By Kathleen Berger, Executive Producer of Science and Technology

St. Louis area science teachers take time over the summer to engage in science experiments at Washington University in St. Louis. KJ Haywood, a middle school science teacher at Lift for Life Academy, is planning to bring the hands-on experiments back to his classroom this school year.

“I think it helps students to understand how the world works, how things are produced, how they’re made, how to mix things together,” said Haywood. “To me, STEM is all encompassing of everything.”

The excitement Haywood has for science aligns with the goals for elementary and middle school teachers participating in mySci, a signature program of the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis. According to WashU, mySci is dedicated to creating equity in science learning through hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum that nurtures critical thinking and creativity. Lift for Life Academy is among the approximate 265 area schools participating in the mySci program.

“I was introduced to mySci my first year at Lift for Life Academy. It’s the science curriculum that we use. I come here (to WashU) to be able to learn more about the curriculum, how to use it in my classroom with my students, and how to engage with them more,” said Haywood.

Over the summer, Haywood worked in groups with science teachers from across the metro to complete several middle school science experiments.  Haywood said he approached the hands-on experiments from the perspective of his students.

“I really like the conductivity station (experiment). For them to understand what conductivity is, how it works, different materials that actually have currents that run through them,” said Haywood.

The mySci program is helping teachers become comfortable with hands-on science. The summer classes are taught by experienced educators who work with partner schools/districts to assess needs and develop implementation plans. Heather Milo is one of the mySci Instructional Specialists.

“The teachers are engaging in actual activities that they will be teaching,” Milo said. “What is the content? What are students doing? What does it look like? What does it sound like?  What does it feel like?”

The mySci curriculum teachers are turning their classrooms into learning labs using mySci kits that are delivered to the schools. The kits include materials for classroom science experiments. More than 13,000 mySci kits leave a WashU warehouse every year, delivered to schools across the St. Louis region.

“Over 90% of the schools are using mySci in the St. Louis area,” said May. “I’m really excited about the breath of it and consider that a big success.”