The 74 Million – Mark Keierleber
“In order to amp up student engagement in their classrooms, these teachers aren’t using any Jedi mind tricks. But they are using The Force. When Thomas Riddle and Wes Dodgens were both teachers at Mauldin High School in Greenville, S.C., the duo discovered they had a shared passion for Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies. So they built websites highlighting how to integrate a transdisciplinary approach to teaching around the films — launching “Adventures in Learning with Indiana Jones” in 2007 and “Star Wars in the Classroom” in 2012. “Wes and I both believe in hands-on learning experiences, not so much traditional sit-and-get,” said Riddle, who is now an assistant director at Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville. “Pop culture is a great hook to bring kids into learning — whatever subject you’re trying to teach them.” With the website, they took some advice from Yoda: “Always pass on what you have learned.” Incorporating a professional learning network called “The Rogues,” to share Star Wars-themed lesson plans, Riddle and Dodgens quickly learned a whole galaxy of similarly obsessed teachers wasn’t so far, far away.”(more)