Students currently in Maine classrooms will graduate into a world filled with complex, interrelated challenges. Maine educators need access to innovative tools to foster students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills and equip learners with the skills needed to analyze and address multifaceted issues. To ensure that Maine educators have what they need, the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Office of Innovative Teaching and Learning is collaborating with the Institute of Humane Education (IHE). Together, both teams are excited to offer Maine’s educators a unique opportunity to delve into professional learning centered around IHE’s Solutionary Framework and Solutionary Micro-credential Program, as well as access to other customized instructional resources.
The partnership between IHE and the Maine DOE seeks to inspire and support educators to cultivate a generation of Solutionaries, change makers capable of effectively addressing and resolving real-world problems. The expanded Maine Solutionaries Project will provide high quality cohort-based professional learning opportunities for teachers to learn how to facilitate inquiry-to-action projects with their students and make available resources to support real-world, transdisciplinary, project-based learning.
“I am so delighted that we have this opportunity to partner with the Maine Department of Education to bring the Solutionary Framework to teachers and students throughout Maine” says Zoe Weil, IHE’s co-founder and president and author of the book used in the course, The World Becomes What We Teach.
The Maine DOE believes it is important for students to develop the agency, optimism, and skills they need to address problems they care about in their schools and communities. Solutionary teaching and learning is a highly engaging flexible approach to improving students’ knowledge, skills, and confidence.
Use this Maine Solutionaries Project registration link to sign up for this exciting project.
Interested in learning more? The Maine DOE and IHE are scheduling two informational webinars for educators.
Wed March 6 3:30-4:30 https://mainestate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jBR-2FQzRS6TchfaCdsEZQ
Tuesday March 12 3:30-4:30 https://mainestate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6zCY94ZNTGCjhBQBS6Tdjg
During the webinars you will be able to:
- Learn more about the Maine Solutionaries Project
- Preview the Solutionary Framework, a flexible process to guide inquiry to action projects
- Find out how you can participate in one of the cohorts focused on topics like Climate Change, Food Waste, Plastics Pollution and Water Quality.
- Discover the ability to earn educator stipends and additional funding to support Solutionary student projects
The Maine DOE utilized federal emergency relief funding to offer this program to Maine educators.
For questions related to the Maine Solutionaries Project, please contact Kathy Bertini, Interdisciplinary Instruction Team Coordinator, Office of Teaching and Learning/Innovation, at kathy.bertini@maine.gov.