Professional Development Schools Network

Minnetrista

1200 N Minnetrista Parkway
Muncie, IN 47303
Telephone: 765-213-3540
FAX: 765-741-5110

President and CEO: Betty Brewer

Minnetrista Web site 

 
Annual Review
June 1, 2006

Background
Located in the center of Muncie, Minnetrista is an informal learning environment with 40+ acres, a museum, an historic home, a nature area, gardens, a cabin, and other educational buildings. White River and the Cardinal Greenway run through a portion of our campus. Minnetrista has 65 paid positions and countless volunteer positions. We have a full time position dedicated to working with our school programs, another dedicated to working with family programs, and a full time position working with adult programs. Additionally, we have support staff for the educators, consisting of content personnel (a naturalist and a horticulturalist) and interpreters to help deliver the programs. The 2005-2006 year has been one of transition for Minnetrista. We have experienced some turnover in our education staff. This has led to a change in how we view our PDS affiliation. We would like to grow our involvement in this program to more accurately reflect the educational opportunities that exist for people at Minnetrista. In essence, we do not want to try to fit into the school model. We want to forge ahead with the benefits of balancing education for children with experiential learning that comes from museums.

PDS Functions/Goals

Teacher Preparation

Goal:

  1. Develop four professional development workshops for teachers/educators that are thematic-based using Minnetrista resources.
  2. Strengthen and grow our teacher resource center (educational artifacts and archives for teacher borrowing).
  3. Secure an intern position from the elementary education department to work with our school educator.
  4. Begin working with content area professors to introduce the use of non-classroom resources to supplement classroom learning.
  5. Begin having some education students do their Community Volunteer Service hours with Minnetrista.

Progress:

  1. Minnetrista developed four professional development workshops—Environmental Art, Capturing Indiana, Raptors: Birds of Prey, and School Yard Gardening. Of these, only the Capturing Indiana and Raptors: Birds of Prey were held due to low registration.
  2. An inventory was made of the teacher education kits.
  3. The intern position was not secured because the grant that was going to be used for that position was not received. (change in educator was to blame)
  4. Content area professors were not contacted to introduce the use of non-classroom resources to supplement classroom learning though presentations were made to the EDRDG 430 class and a history class in the use of Minnetrista to supplement classroom learning.
  5. There were four education students that did volunteer service with Minnetrista this school year.

Goal for 2006-07:

  1. Develop four (4) professional development workshops for teachers/educators that are thematic based using Minnetrista resources. Have on tap a three-part history series, an open house of
  2. Minnetrista on our resources, and a workshop on the river.
    Strengthen and grow our teacher resource center using education students from social studies and science methods classes.
  3. Secure an intern position from the elementary education department to work with our school educator in the spring.
  4. Actively pursue education students to do their volunteer hours with Minnetrista.

Staff Development

Goal:

  1. Begin offering Minnetrista staff in-services.
  2. Provide online resources for teachers to supplement classroom learning.

Progress:

  1. Chris presented a session on group management to the interpreters who lead school tours.
  2. Minnetrista went on-line with our programming and teacher packets.

Goal for 2006-07:

  1. Begin offering Minnetrista staff in-services.
  2. Continue to add more resources on-line.

Research

Goal:

  1. Complete research on the Nature Connection Program to show the impact of this program on children.
  2. Continue using developed student learning survey during 2005-2006 school year.

Progress:

These goals were not actively pursued this past year.

Goal for 2006-07:

  1. Complete research on the Nature Connection Program to show the impact of this program on children.
  2. Continue using developed student learning survey during 2005-2006 school year.

Student Learning (quantitative and/or qualitative)

Goal:

  1. Introduce new learning opportunities for children—new school tours.
  2. Continue using developed student learning survey during 2005-2006 school year.

Progress:

  1. There were changes made to several school tours: Johnny Appleseed and Woodland Indians. These tours were divided into two age levels to better meet the needs of the students.
  2. Student learning surveys were not used this year.

Goal for 2006-07:

  1. Introduce new learning opportunities for children that are rich in Indiana state standards—new school tours.
  2. Use developed student learning surveys during 2006-2007 school year.

Prepared by: Chris Hannah, School Educator, and Rebecca Holmquist, Director of Programs,