PLTW Summit 2022 is available online for the first time! With workshop sessions to empower you with the tools and tips to maximize your time and enhance the learning experience for your students and opportunities to connect with industry leaders this is sure to be a critical stop on your professional development roadmap for the 2022-23 school year. See below for a first look at the sessions featured in our virtual PLTW Biomedical Science track, and head over to pltw.org/summit to add sessions to your PLTW Summit agenda!
Amazing Team Effort to Create Pathways for Biomedical Science, Healthcare, and Biotech Careers
Katrina Rogers, Tamara Mandell, and Diane Lashinsky
Tracks: PLTW Biomedical Science, PreK-12 Leadership
See what’s possible when a committed team joins together to create real opportunities for PLTW Biomedical Science graduates right out of high school! Supported by Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane, ADD WHO harnessed Eastern Washington’s vision for the future of workforce talent to support healthcare, innovative biomedical research, biotechnology, and biomanufacturing. In this session you’ll hear from ADD about their two-year project to integrate vital elements that would provide PLTW Biomedical Science students with opportunities to engage with local biomedical science industries to launch their careers.
Participants completing the session will:
- Examine criteria for building a team to meet career launch goals for students, including educators, employers, colleges, and a respected industry-recognized credential.
- Leave understanding the importance of connecting goals to local, relevant industry needs and ensuring student access to high-demand careers.
- Leave Understanding how connecting with relevant local initiatives in your region or state focuses team effort, accelerates momentum, and supports overall success.
Creating a Near-Peer Mentoring Program with PLTW Students and Undergraduate STEM Students
Scott Troy
Track: PLTW Biomedical Science
Through a collaboration between a Colorado high school PLTW program and the University of Denver, we established a focused near-peer mentoring program in which a total of 33 Denver University STEM undergraduates mentored 67 PLTW students, creating a total of 21, 35-50-minute mentoring sessions that were held throughout the academic year of 2020-21. These mentoring sessions focused on both PLTW-specific topic mentoring, as well as "soft skill" and academic process skill mentoring. This workshop introduces the design and implementation of this very successful program, as well as tips and suggestions for creating similar cooperative experiences in other schools.
Participants completing the session will:
- Identify the characteristics of a near-peer STEM mentoring program that could be replicated or adapted for success in their respective schools and PLTW programs.
- Compare and contrast the near-peer mentoring involved with PLTW-specific topic mentoring and "soft skill" or academic process skill mentoring.
- Analyze the implementation of a collaborative near-peer mentoring program between high school PLTW students and undergraduate STEM students to identify "lessons learned."
Leveraging Community Partnerships
Michael Rubin
Tracks: PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science, PreK-12 Leadership
Uxbridge High School (UHS), a small, suburban, public high school in central Massachusetts, has leveraged partnerships with local industry to create authentic learning opportunities for students and curriculum support for students. In doing so, the PLTW programs at UHS have been used to model a variety of other programs across the state and region, as the school merges these partnerships with traditional content areas in an effort to reimagine what school looks like.
Participants completing the session will:
- Understand the nexus between PLTW programs and effective industry partnerships.
- Leave this presentation with a variety of practices that can be used with faculty, support staff, families, students, and community partners to help drive improvement to learning across all areas.
- See how a whole-school approach to industry partnerships has had a positive impact on the enrollment and performance in PLTW programs.
Rochester Institute of Technology PLTW Undergraduate College Credit
Deborah Cooper, George Zion, and Sarah Pillittere
Tracks: PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science, PreK-12 Leadership
In this session, participants are given an overview of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) PLTW undergraduate college credit program and participate in an in-depth discussion about the credit registration process, benefits of college credit, and the transferability of credit.
Participants completing the session will:
- Understand the RIT PLTW undergraduate college credit program including: courses, student eligibility qualifications, timeline/important dates; Benefits for students; Benefits for schools.
- Understand the credit registration process including: Teacher role and Student/parent roles.
- Allow participants to ask questions and view online registration and website, (timing allowed).
Incorporating Game-based Learning into Your Classroom Experience
Myrtis Smith
Tracks: PLTW Gateway, PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science
Game-based learning is about incorporating games into learning activities. Games provide a safe learning environment, help teach soft skills, and help create a more student centered classroom. This interactive workshop shows how easy it is to incorporate a wide variety of games into your everyday teaching. Games can be used to preview material, assessments, homework, review, and so much more. Games can be online, offline, high-tech, or low-tech. Incorporating more games into your classroom does not require a lot of additional prep and can go a long way in getting your students more engaged.
Participants completing the session will:
- Learn the difference between gamification and game-based learning.
- Learn easy ways to incorporate games into every aspect of their teaching.
- Practice using a variety of games in order to learn when and how to incorporate games into their course.
Create an Action Plan for Implementing and Sustaining a PreK-12 PLTW Program
Janet Cornell, Tiffany Shaw, and Paul Dunlap
Tracks: PLTW Launch, PLTW Gateway, PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science
Discover how a school in Ohio created, grew, and maintained a thriving PreK-12 PLTW program. From its humble beginnings in 2008, Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools has steadily expanded its course offerings, trained staff, and continually increased the number of students impacted. Their PLTW program consistently achieves national, state, and local recognition, and serves as a model for schools looking to implement a robust PreK-12 PLTW program. Learn what is needed to garner community and industry support as you build and sustain your PLTW Program.
Participants completing the session will:
- Create an action plan to assist with implementation of your PLTW PreK-12 Program.
- Develop an understanding of the sequential process necessary to build a highly successful PreK-12 PLTW program and earn methods for maintaining student engagement for PLTW courses from preschool through graduation.
- Learn strategies for enlisting and maintaining financial support from community businesses, associations, and individuals.
Creating a PLTW Implementation Plan
Jamie Mathews and Stephanie Mason
Tracks: PLTW Launch, PLTW Gateway, PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science, PreK-12 Leadership
In this session, participants will learn about how the DeSoto Parish School District revamped their STEM offerings using PLTW Launch, PLTW Gateway, and PLTW High School curriculum. Investigate the strategic planning that occurs between district and school leadership teams in order to increase student access to meaningful STEM programs. The collaborative effort requires creative scheduling and staffing solutions to meet the needs of the diverse student population in the parish.
Participants completing the session will:
- Identify the unique challenges DeSoto Parish Schools faced when implementing PLTW programs in schools across a district with diverse student populations.
- Use sample plans provided to determine how to best plan for future implementation of PLTW in K-12 schools.
- Be better prepared to seek support from district leaders including your Superintendent, Human Resource Manager, STEM Coordinators, or other personnel needed to successfully implement a strong PLTW program.
Human Body Systems Update 2023
April Chancellor, Lauren Beeson, and Shannon Esposito
Track: PLTW Biomedical Science
PLTW's Human Body Systems course is currently under revision for the fall of 2023. Join this session to learn about all the exciting updates coming soon!
Participants completing the session will:
- Learn how the revised Human Body Systems course will preserve elements of the existing course, as well as present students with new challenges, topics, and experiences.
- Examine the equipment and supplies needed to implement the course revision.
- Prepare for the transition to the new course in the 2023-24 school year.
Managing Biomedical Science Labs
Shannon Esposito, Julye Adams, and Kelly Woodruff
Track: PLTW Biomedical Science
Learn best practices for managing your PLTW Biomedical Science labs.
Participants completing the session will:
- Discover best practices for planning and preparing general and specific PLTW Biomedical Science lab activities.
- Identify the best lab materials and tips for running and analyzing general and specific PLTW Biomedical Science labs.
- Recognize the connections between the vendors and the callouts in the curriculum on lab preparation, running, and analysis.
PLTW Common Capstone - Open Review
Jason Rausch and Brendan Murphy
Tracks: PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science
In school year 2021-22, PLTW developed and tested an iteration of Engineering Design and Development titled PLTW Common Capstone. The goal of this test was to determine if the current course could be modified to be more inclusive of students from all three pathways (PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, and PLTW Biomedical Science) with little to no disruption for current Engineering Design and Development teachers and students.
In this session, current Engineering Design and Development, PLTW Computer Science, and PLTW Biomedical Science teachers and participants are asked to provide feedback and insight on additional resources created to support a PLTW Common Capstone.
Participants completing the session will:
- Learn how PLTW Common Capstone builds on and enhances the current Engineering Design and Development curriculum.
- Learn how PLTW Common Capstone supports PLTW Computer Science students and teachers.
- Learn how PLTW Common Capstone supports PLTW Biomedical Science students and teachers.
Connecting Students to Industry: Leveraging Career-Based Learning Opportunities
Erin Dillon, Steve Peterson, Derek Read, and Keith Killebrew
Tracks: PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science, PreK-12 Leadership
A panel of industry and district partners, such as those featured in PLTW impact profiles, share insights into creating and leveraging career-based learning opportunities for students. Learn how being intentional about career-based learning experiences, as well as collaboration with industry and the community can make a difference for student success.
Participants completing the session will:
- Understand how career-based learning can improve student outcomes.
- Gain strategies for creating or improving career-based learning opportunities.
- Gain strategies for establishing or improving partnerships with local industry and their community to provide career-based learning opportunities for students.
Building Robust PreK-12 PLTW Pathways and Scaling Across a Metropolitan STEM Ecosystem
Martha McCabe
Tracks: PLTW Launch, PLTW Gateway, PLTW Biomedical Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Computer Science, PreK-12 Leadership
This session will share detailed strategies and tactics used to scale and support PLTW growth across a metropolitan STEM ecosystem since 2006. Through the support of the Kauffman Foundation and the KC STEM Alliance, a majority of the Kansas City school districts have implemented PreK-12 PLTW pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science to over 90,000 students. This robust implementation model is growing next generation STEM talent critical to support a robust STEM job market in a large metropolitan city.
Participants completing the session will:
- Learn strategies and tactics successfully used to expand student access to STEM education and the importance of inclusion for all students. Gain knowledge about the power of aligned course content and skill scaffolding, and the power of connecting students to possible career opportunities.
- Understand the power of building PreK-12 STEM talent and how it can be scaled across multiple schools and districts. Learn how increased collaboration with business and industry leaders and community partners can help create robust STEM communities of practice.
- Receive the findings from a recent Missouri High School Research Study with key findings related to PLTW students and their success.
Build Thriving PLTW Programs Through Connected Communities
Glade Montgomery, Pat Barnes, Dr. George Zion, Dave Butler, and Michelle Robinson
Tracks: PLTW Launch, PLTW Gateway, PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science, PreK-12 Leadership
If you’re looking to build or expand your PLTW community presence, this is the session for you! Learn about shared best practices between industry, higher education, and K-12. Hear from community experts familiar with building effective collaboration pipelines and get answers to your “how-to” questions.
Participants completing the session will:
- Know how community connections can increase the health and sustainability of your PLTW program. Connected communities are vital to the health of PLTW programs.
- Learn how to develop and nurture school – higher ed – industry collaborations that lead to deeper career learning connections and opportunities for students and teachers.
- Develop strategies and outline next steps to take back to their communities.
Start here for Sustainable Partnerships
Jasen Ritter
Tracks: PLTW Launch, PLTW Gateway, PLTW Computer Science, PLTW Engineering, PLTW Biomedical Science, PreK-12 Leadership
If you’re new to PLTW or a seasoned veteran looking to optimize community partnerships, this is the workshop for you. From identifying community resources to building opportunities for students, this session will look at building a community partnership team from the ground up. Hear how teachers working with robust partnership teams got started and take away resources to maximize the impact of your PLTW program for the school, students, and community.
Participants completing the session will:
- Know how to start a partnership team for sustainable community relationships.
- Develop strategies and resources to support their own community partnership teams and build multidimensional opportunities with community stakeholders.
- Expand overall understanding of PLTW programs as a central resource for community connections and opportunities.
PLTW Summit 2022 is a new and improved event designed to meet educators where they are and give them the tools and tips to facilitate an engaging and actionable learning experience for their students.
Join the experience on Oct. 28-30, 2022 either onsite at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, FL or virtually through our engaging and accessible online platform. Registration includes access to general sessions, workshop sessions, guest speakers, sponsoring partners, networking opportunities, and more.
