The presentations will showcase an innovative superintendent, an acclaimed education thought leader, and four teachers who created a new model for teaching STEM
(Chicago, IL) February 18, 2016 – Defined STEM, the flagship curriculum supplement of Defined Learning, is proud to announce its first-ever free webinar series, “Inspiring Innovation in the 21st Century Learner.” The series will highlight aspects of 21st-century learning from the perspective of an administrator, a recognized thought leader, and classroom teachers using project-based learning in real-world situations.
The series will begin February 24, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. CST with an hour-long webinar featuring Dr. Genevra Walters, the superintendent of Kankakee School District (IL). The presentation, “From Cradle to Careers: The Transition for All Students Starts in Preschool” will outline Walters’ approach to preparing students for careers as early as possible. She will emphasize a district leader’s role in preparing students for the global economy, and will share best practices for other educators to adopt. Walters has more than 20 years of leadership experience and is the author of the book What Works for Special Education and At-Risk Learners: A Framework for General Education Teachers and Administrators.
The second webinar, “Teaching and Assessing the 21st-Century Student,” will feature nationally recognized consultant Jay McTighe. As an experienced educator and noted author, McTighe works with schools, districts, regional service agencies, and state departments. He specializes in providing new-age professional development to improve the quality of student thinking and how to develop 21st-century skills in today’s tech-savvy students. The virtual event will take place on March 16, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. CST.
The final session will feature four middle school teachers from Huntingdon, PA, who have developed a rotation model to teach students how to apply STEM to real-world situations by completing cross-curricular, multifaceted projects. The webinar will focus on the importance of using individual teacher strengths to benefit students, how to get students to see the “big picture” in education, and how to recreate the model in any school. Registration for the event will open in mid-March with the webinar taking place in early April.
“Along with our mission to give teachers every resource they need to successfully teach STEM, we’re extremely excited to now provide teachers across the nation with top-notch professional development webinars,” said Joel Jacobson, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Defined Learning. “It’s our goal to inspire educators to push students to reach levels of innovation and creation they’ve never experienced. We hope sharing stories and best practices from the industry’s top innovators will allow teachers to better teach 21st-century skills to our students.”
To register for the February 24 webinar, click here. Future webinar registrations will be available on the Defined Learning website here.
About Defined Learning
Defined Learning is a K-12 educational media company that combines technology, creativity, and curriculum expertise to provide useful and relevant products to schools. Defined Learning's flagship service, Defined STEM, is a platform that enables teachers to provide application of knowledge to students through the use of project-based learning, real-world careers, and meaningful reading and writing activities. To learn more, visit DefinedLearning.com.