“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” (Albert Einstein)
Who am I. My name is Charlene Ellingson, and I will be teaching the STEAM class (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics). I am thrilled to be teaching at Jenny Lind, and looking forward to a fun year! In my free time I like to read, write, walk with my dogs, cook, and spend time at my cabin.
This is my first year at Jenny Lind, but I have been in the district for 16 years. I taught 9th grade for 13 years, after that I went back to earn my Ph.D. in STEM Education (I will graduate this school year), and for the last three years I have been writing elementary STEM curriculum and doing STEM training for teachers.
What we will do. In this course, you will be working in collaborative teams to improve your thinking and learning in multiple subjects -- science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. The goal of the class is for you to develop your STEAM literacy through making prototypes that are possible solutions to real world problems and communicating them to others. For example, redesigning a toy to make it better or making furniture that can hold a person using only cardboard. The goal is for you to become more adept at personal and academic expression through making prototypes to solve problems (engineering), then writing (and speaking) about them.
“Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.” (Isaac Asimov)
How to reach me. You can reach me through e-mail at charlene.ellingson@mpls.k12.mn.us or by cell phone at 612-408-7241.