Franklin Regional School District Hosts ABC CREATE Lab Teacher Training for Several Local Schools ranklin Regional FRANKLIN REGIONAL NEWS
This summer , Franklin Regional Middle School ( FRMS ) was the host site for an ABC CREATE training session , which empowers several local school districts to incorporate STREAM ( Science , Technology , Research , Engineering , Arts , and Mathematics ) education into the classroom through exciting , hands-on projects aimed at coupling art with robotics .
FRMS teachers , Jennifer Joyce and Krista Smith are Teacher Advocates for the program . They were with the program from its inception and provide coaching and guidance for educators in other districts . Franklin Regional was one of six school districts that was part of Phase I of the three-year project . The original districts included Franklin Regional , Burrell , Kiski , Allegheny Valley , Apollo Ridge , and Leechburg . Now in the second year of the program , Mrs . Joyce and Mrs . Smith work with Mr . Drew Martin , a math teacher at the Leechburg Area School District in Armstrong County , to help train other teachers who are part of the member districts .
During the training session , facilitated by Colleen Smith , coordinator for ABC CREATE Lab through Penn State New Kensington ( PSNK ), teachers from Franklin Regional , Deer Lakes , Allegheny Valley , Plum , and Leechburg collaborated on a hummingbird building project that will become an educational learning experience for their students during the 2016-17 school year . Teachers will have access to materials , tools , and the Hummingbird Building Kits , provided by the ABC CREATE Resource Library , to use during the school year for their students to engage in the project . Students will learn coding , problem-solving , critical thinking , collaborating , programming , engineering , and elements of art and design as a result of the Hummingbird project .
To date , the program has expanded to include 15 school districts including Franklin Regional , New Kensington-Arnold , Burrell , and Kiski ( Westmoreland County ); Deer Lakes , Fox Chapel , Allegheny Valley , Highlands , Plum , and Riverview ( Allegheny
46 Murrysville
County ); Apollo Ridge , Armstrong , and Leechburg Area ( Armstrong County ), and South Butler and Freeport Area ( Butler County ).
Funded by the Grable Foundation , ABC CREATE stands for Allegheny-Kiski Best Practices Collaborative CREATE Lab Satellite Network Hub . The program ’ s vision is to empower students and educators across the Alle-Kiski Valley by encouraging a culture of sharing best-practices through processes , roles and a support infrastructure for the 15 member school districts .
Serving as a CREATE Lab Satellite Network Regional Hub , the Alle-Kiski Best Practices Collaborative will contribute to the creation of fluid learning pathways among diverse CREATE Lab projects . As a Satellite Network partner , ABC CREATE will enjoy access to creative technology and best practices developed and validated by the four schools of education comprising the CREATE Lab Satellite Network .
The ABC CREATE geographic concentration and large scale participation ( starting with six public school districts and doubling the number within 3 years ) holds promise for regional impact that goes beyond school walls .
The project focus over a three-year period centers on meaningful technology integration across all content areas by establishing a Carnegie Mellon University CREATE Lab Satellite Network Regional Hub with Penn State New Kensington serving in a coordinating role .
ABC CREATE relies on local innovation , identifying and highlighting ( with the help of ASSET STEM Education ) existing talent and STREAM best practices within participating school districts . PSNK supports the development and implementation of an action plan aimed to amplify and disseminate best practices from individual schools and educators with the overarching goal of establishing a set of common practices that cut across grade levels and content areas to empower educators and students at every district in the Alle-Kiski Valley .
ABC CREATE unites member districts in the Allegheny- Kiski Valley of Western Pennsylvania , and four educational organizations ( Penn State New Kensington , the Penn State Electro Optics Center , Asset STEM Education , and Carnegie Mellon University ’ s CREATE Lab ) along with The Grable Foundation to impact the lives and opportunities of K-12 students .