Phoenixville Area School District / 3E Institute Partnership
August 2008

The Phoenixville Area School District has teamed up with West Chester University’s Institute for Educational Excellence and Entrepreneurship (3E Institute) to offer an exciting new summer course designed to inspire and invigorate educators, and teach them 21st-century skills that will benefit students in the classroom.

The Emerging Sciences and Technology course, which runs from August 4 to August 8 at the Phoenixville Area High School, will be instructed by Dr. Greg Turner, an Assistant Professor of Biology at West Chester University, and is open to educators from school districts across southeastern Pennsylvania.

The five-day course includes a problem-based scenario entitled “Last Chance to Save Chester County Open Space.” The narrative describes a proposed change to municipal zoning ordinances that would allow for the development of 1,000 acres of open space, the largest remaining tract of undeveloped land in its township.

The teachers’ challenge is to develop a land use report for these 1,000 acres of land based on environmental and economic impact to the area, citing federal, state and local laws and policies that strengthen the position of the report.

As an ecologist, Dr. Turner opted for a problem related to open space, something that affects nearly everyone in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania, but any type of content-related scenario that requires critical thinking skills to problem solve would be equally effective.

“Going through the logistics of solving a problem gets at an essential shortcoming that many students in the 21st century have, which is critical thinking,” Dr. Turner said. “The teacher will hopefully take this back to the classroom and, as a result, the students will experience not just receiving the classic teacher-centered or teacher-disseminated information, but they themselves will have to learn the content necessary to understand a problem and look at different ways and types of views to address that problem. These are the kinds of skills employers look for in the work force.”

Patricia Beneš, director of the 3e Institute, said although taking summer courses may be the last thing on a teacher’s mind, the feedback she has received from several who have participated in 3e’s summer program has been incredibly positive.

“Those who have taken the course have said, ‘Wow, this is energizing and exciting!’ or ‘This really gets me recharged and challenges my thinking,’” said Ms. Beneš. “You’re not going to be bored in this course; you’re not going to sit back and take it easy.”

Emerging Sciences and Technology is a three credit, graduate-level course being offered as part of the 3e Institute’s 12-credit Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurial Education program. The credits earned for this course are applicable to Master of Secondary Education and Master of Elementary Education degrees at West Chester University.

For more information about this partnership or about the 3E Institute call the institute at 610.738.0582 or e-mail bsaula@wcupa.edu.