Educational Dividends: Press Release: EnergyNet Teacher Races Ahead

EnergyNet Teacher Races Ahead with Innovative Ideas in Education
Successes Based on Educational Dividend's Model for Real World Learning

Champaign, IL. - The students in Joe Lindbloom's physics class at Oak Forest High School in Illinois are designing cars of the future. It's exciting for them and even more exciting for their teacher because Lindbloom sees that his teaching actively involves students in their education, motivates them to learn, involves them in the community and models the real world. To Joe Lindbloom, this type of teaching is where education should be headed.

Lindbloom credits the EnergyNet project, created and managed by Educational Dividends of Champaign, Illinois, for showing him how real world problem solving can impact his students and his classroom environment. He says he learned the concepts that he currently uses on an "Energy Research Vehicle" project from EnergyNet training he received three years ago.

Lindbloom's teaching is getting noticed. He was one of three finalists for the National Science Teachers Association "Teacher of the Year" award this year. The Superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education dropped in for a visit a couple of months ago to see the "Energy Research Vehicle" project in action. Through the project, students and teachers in several disciplines work together. The plant science students grow soybeans for the car's fuel. The chemistry students create the fuel using the soybeans. The physics and technology students make the car run while other classes work on grant writing, publish a newspaper and develop community support for the project.

Lindbloom says students are learning to use skills from many disciplines together on one project just as they would in the real world. Lindbloom's students learn that they each have different strengths and can use those strengths to work together. It's the type of project that moves students from passive learners to being actively involved in their education. Lindbloom believes this is the best way of teaching for all students.

Carol Timms who is President of Educational Dividends says, "Using our insight into the real world needs of business and education, our staff members develop innovative solutions that improve learning for students. However, schools need support to adopt these types of projects because they call for change in their current models of teaching." Lindbloom says the administration at Oak Forest High School understands the struggles that come with change and are willing to move forward because they know the benefits for their students.

Educational Dividends also knows the benefits for students. EnergyNet, the company's model project, has seen six years of successes which are documented in Best Practices- a publication that verifies the exciting improvements that can happen in education. EnergyNet's Best Practices is available to view or download on-line at EnergyNet's web site at http://www.energynet.net/best_practices/index.html. For more on Educational Dividends contact Sharla Sola by calling the toll free number 877-359-9444.

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