Integrated Project Week (IPW)
IPW is a designated week of the school year where groups of students are assigned to an IPW course to explore a topic or theme in depth, in a project-based format. A teachers’ curriculum for IPW week could be a combination of classroom work, field trips, guest speakers and workshops that culminate in a showcase event. This program was developed in an effort to improve the design and delivery of Earth Institute’s programs related to the ecology, biodiversity and environmental sustainability of urban ecosystems. EICES’s IPW training model utilizes the development of hands-on, inquiry-based experiential learning curricula. Teachers from all disciplines use this approach to create meaning and context for their students.
Middle School Partnership (MSP)
Through MSP, EICES works with NYC Title I middle schools, training teachers to develop hands-on, inquiry-based, ecology-driven curriculum units with an accompanying teacher resource plan and assessment rubric to promote student-centered teaching and learning. Project-based learning is used for more effective student-centered teaching (and learning). It enhances the acquisition of skills in science, math, literacy, analysis and cognition, and it encourages students to engage in creative interdisciplinary thinking, problem solving, and team work.