About – The Laboratory Collective

DISRUPTING
SCIENCE
EDUCATION

Empowering the next
generation of creative
thinkers and innovators

Imagine a World Where Math and Science are as Beloved as Stories

How do we prepare our children to work in jobs that haven’t even been invented yet?

Today’s students are different.
It used to be necessary to know a lot of facts and “store knowledge”, but growing up in a digital world, students have devices that can do that.
Why does traditional education still emphasize vocabulary, memorization, and regurgitating facts if this is something students can just look up when they need it?
Today’s students need to learn how to use this vast amount of information to be creative generating new ideas (divergent thinking) and putting existing ideas together in new and innovative ways (associative thinking).

At The Laboratory Collective, we use math and science to teach the “Four Cs”
– critical thinking and problem solving
– communication
– collaboration
– creativity and innovation

Our programs blur the lines between subjects, seamlessly connecting literature, history, art and design, writing, role play and popular culture and bring it to life through math and science. Our immersive storylines empower students to use math and science to solve problems that are engaging and interesting to them.
We go beyond “hands-on” science, by developing experiments and projects that are more than a predetermined outcome.
After students learn the science, the emphasis is: “Now that we know this, what can we do with it?”

We believe in these core values:

Math and Science are rooted in creativity and imagination

Science is always changing, and STEM education needs to constantly evolve

All students are capable of higher levels of achievement; creativity and intelligence are malleable

Scientific Method + Design Thinking = Insight and Innovation

All classroom educators are capable of creating innovative STEAM lessons

co-founder amy in The Laboratory Collective

Amy – Co-Founder

Amy Schwartzbach-Kang, M.Ed, NBCT grew up in a family of science professors, but had a fixed mindset and never thought of herself as a “science person.”
After a brief stint in the world of advertising, she flung herself into teaching, where she found her heart and her voice. Amy has worked in Chicago Public Schools for over a decade, and achieved National Board Certification “Master Teacher” status.

Amy earned a M.Ed in Instructional Curriculum and Design, a M.Ed in Educational Literacy: K-12 Reading Specialist, and is a certified Learning Specialist understanding specific learning needs of Diverse Learners. Amy has been a featured speaker at literature conferences helping other teachers incorporate interactive literacy strategies into their classrooms.

Amy serves as an Education Consultant working with The Laboratory Collective to bring literature to life using science and creating programs to enhance reading comprehension, critical-thinking, and collaboration skills.

co-founder Ed in The Laboratory Collective

Ed – Co-Founder

Dr. Edward Kang, PhD, NBCT, received his doctorate in Molecular Neuroscience from Northwestern University and has spent the better part of his career immersed in science teaching and research. While teaching at Northwestern University, he noticed that the sciences weren’t the career path of choice for many. With this in mind he switched gears to understand student motivation and see whether he could catch students early enough to keep science alive in their minds and hearts.

Ed spent over a decade teaching in Chicago Public Schools at both a low-income/high-poverty neighborhood high school and at a highly competitive selective enrollment high school. While teaching, Ed achieved one of the highest levels of teaching excellence through National Board Certification.

Ed founded The Laboratory Collective and works as an Education Consultant to reinvent and disrupt traditional science education. He works with teachers, schools, and students to engage all learners in STEAM letting them experience how math and science are tools of creativity.

© 2024 The Laboratory Collective