On June 22–24, 2004, 145 educators from across the country converged on the University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor to attend the second annual Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) National Conference. Participants spent three days learning about the Ford PAS curriculum and other elements of the program, sharing their experiences with one another, and developing new ideas for implementing the program at their own schools. The conference was designed to introduce and explore all aspects of the Ford PAS program.
Attendees received training in each of the 15 project-based interdisciplinary curricular modules. Other aspects of Ford PAS were explored in side sessions that allowed partners who are already implementing the program to share their experiences on such topics as developing a Business Education Advisory Council (BEAC), establishing articulation agreements with institutions of higher education, and cultivating students’ critical-thinking skills.
See the links below for more conference highlights.
Module Training Sessions
Students
Side Sessions
Social Gatherings
The conference days were filled with opportunities to experience an activity or two within each module as students would. Teachers experienced the joy and occasional frustration that is a natural part of teamwork, which is infused throughout the Ford PAS curriculum. In the session on Module 6—Planning for Efficiency, participants attempted to construct the tallest paper tower possible while also trying to adhere to a particular organizational structure—from a traditional hierarchy to consensus-based decision-making to a structure-less environment—to demonstrate how different managerial structures can help or hinder the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations.
In the session on Module 10—Reverse Engineering, teachers and students worked together to reverse engineer smashed clay pots, which were meant to simulate a large-scale engineering failure and show how engineering techniques are used to determine the cause of the failure. Participants determined where and how another team had smashed its pot by reconstructing the crash site.
Several current and former students also attended the conference. They participated in sessions, offering valuable perspectives and insight. They also hosted a session where they displayed some of their own Ford PAS work.
The students’ Ford PAS experiences ranged from an extended Saturday enrichment program to a formal course jointly offered by their school and local community college, for which they received credit from both institutions. Sample projects ranged from resumes and cover letters to formal business plans for an organic café and a hip-hop clothing and record store. This session gave teachers a formal opportunity to discuss with students their work and experiences with Ford PAS.
Panelists
share their programs and experiences with
Ford PAS conference
participants. From left to right are Maggie
Mangini (Arizona State University),
Cal Williams (Children's Aid
Society of Southeastern Michigan), Dr. Joseph
Hoffman (West Bloomfield
School District, Michigan), Eduardo Garcia
(National Council of
La Raza), and Elaine Borelli (University of New Mexico).
Elliot
Washor (Big Picture Company and the Met School in Rhode Island)
is
unfortunately out of view.
This past year has been filled with many developments in the use of Ford PAS. A session entitled Emerging Models of Ford PAS gave several partners the opportunity to share their stories. Presenters from six different organizations explained their work with Ford PAS, ranging from informal educational offerings (after-school, weekend, and summer programs) provded by schools, social service agencies, universities, and other community-based organizations to courses offered at the high school and university levels.
Partners shared their challenges and successes with the other conference participants, generating numerous questions, and sparking further discussion.
The conference wasn’t all work, however. Throughout the conference, participants had the opportunity to network and socialize with educators from across the country.
One of the highlights of the conference was a special tour of the new Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan. The famous plant, in which Henry Ford revolutionized the manufacturing process, was completely redesigned in 2000 according to lean and sustainable manufacturing principles in order to serve as a model for the future of manufacturing (and for Module 5).
The tour was followed by a dinner at the Colonial Era Eagle Tavern on the grounds of Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village, where participants dined on traditional Colonial Era dishes and were served by staff in period costume.
Click here to see highlights of the 2003 conference!
A project of EDC. Education Development Center, Inc., works closely with Ford Motor Company Fund
