What is Project Excite?
Project EXCITE provides sustained, reform-based professional development to guide teams of teachers through the process of creating and implementing an interdisciplinary learning module. These modules focuses on:
- relevant and engaging topics for 4th -9th graders
- local environmental health science issues
- problem-solving and investigation skills
- hands-on, minds-on learning
Teams of 4 or more teachers, from a variety of disciplines, participate in Project EXCITE for a two-year period. During this time, Project Staff aid teachers in networking with community agencies, local scientists, and BGSU faculty. Project EXCITE also provides instructional resources and support.
Project EXCITE's foundation is based on the combination of Environmental Health Science and problem-based learning. EHS topics connect classroom learning to real-life issues that engage and interest students. PBL encourages students to direct their own learning process and to assume the active role of a problem-solver. Together, the stage is set for students to develop critical thinking skills, self-reflection, independence, and deeper levels of understanding all in the context of real-life topics.
Over the course of the project, three cohorts consisting of three to six teams each participate in this rigorous two-year professional development experience. In total, 15 school teams (90 educators and 18 administrators) and over 4,000 students will be directly served.
In addition, Project EXCITE offers instructional resources and workshops for teachers hoping to be more involved with PBL or EHS. Educators who are unable to participate in the active cohort can sign up for our one or two day workshops for an intense introduction to Project EXCITE. We have also developed multiple EHS/PBL learning modules on a variety of topics that are available for purchase.
Awarded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences under the program "Environmental Health Science as an Integrating Context for Learning," this grant is directed by Bowling Green State University Principal Investigators: Chris Keil, Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Jodi Haney, Associate Professor of Science Education.
