Van Andel Institute for Education student engagement Archives

16 May 2022

Willy Wonka Moments: Creating a Classroom of Pure Imagination

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Tagsauthenticity, classroom culture, creativity, education, inspiration, instruction, lesson planning, student engagement, teaching profession, Terra Tarango

Would it surprise you to learn that a child initiated the idea for creating the indelible 1971 movie classic, Willy Wonka and...

13 May 2022

Engaging Students in Scientific Inquiry

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Tagscuriosity, education, Growth Mindset, instruction, relevance, strategies, student choice, student engagement, teaching profession, Terra Tarango

What makes a good scientist? I asked this question of more than 20 biomedical researchers at the Van Andel Institute and you...

9 May 2022

The Power of Play

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Tags21st century skills, classroom culture, creativity, education, Growth Mindset, Jamie MacPherson, strategies, student engagement, teaching profession, Terra Tarango

One of the biggest challenges teachers often face is trying to balance age-appropriate academic rigor with the need for kids to just...

6 May 2022

Keep Learning Weird

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Tags21st century skills, Ben Talsma, Blue Apple, classroom culture, creativity, education, Growth Mindset, inspiration, student engagement

The secretary was a little nervous, I could tell. A strange man was hobbling up the stairs. His shirt was torn. He...

2 May 2022

The STEAM Dream Team: Celebrating AANHPI Innovators

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TagsBlue Apple, critical thinking, education, innovation, inspiration, relevance, Ryan Duncan, science education, STEM, student engagement

May is a month where the United States celebrates Asian American, Pacific Islander, and as of 2021, Native Hawaiian heritage. The diversity...

29 Apr 2022

A Taste of STEM

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Tags21st century skills, Blue Apple, education, instruction, lesson planning, Ryan Duncan, STEM, strategies, student engagement, VAEI

I have unfortunately reached the stage of my life where my metabolism no longer functions. I’m sure many readers have also experienced...

27 Apr 2022

The Importance of Brainshapers

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Tags21st century skills, assessment, Ben Talsma, classroom culture, connection, education, Growth Mindset, relevance, science, student engagement

If you remember anything from this blog post, I’ve changed your brain. It’s amazing, really, how an unfathomable organ inside your head...

25 Apr 2022

Strategies for Fostering Student SEL

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Tags21st century skills, critical thinking, culture and climate, Empathy, Growth Mindset, inspiration, Ryan Duncan, student engagement, teaching profession

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about social-emotional learning. Social-Emotional learning, or SEL for short, is the process through which all young...