When Chris Byam started teaching computer-aided design classes at the Kokomo Area Career Center in 2000, he was the first teacher in Indiana teaching Project Lead the Way curriculum.

He’s taught the class, the high school entry-level course in the pre-engineering curriculum, since then, and starting this fall, he will teach engineering design and development, which is the senior capstone course in the program.

He looks forward to seeing how much the students have learned since his introductory class.

“I see these guys as freshmen. Once they leave me, I don’t see them again except in the halls. It might be cool to see how they’ve turned out.”

This week, he was one of more than 100 teachers from around the state participating in Project Lead the Way training at Purdue University School of Technology at Kokomo.

The first session started June 15 and will run through Friday. A second session is planned July 6 to 18. More than 180 teachers, most from Indiana, are expected to attend.

The workshops prepare teachers to teach Project Lead the Way classes at their school. Workshop topics include aerospace engineering, biotechnical engineering, civil engineering and architecture, computer-integrated manufacturing, digital electronics, engineering design and development, gateway to technology, introduction to engineering design and principles of engineering.

Kevin D. Taylor, interim director of the College of Technology at Kokomo, said the Kokomo campus is the only training site in Indiana, other than the biomedical workshop at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

Workshops are taught by master teachers, those who have previous experience with the curriculum.

Kelli McGregor, who has taught Project Lead the Way at the Kokomo Area Career Center, is one of the master teachers. She’s taught the classes for five years, and said she likes how it integrates English, science and math all in one program, giving her students a chance to use all those skills at once.

She said there are about 120 new teachers attending the Purdue training sessions.

Rene Bailey, Project Lead the Way program assistant, said there were 107 teachers in the first session, and 75 are expected in July. An additional 30 will attend a NASA training session in July. Registration is still available for that program, she added.

She said about half the teachers attending the training are there for the first time.

According to Purdue officials, Project Lead the Way started in 1997 in 11 schools in two states. It is now offered to more than 250,000 students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S.; Ontario, Canada; United States Virgin Islands; and in Derby, England. More than 6,000 teachers have attended a training workshop at one of 35 colleges or universities.

Nearly 3,000 schools have adopted the Project Lead the Way curriculum. With more than 300 schools, Indiana leads the nation in the number schools using Project Lead the Way curricula.

Danielle Rush may be reached at (765) 454-8585 or via e-mail at danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com



Registration available for program:

The Purdue College of Technology at Kokomo is one of two sites nationwide that will host a weeklong NASA workshop on lunar exploration designed to give Project Lead the Way teachers new ideas for getting students engaged in math and science.

The workshop is July 13-19 at the Kokomo campus.

During the seminar, teachers will learn how to create a lesson plan for students to design their own mission plan to explore a lunar surface using science, technology, engineering and math content knowledge. Teachers will learn how to map a planet's terrain and build and remotely control a robot equipped with sensors that can help find frozen water.

Registration is $100 per person. Each school is responsible for the cost of transportation, rooms and meals. For more information, call Rene Bailey at (765) 455-9571.