On April 16th and 17th, Divine Savior Academy administrators Tim Biesterfeld, Ryan Kirchoff, Ryan Loberger, Ben Troge, and Amelia Nemmers attended the 2018 Innovation Institute entitled “Reaching the Finnish Line.” Finland has been a leader in education excellence for the past 15 years. Two educators from Finland shared the content and rationale for the latest curriculum being implemented in their country. “It was encouraging learning about some innovative ways that Finland is promoting active student learning,” expressed Mr. Kirchoff. “They really do make the students the stars.” Mr. Loberger also realizes the relevance of DSA studying other educational systems. ”It is important that we see where our curriculum is, and where we need it to be. Learning more about Finland’s school system, and some of the cutting edge educational practices gives us the opportunity to reflect and see what we are doing well, as well as steps we will take in the future.”
The conference also featured workshops related to Computer Science. DSA teachers and administrators built a variety of projects related to circuitry, coding, and engineering. Experimenting with micro:bits, practicing basic coding with Scratch, and building a remote control underwater robot were just a few of the projects completed. Miss Nemmers saw a direct connection between the content of the conference and her own classroom. “The Innovation Institute gave me the opportunity to witness exciting classroom strategies and technology first-hand. I returned to my classroom excited to plan and implement the new ideas that were shared.”
Mr. Troge expressed the value of attending a conference like this, “DSA prides itself on making sure our students are receiving an education that will help them succeed in today’s competitive working environment. Attending conferences like this helps our administrators ensure our school’s curriculum and instruction meets those needs.”
The Innovation Institute was held at the Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale campuses of Pine Crest School.
Written By: Ryan Kirchoff, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Divine Savior Academy – Doral
