3rd and 8th Graders Engage in Solving Real World Climate Challenges at STEM Lab School Climate Challenge Summit 2015
It’s one thing for world leaders to hammer out a framework at the Global Climate Summit in Paris this fall at the United Nations Conference of Climate Change. It’s a completely different thing for third and eighth graders at STEM Magnet Lab School in Northglenn, Colo., participating in the first K-8 Climate Challenge Summit. The students will become local climate leaders charged with solving climate challenges they face at school.
The school Climate Challenge Summit is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. User experience specialists and school staff/teachers will guide students through rapid prototype exercises of real-world climate challenge issues impacting their school’s operations and families at home. Four challenges have been developed for third and eighth graders to address problems they are faced with at school that affect the classroom climate and student performance.
Rapid prototyping is a process Climate Colorado pioneered and explored while conducting events around the state to solve local climate challenges. The rapid-prototyping portion of the summit will last about two hours. Students will work with facilitators, presenters and guides through an eight-step process to develop, test, reiterate and present ideas. At the end of the summit, eight teams will present their solutions to all those who participated and then make a pledge to make them happen.
Imagine third and eighth graders working hand-in-hand with specialists, teachers and parents to upgrade their classroom and the school’s operational efficiency to improve and enhance their learning experience and performance. Everyone will work together to solve the school’s structural challenges that affect the learning environment.
According to Tracy Calderone, STEM School Coordinator, “We were looking for a way to give our students a hands-on experience in the classroom and to help them learn how they can solve their climate challenges and actively engage in making them happen over five years.”
Tracy Tellinger emphasized and echoed, “The Climate Summit is the first step to engage our students, staff and parents in an effort to move our school to Net Zero, Zero Waste and reduce our water use 50% by the year 2020. Our third grade students will work every day with us until they graduate to accomplish the plans and milestones they will produce during the summit.”
Recognizing the challenges of the global climate crisis, Tracey Calderone, STEM Coordinator, reached out to Climate Colorado’s CEO and Founder Robert Castellino to engage the school’s third and eighth graders studying climate change.
“The technology, resources, tools, contractors and financing are all in place to make the trade out, yet people are afraid to take the steps to save them money and improve the quality of their health and lives.”
Ultimately, participants will take away a personal action plan and make a commitment to go Net Zero and Zero Waste and reduce their water consumption 50% by 2020 known as the Switch 2020 Campaign.
Questions for Teachers, Staff and Organizers:
1) What are the challenges the students are going to solve?
2) How were the challenges selected?
3) How are and who are going to make the action plans produced during summit happen?
4) Explain how rapid prototyping fits the STEM schools interactive and engaging in-class teaching style?
5) Who is going and how are you going to pay follow through with and complete deliverables?
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