Experiential Learning Labs

Help LJA scholars revitalize their Experiential Learning Labs! As our community of learners is ever changing, we are looking to develop new Experiential Learning Labs offered during our JTerm programming. 

JTerm is in its 8th year of implementation and we are asking for your support to revitalize our Experiential Learning Labs.  By giving our scholars the autonomy and agency to create their own courses, we are able to: 

• Increase students’ engagement, interest, and test scores through interdisciplinary and experiential learning labs

• Increase scholars' leadership as they become more competent and confident applying 21st Century skills through experiential learning labs. 

• A more in-depth STEM Ecosystem that is building a STEM literate community, including caregivers, as they support their scholars learning lab experiences.

• Introduce STEM subjects in an environment where exploration and creativity pique an interest that motivates scholars to see themselves in a STEM career.

• Provide opportunities for scholars to see how their individual innovative skills will allow them to become leaders in a variety of STEM fields.

Your financial support will sustain planning, curriculum, supplies, and experiential outings.  Sample course our scholars are interested in improving and *creating*   

• Technovation: Scholars become coders and programmers. Using software from MIT, scholars learn entrepreneurial skills alongside current computer engineers.  The scholars work in tandem to create a business plan and sell their innovative idea for solving a self-identified issue that addresses a local issue.

• Outdoor Winter Survival: Scholars learn how to survive an MN winter stranded outdoors.  Scholars go off-site; utilizing group skills, perseverance, and creativity they learn to enjoy and function in an MN winter. Working with local wilderness personnel, scholars work on fire building and outdoor cooking, shelter building, snowshoeing, and ice fishing. 

• CSI LJA: Scholars become crime scene investigators. Partnering with volunteers from the Science Museum they collaborate to collect evidence and data pertinent to solving a series of crimes. They discuss and analyze principles of inheritance, DNA samples, skeletal structure and characteristics of hair and skin and write up their findings. 

• Courtyard Creation: Scholars become designers. Using architecture design concepts like color and texture, girls will collaborate to create a design for LJA’s courtyard. Teachers will partner with local Environmental Institutes and the University of Minnesota’s Arboretum for expertise and mentorship regarding urban architecture.

• *Create and Ride*: Partnering with a local non-profit, LJA scholars will work to create their own skateboards.  From selection of wood species and wheels to the design of the board, scholars will learn how to create, build and ride.  

• *Electric Guitar*: Scholars will engineer their own electric guitars.  Beyond engineering, scholars will also engage in lessons around acoustics, geometry, structural dynamics, material properties, and electronic and project management.  

• And others like Roller Coaster Science, Art for Social Change, Write to Be Me, Cars & Catapults, Fan Fiction/Graphic Novels, Vocal Music, Photography and more! 

We appreciate your support of Laura Jeffrey Academy!