Chaminade University of Honolulu

Education

Embracing STEM Innovation in Education

How is STEM changing how teachers teach—and students learn?

That was the focus of a recent conference on Chaminade’s campus organized by the Hawaii Science Teaching Association (HaSTA) and Hawaii Council of Teachers of Mathematics (HCTM).

Nearly 70 participants gathered for the event, entitled, “Power of STEM: Operations and Observations,” which encouraged teachers to explore the intersection of science and mathematics in their classrooms. The day included collaborative sessions and a keynote address from natural resources educator Jackie Frietas, who was named Hawaii’s Teacher of the Year for 2024.

Katrina Roseler, Ph.D., a professor of Education and director of Teacher Preparation Programs at Chaminade, said attendees walked away with new ideas and pedagogical approaches for fostering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) literacy in today’s classrooms.

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One of the biggest takeaways for many educators was the importance of hands-on learning.

“Participants valued creating more interactive, hands-on, and exploratory experiences for students that connect learning to real-life contexts,” she said, noting those experiences could include labs, games, classroom stations and field-based activities.

“Another strong theme was the importance of integrating math, science, and other disciplines, using inquiry-based approaches to deepen connections and engagement. Teachers highlighted strategies that promote active engagement, collaboration, and thinking classrooms, such as … purposeful games.”

The conference comes amid a broad push to not only integrate more STEM learning into classrooms, but look for ways to help students develop tools for critical thinking and problem solving for a fast-changing world and workforce. Roseler said one key theme in the conference was encouraging teachers to leverage existing resources and partnerships to enrich classroom instruction in actionable ways.

“The conference provided an energizing and practical learning experience, equipping educators with strategies they can immediately implement in their classrooms,” Roseler said.

“The sessions reinforced the power of leveraging diverse resources and partnerships—from digital platforms to community organizations—to enrich teaching and learning. Finally, participants were inspired by the energy and modeling of the presenters, leaving with renewed enthusiasm and actionable ideas to bring back to their classrooms right away.”

Inspiring Watershed ‘Caretakers’

Hawaiʻi’s watersheds are critical to the state’s ecosystems and its population.

So how do you go about teaching young people the importance of these natural resources and how to protect them?

That was the question an interdisciplinary group of Chaminade professors and public school teachers sought to investigate as part of a years-long project called “Mauka to Makai: Watershed Experience for Teachers.” The effort was made possible with a competitive Bay Watershed Education and Training grant from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Chaminade Education Professor Katrina Roseler and Environmental Science Assistant Professor Lupita Ruiz-Jones served as co-principal investigators for the project, facilitating a series of workshops for teachers and collecting resources to support “classroom visions.”

With support from the Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center, participating teachers experienced place‑based experiential learning. At the Kānewai Spring and Kalauha‘iha‘i Fishpond, Roseler said, teachers grounded their learning in “authentic cultural and ecological contexts of Maunalua Bay.”

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The result was a cadre of teachers galvanized to inspire their students into action.

Kēhau (Shawna) Nishimoto, a science teacher at ʻIlima Intermediate, first participated in a two-week workshop at Chaminade in 2023, and vividly recalls becoming a “student scientist”—just as she wants her own students to be.

“This is where the push for teacher and student stewardship was born,” said Nishimoto. “I have taken this passion, this fire, and shared it with my students.”

Nishimoto and other “steward-teachers” subsequently presented their watershed education curricula, including at the National Science Teaching Association Conference earlier this year. She said the hands-on learning units are designed to allow students to gain new skills while trying to solve real-world problems and understand their kuleana as “caretakers of their island home.”

(From left to right): Chaminade Education Professor Katrina Roseler, teachers Kēhau Nishimoto and Christina Chan, and Environmental Science Assistant Professor Lupita Ruiz-Jones pose for a photo after a recent conference presentation.

Teacher Christina Chan built her own watershed curriculum for students at Highlands Intermediate, also presenting her work with Nishimoto. She said connecting students to meaningful learning experiences with science and stewardship was a central goal.

“Science education is important for students to be able to understand the world around us,” she said. “Our students are our future ʻāina stewards and decision makers. They need to know what we have so they know what it is they care for, protect and defend.”

Chan added that support and leadership from Roseler and Ruiz-Jones were key.

For Roseler, the grant project was an opportunity to embrace her own personal and academic interests in environmental stewardship and science education.

“Science education is more critical than ever in Hawai‘i, where the islands’ unique ecosystems, cultural heritage, and environmental challenges demand a deep, place-based understanding of sustainability” Roseler said.

She also noted the project was guided by United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically “Life on Land,” “Life Below Water,” and “Quality Education.”

Ruiz-Jones said the conference presentations also offered an opportunity to showcase teachers who are “passionate about learning, being outside, and connecting their students to the community” while inspiring educators to learn about the importance of watersheds.

“The more students that become aware and start to care about our Hawaiian watershed the better off our future will be,” she said, adding that “there are so many local efforts underway to steward and restore our precious environment. Getting teachers and their students outside, in the field, to engage in experiential learning deepens their understanding and stewardship.”

To learn more about the project and find lesson plans, click here.

Aspiring Teachers Thrive in ‘Living Classroom’

Early education is all about experiential learning. So it makes sense that critical coursework for aspiring early education and Montessori teachers should be hands-on, too.

And that’s exactly the idea behind Chaminade’s Summer Montessori Methods course.

Early Childhood and Montessori Programs Director Elizabeth Park, Ph.D. says the course is designed to immerse students in the core areas of Montessori education and turn Hawaiʻi into a “living classroom,” complete with excursions.

Among this year’s highlights:

  • Students learned from Kumu Kaipoʻi Kelling, MEd ’06, who shared the ancient Hawaiian creation chant Kumulipo and demonstrated how children can learn through storytelling.
  • On July 19, participants visited Pali Lookout and other significant sites on Oahu with Kumu Leilani Antone, MAT ’17, who explored how Montessori principles can be integrated with Hawaiian knowledge systems in the classroom, including through math, art and science.
  • Students also got the chance to visit a local Montessori school to see the method in action, observing the prepared environment, child-led learning and classroom dynamics.

Park explained that the Summer Montessori Methods course is offered to students in select Chaminade degree or certificate programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Montessori Education and Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in early education.

This summer, 22 students at varying points of their degrees participated.

“A central goal of the program is to connect Montessori philosophy with place-based education,” Park said.

“As our host place, Hawai‘i provides a culturally and ecologically rich environment that allows students to explore how local context, land, and culture can be meaningfully integrated into Montessori practice. This immersive summer experience prepares students to become reflective and culturally grounded educators.”

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Park explained that Montessori education is fundamentally different from traditional teaching models, with a focus on the whole child.

“Children learn through hands-on materials, self-directed activity, and purposeful work in prepared environments that foster independence, concentration, and a deep love of learning,” she said.

“In today’s tech-obsessed world, Montessori offers a refreshing and necessary balance. It grounds children in real, tactile experiences before introducing abstract or digital concepts. Instead of screen time, children manipulate concrete materials that help them understand math, language, and the world around them in meaningful ways.”

Chaminade operates a Montessori Laboratory School on campus in addition to several pathways for aspiring Montessori teachers.

To learn more about Chaminade’s Montessori Laboratory School, click here.

Outstanding Catholic Schools Educators Honored

Esther Amano is more than a teacher.

During her more than 35 years at Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Pearl City, she has also served as a mentor, a guide and a “quiet force of grace and strength,” said Chaminade Dean of Education and Behavioral Sciences Dale Fryxell, Ph.D.

At a recent celebration, Amano was named Hawai’i Catholic Schools Educator of the Year and presented with the Golden Pineapple Award for her outstanding contributions to teaching, her years of service and an unwavering commitment to seeing her students excel.

“Her classroom has launched leaders, nurtured faith, and shaped lives far beyond the eighth grade,” Fryxell said, at the awards ceremony. “Former students return—years later—to thank her, hug her, and tell her what we already know: That her impact lasts a lifetime.”

Esther Amano was named the Hawai’i Catholic Schools Educator of the Year for 2025.

Nominations for Amano poured in, with colleagues, parents, administrators and former students all attesting to her gift for inspiring the next generation of leaders. “Miss Amano shines as a beacon of inspiration within our school community,” one former student wrote.

Fryxell noted Amano is the first to arrive at school each morning and the last to leave each day.

“Whether she’s leading class Masses, mentoring new teachers, or writing cards for every staff birthday, Esther Amano lives the mission of Catholic education in every quiet, faithful action,” he said. “She has empowered her students to raise their voices through poetry, supported school service projects with heart, and modeled a leadership that lifts her school community.”

Also at the ceremony, Sister Katherine-Francis Miller ’63 was recognized as the Hawaii Catholic Schools Administrator of the Year. As Fryxell noted, she has “shaped the hearts, minds and spirits of generations of young women” at Sacred Hearts Academy for nearly six decades.

Miller, campus minister and director of the Office of Mission at Sacred Hearts Academy, was applauded for her transformative leadership and her caring approach to growth.

“Whether she’s leading a mission trip to the Philippines, organizing students to serve food at a transitional shelter, or helping a young person navigate their spiritual journey, Sister Katherine-Francis leads with compassion, humility, and the deep joy of someone truly rooted in her vocation,” Fryxell said.

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And her work extends into the community in many forms, including by leading prison ministry efforts with fellow Sisters, organizing mission trips to the Philippines, and working with students in Sacred Hearts’ Outreach, Unity and Renewal Club as they serve food at a housing shelter.

The Golden Pineapple Awards are sponsored by Chaminade University, Hawaii Catholic Schools with the support of John C. and Mary Lou Brogan.

Nominations open annually and recipients receive a trophy and cash award.

Graduate Project a Win for Teacher’s Students

Texas teacher Yasmin Rodriguez, MEd ’25 wants her students to love reading as much as she does.

So when she was challenged to try her hand at grant writing for her EDUC 794: Culminating Experience course at Chaminade, she knew instantly what her appeal to the community would be: Funds to buy new and engaging books for her classroom that showcased multiculturalism.

Rodriguez submitted the grant request to DonorsChoose.org, a site that allows anyone to contribute to school projects and classroom needs, and within a few short days had met her goal of $1,000. From there, the fun part began. She got her students involved in choosing the titles on Amazon.

And before long, boxes of books started arriving at her classroom door.

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Rodriguez said her students were overjoyed to open the boxes and shelve the books, which included nonfiction and fiction titles. There were even some fun comic books in the mix.

Katrina Roseler, Ph.D., associate professor of Education, teaches EDUC 794 and said Rodriguez stood out for her commitment to service, justice and community building.

“While all students complete a professional development project, like a grant proposal, very few actually follow up and submit their grants for funding and she’s the first that I know whose grant was funded before the term was over!” Roseler said.

Rodriguez teaches fifth grade at a public school in San Antonio, Texas. She received her bachelor’s degree in 2016 from St. Mary’s University, Chaminade’s Marianist sister school in Texas, and subsequently jumped at the opportunity to pursue her Master’s of Education fully online at Chaminade.

Her concentration is instructional leadership, which Rodriguez says was a perfect fit. Through coursework and online class discussions, she said, she’s been able to better tailor her curriculum to the needs of her students. Rodriguez teaches a bilingual Spanish-English class so individualization is key.

“Several of our classes have focused on building differentiated modes for students to engage in their learning,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just little adjustments that make a big difference. And the Chaminade program was very good because it provided different ways to learn about our students. We were able to reflect on learning styles and teaching methodologies.”

Yasmin Rodriguez, MEd ’25 teaches fifth grade in San Antonio, Texas.

Rodriguez says she’s known she wanted to become a teacher since she was in the first grade.

“There’s nothing else I ever wanted to do,” she said.

Her advice to students interested in pursuing a career in education: Know the first few years in the classroom will be the toughest. “There’s so much you don’t learn in classes,” she said. “But every year, it gets a little easier. And I’ve learned to find the joy in the little things and the wins.”

Rodriguez also gets excited about watching her students grow and achieve their goals.

“I push them to do their best,” she said.

Her graduate studies at Chaminade have also helped her more quickly recognize the learning supports her students need. That was one of the reasons she wanted to refresh her classroom’s bookshelf. She said her students just weren’t getting excited about the outdated books she had.

Now independent reading time is something they look forward to.

“It was such a good way to refresh their brains and get lost in reading,” she said.

A Lesson on Making Math Fun—for Everyone

Teachers in training at Chaminade welcomed students from the Hawai’i School for the Deaf and the Blind to campus recently for a shared learning experience where everyone walked away with a greater appreciation of just how fun—and hands-on—math can be.

The middle and high school students were guests in ED323—Elementary Math Methods II, taught by Associate Professor Travis Mukina, Ph.D. During the lesson, Chaminade Education majors paired up with HSDB students to go through key math concepts.

Mukina said the opportunity is designed to spark curiosity and joy in learning.

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The HSDB students get a chance to visit a college campus and puzzle through mathematical problems. The Chaminade students, all preparing for their student teaching practicum experiences, learn valuable skills they’ll one day use in their own classrooms.

Mukina said ED323 focuses on “how to teach mathematics to all types of learners.”

The visit March 13 kicked off with a mental math warm-up exercise and then HSDB students jumped into an activity on measurement concepts.

“This was a great experience to practice communicating and being patient with others as they explained mathematical thinking,” Mukina said. “I teach mathematics using non-traditional methods, so it allows them to work through mathematical situations in a way that makes sense to them.”

It was the third time Mukina has invited HSDB students to his class.

Aubriana De Francia ’26 said that working with the HSDB students was a rewarding challenge as she sought to communicate effectively. “Even without spoken words, I was still able to connect with the students and have fun together,” she said.

De Francia added the experience “broadened my understanding of instruction by showing me the importance of using multiple teaching methods.

“In my future classroom, I want to ensure that every student has equal access to learning by incorporating different ways to communicate and engage with material.”

Mukina said he hopes his ED323 students walked away from the experience with a new appreciation for the importance of teaching in new ways.

“Most teachers teach math as all formulas and memorization, which is the absolute worst way to teach the subject,” he said.

“In all of my math courses, I spend a majority of time trying to change my students’ beliefs about how mathematics is best taught and best learned. My math classes promote conceptual understanding rather than procedural understanding.”