It's 2021 - an open door
2020 was a whirlwind of many sorts. To each, the experience of managing life during a pandemic was unique, challenging and memorable. We also collectively experienced the strain of inequities that dwell in our society, and the power of collective voice, both with the surge of movements and protests for black life, and with an election year that we are unlikely to forget in the near future.
Whatever last year held for you, the beauty of the "new year" is the symbolic open door that stands in front of us, ready to be entered. Here at The Umi Project, I am looking back in reflection on the many lessons learned during the last year, but I am equally reflecting on what lies through that open door in 2021 (starting with a new look for our emails, and a stunning new website! - read on).
A big thank you and Happy New Year to all of the wonderful partnerships and clients that persevered throughout this past year and continued to look for the silver linings in the work we do. And a big thank you to you, reader and subscriber, who inspire me daily to keep on keeping on in this work.
Read on for a look back at 2020, and what we're excited for in the new year.
2021 - let's go!
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Meet Founder and Lead Consultant Dr. Kay Sturm.
Learn more about Kay here.
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Who is behind these emails every month? That's me!
Every month, I send out an Inbox Intentional Design letter, usually filled with resources that inspire my work, links that have been passed on from colleagues and friends in education, and tips on approaching your work through the lens of intentional design.
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I'm grateful for the steadfast partnerships and projects in 2020...
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- Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, I visited the Anchorage STrEaM Academy every month, where I worked with their teachers and coaching staff on building collaborative coaching cycles for middle school project design. Even after the shift to virtual learning in March, teachers were enthusiastic and innovative about how to bring experiential and hands-on learning to their students.
- Even after the COVID-19 hit, DreamHouse 'Ewa Beach remained resilient as ever. The Umi Project once again facilitated the onboarding process for the new 7th-grade team with a second round of the online course, The Project-Based Practice. The course brought together a new teaching staff in the midst of a pandemic and together we built community, collaborative norms, and common values for the SY 2020-21.
- Also early in the year, we shared our first product designed with and for the homeschooling community in partnership with Homer Connections Homeschool. The free Home Learning Project Planner was designed for parents taking the leap into homeschool or simply, school at home, and hoping to bring in a more authentic experience for their kids. The goal was to support families in doing skills-based, place-based, PROJECT-based learning in the homeschool environment.
- Continued our work with Green Island Films in developing the Educator's Toolkit for the film, A Climate for Change. In February, I gathered with 20 other educators at Hanahou'oli School in Honolulu to brainstorm for the Episode 1 projects, which we released in August. The toolkit is an incredible resource for teachers looking to build climate literacy and science into their teaching, as well as increase their skills in facilitating high-quality project-based learning.
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As we moved, as a society, to a 'virtually 100% virtual world' this year, The Umi Project also evolved to take on new partnerships and projects.
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- Worked with the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) to support them in conducting a Market Analysis and Community Needs Assessment.
- Helped the Kachemak Bay Environmental Educators Alliance (KBEEA) design their new website, coming soon!
- Dove headfirst into supporting a local school in beginning their first Strategic Planning journey.
- Teamed up with Terra.do, an online climate school, to design new programming for high schoolers in 2021.
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2020 was also a year for content and project development, with the goal of putting more resources into your hands, and ultimately into the learning environments of your students and communities:
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Here's what Kay wrote for you in 2020:
- Adaptation in the Time of COVID-19: Making Big Decisions to Ensure Equitable Access to Virtual Learning (Green Schools National Network)
- Rethinking Distance Learning, and How to Make It Work for All Students (PBL Works Blog)
- 5 Ways to Integrate “Place” into PBL (PBL Works Blog)
- Personalized PBL: Not Just Students on Computers (PBL Works Blog)
Here are some projects that you can try in 2021 with students:
- Think Globally, Act Locally (Science, Grades 9-12, PBL Works)
- Sounds Like Sustainability (ELA, Secondary, PBL Works)
- Projects in the Educator's Toolkit (Interdisciplinary, Secondary, in collaboration with Green Island Films)
- Nature Maps! (Kindergarten-1st, in collaboration with Tiny Trees)
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There is so much new learning, growth, and collaboration to look forward to in 2021! I'm wrapping up the year with a momentum that will cross into the new year, from developing new content, designing new opportunities for learning, and creating programming and projects for student-centered experiences.
Stay connected with a monthly email, or follow The Umi Project on Instagram and Facebook.
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Thanks for being apart of this community of intentional design.
Yours in 2021,
Kay Sturm
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