Reflection ambigram of “Chicago”

Over the past two-and-a-half years we have worked with STEM educators in Chicago Public Schools as part of the MSUrbanSTEM project. We have presented about this project at a few conferences over the past few years, and now we have our first publication. I am particularly happy with the title of the paper, an homage to one of my favorite poems, In broken images by Robert Graves. Complete reference, abstract given below:

Seals, C., Horton, A., Berzina-Pitcher, I., & Mishra, P. (2016). A New Understanding of our Confusion: Insights from a Year-Long STEM Fellowship Program. In C. Martin & D. Polly, (Eds). Handbook of Research on Teacher Education and Professional Development. Hershey, PA. IGI Global. 582-604.

Abstract: This chapter discusses the philosophies and practices that drive the MSUrbanSTEM Leadership & Teaching Fellowship Program. This multi-year project o ers a professional development program to a selected cohort of K-12 STEM educators from Chicago Public Schools, one of the largest urban districts in the U.S. This chapter provides a holistic view of the program, shares the fellow selection process, and focuses on the strategically developed curriculum and the theoretical bases for the chosen pedagogy. This allows the authors to explore the psychological and philosophical principles, based on the idea of accepting confusion, and embracing failure in beliefs about pedagogy and STEM instruction, which are used to expand the skills and abilities of these selected urban school teachers. Finally, we provide some initial findings about the teachers’ growth and development both in their efficacy and leadership abilities.

Note: Fans of the Robert Graves poem may enjoy two layouts I have created for the poems (which were included in two books produced by the UrbanSTEM program). Click on the images below for hi-res versions of these designs