Three University of Iowa College of Education alumni are being recognized as innovative, engaging educators by the Iowa Children’s Museum and its inaugural Robert E. Yager Active Learning Award.

The award, created by the museum and UI Science Education professor emeritus Yager, will be presented to Sarah Kalsem, who received a Bachelor of Science in 1987 and a Master of Arts in 1989 and is a kindergarten teacher at Shimek Elementary in Iowa City; Sherri Clemence, who received a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 and is a first-grade teacher at Penn Elementary in North Liberty; and Ted Proctor, who received a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 and is a third- and fourth-grade teacher at Horn Elementary in Iowa City. Connie Stusak, a second-grade teacher at Jackson Elementary in Cedar Rapids, also won one of the inaugural awards.

Deb Dunkhase, executive director of the museum, says the award was born out of the museum’s desire to celebrate the classrooms where active learning thrives in our community.

“Because the Iowa Children’s Museum’s mission is dedicated to inspiring every child to imagine, create, discover, and explore through the power of play, we wanted to create a way to honor local educators who embody the benefits of active learning,” Dunkhase says.

The Iowa Children’s Museum’s list of Top 10 Reasons why active learning is critical to child development:

• Encourages students to tap into their prior knowledge which is key to learning.
• Helps students to make personal connections to content.
• Gives students access to immediate feedback.
• Forces students to rely on real experiences rather than rote memory.
• Increases students’ self-confidence in their ability to guide their own learning.
• Is more motivating to students than the passive activity of listening to lectures.
• Allows students to take pride in their accomplishments, individually or as a group, giving the experience value to the student.
• Promotes cooperation as students learn from each other.
• Promotes tolerance and understanding as students learn to work with people of different beliefs/perspectives to solve problems together.
• Has the potential to truly change student conceptions.

Proctor says winning the award, which was based on community nominations, is a tremendous honor.

“In my classroom, active learning is important as it gets students excited, keeps them engaged, and allows them to take ownership of their learning,” Proctor says.

Proctor was nominated by Laura Westemeyer, whose son was in his class. In her nomination, she says Proctor’s emphasis on active learning, including a science fair and an interdisciplinary project to build a replica of Kinnick Stadium, helped her son learn to love school.

Yager, an internationally known champion of inquiry-based science education, says the award meshes with his philosophies.

“I’m pleased to support this outstanding use of teaching that results directly in learning as opposed to teaching that is the sharing of indoctrination,” Yager says.

The awards come with a prize package worth $1,575 for each teacher and include classroom field trips and museum passes. Awards will be presented at the museum’s annual Celebrate Play Gala on Nov. 9.

The “Boots and Bling” themed event will feature a five-course dinner, “Western” games of chance, a live auction, silent auction, cocktails, and surprise guests at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9 at the Coralville Marriott. For reservations or more information, visit www.theicm.org/whats-happening/gala-2012.

The Iowa Children’s Museum features hands-on learning opportunities. It is located in the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville and sees 145,000 visitors each year.