Newsletter

Operating programs like Geometry in Construction and AMPED will keep teachers busy. Several years ago, we stumbled upon using volunteers.  If you have not already, maybe it is time to enlist volunteers to work with students in the shop or on the build site.  Below...

It is the time of year for students to begin the registration process for next year's classes.   Also, it is time for teachers to begin their campaign to tell students what unique skills can be gained by signing up for their classes.  AMPED and Geometry...

When a school is preparing to launch Geometry in Construction or Algebra 1 in Manufacturing Processes, Entrepreneurship & Design, one of the early questions asked is what makes a successful pair of co-teachers?   According to initial university research on our programs in Loveland, the teachers...

When teachers first hear the term “Penalty Box” they are taken back. Are we being cruel to our students? Are you allowed to do that? What do parents think? Let me promise you that we do not harm students nor do we do illegal actions...

What are the key ingredients for successfully replicating Geometry in Construction? This is the million-dollar question posed by Scott Burke and Tom Moore, co-creators of the original Geometry in Construction program at Loveland High School. As a director of academic assessment in my day job...

How is what students are learning in the classroom impacting their decisions regarding which careers they believe they have both the the passion for, and the ability to pursue, after high school? This is the question that Savannah Cormier and I, 2nd year Counseling Education...

In June, Algebra 1 in Manufacturing Processes, Entrepreneurship and Design (AMPED for short), a 2-year curriculum development project will be complete with 2 years of pilot behind us.  The AMPED program will be launching in other middle and high schools next fall. The course is...

During the first week of fall 2015 courses at Loveland High School, students enrolled in the Algebra 1 in Manufacturing Processes, Entrepreneurship, and Design (AMPED) course took a pre-survey to measure their attitudes toward math. At the end of the fall 2015 semester, AMPED students...

Getting students to take pride in their workmanship is hard to do but critical to the success of the AMPED program. I am sure as a teacher, you have had a similar concern. We will share some quick bullet points of our experience in hopes...

Recently we have heard from several teachers that the processing of activities can be difficult. Although this may be true, we believe it is vital to student learning and any teacher can be successful in guiding students to the correct outcome. Asking students the correct...