2004 Conference Highlights
June 22 through the 24, 2004, 145 educators from across the country converged on the University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor to attend the 2nd 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 own experiences with each other, and developing new ideas for implementing the program at their own schools.
2004 Conference Highlights
June 22 through the 24, 2004, 145 educators from across the country converged on the University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor to attend the 2nd 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 own experiences with each other, 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 session which allowed partners who are already implementing the program to share their experiences on topics including, 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
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 Module 6—Planning for Efficiency session, 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 Module 10—Reverse Engineering session, teachers 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 their pot by reconstructing the crash site.
Students
Several current and former students also attended the conference. They participated in sessions offering valuable perspective 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 and for which they received credit from both institutions. Sample projects included 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.
Side Sessions,
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, which ranges from informal educational settings (after-school, weekend and summer programs) offered by schools, social service agencies, universities and other community-based organizations to formal education settings at the high school and university levels. Partners shared their challenges and successes with the other conference participants, offering food for thought, generating numerous questions, sparking deeper discussions.
Social Gatherings
The conference wasn’t all work, however. Throughout the conference participants had the opportunity to network and socialize with teachers from across the country. One of the highlights of the conference overall 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 to serve as 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.