Beakerhead Ingenuity Challenge

Beakerhead Ingenuity Challenge

Beakerhead

Beakerhead creates educational opportunities for students in grades K-12 to expand "the space of the possible" by providing multiple authentic extensions into cross-curricular and hands-on content at the crossroads of art, science, and engineering. We use art and culture to advance science and engineering as part of everyday life and encourage everyone to participate. Beakerhead reduces social friction, so everyone can explore at the crossroads of science, engineering, and art. It is an expression of the smart and flexible world we are building together, with an unabashed positive sense of inclusion. Delightful, quirky, hands-on, and inspiring.

Each Fall, Beakerhead invites classrooms to participate in an Ingenuity Challenge. Participating pre-service teachers will plan and implement a province-wide challenge for students in Grades K-12, fostering creativity and innovation while learning how teachers and organizations design content for STEAM learners of all ages.

Who?

Best fit for students in their EDUC 400s or their non-education years

Designing content for students in Grades K-12

What?

Distance, classroom-based program

Focus on innovation, creativity, science, and the arts

When?

2-3 hours per week during school hours

October-February

25 hour time commitment

Where?

Participating schools come from across Calgary and Alberta, but most placement activities will take place at the Beakerhead Office at 1405 4 St SW

Logistics


What's Involved

  • The Ingenuity Challenge connects students to STEAM and creativity by mailing schools a "mystery package" in November of each year. Students are challenged to use the materials and a prompt to design something that addresses a real need in their community. Participating classrooms receive their packages, create their piece, and submit their work in January.
  • Participating pre-service teachers will work with Beakerhead staff to plan, design, and implement this year's Ingenuity Challenge. In October, participants will prepare a 1-page prompt for each school to spark their thinking, and plan how they will ship ingenuity packages to the schools participating across Alberta.
  • Pre-service teachers will support "Bolts of Ingenuity", a series of PD Webinars and class visits designed to support participating teachers and introduce them to how they can use design thinking techniques in their classroom.
  • Participants will also work with Beakerhead staff to design a rubric for assessing each submission. As submissions come in, participants will evaluate students' work and help to select a winner for this year's challenge.

Requirements

Pre-service teachers need a current Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening (issued after July 1, 2021). Students who do not already have a police check should begin this process at their local police station as soon as possible, as police checks often take 4-6 weeks to process.


Werklund Dates and Times

FALL 2023 (Application is now closed.)

  • Werklund Fall 2023 Wrap-Up Session: Friday, December 8, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Zoom)
  • Fall 2023 Placements End: mid-December

WINTER 2024

  • Winter 2024 application will open on November 20, 2024.
  • Werklund Winter 2024 Orientation: Monday, December 11, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Zoom) 
  • Winter 2024 Placements Start: early January (program dependent)
  • Werklund Winter 2024 Check-In Session: Monday, January 29 at
    • 9:30 am - 10:30 am (in-person) or
    • 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm (Zoom)
  • Werklund Winter 2024 Wrap-Up Session: Tuesday, March 12, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Zoom)
  • Winter 2024 Placements End: mid-March (program dependent)

Beakerhead Ingenuity Challenge Dates

  • Design and Implement the Ingenuity Challenge: October-November
  • Package Prep: November 2020, date TBD
  • Classroom visits: December 2020 - January 2021
  • Evaluate Submissions / Announce Winners: February
  • Participating pre-service teachers will work with Beakerhead staff ~2-3 hours per week from October to mid-February. Individual schedules will depend on student availability but will generally take place during the school day.

Making Connections

  • Throughout the semester, pre-service teachers will curate their volunteering experiences using a creative medium (e.g., photos, art, storyboarding, videos, etc.) that best reflects their experiences in the program. Your creative reflections will form part of a public showcase of Werklund student experiences later in the year.
  • Pre-service teachers will participate in 2 group meetings: one at the mid-point and another at the end of their placement (1 hour each). These group meetings provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to reflect on the community placement experience and to guide improvements for the program.

Applications are now closed. Please check back for more updates.

Beakerhead

Want to learn more about Beakerhead?

Visit the Beakerhead website

Learning more about STEM/STEAM and how to contextualize these teachings for students was really interesting. Getting hands-on experience leading students in group activities and being able to gain experience made for a cool opportunity!

Beakerhead Participant