how the board of education can support teachers and students in the STEAM Tank Challenge.

Please note that teachers that register for both the Workshop AND Symposium will have priority registration should we exceed our capacity for this program.

Curriculum

All adult stakeholders, facility managers, administrators, leadership, board members and teachers are welcome to attend all student sessions throughout the day.