Showcase
The world of teaching requires you to be a problem solver, lifelong learner, and to build on creativity. Teaching requires you to be flexible and take on many different roles and responsibilities which are essential to helping every child learn to their full potential. Teachers are going to come across a variety of challenges in the classroom, but consider these challenges accepted. Educators need to continue to learn to help solve the puzzles that may not be your standard jigsaw, and should be open minded and willing to be creative and teach with 21st century skills. The world of education requires you to be a problem solver, lifelong learner, and to build on creativity. Below you will find a showcase of projects that have challenged me to become a lifelong learner, problem solver, and a builder with creativity.
Lifelong Learner
Understanding MisconceptionsStudents come to the classroom from all different backgrounds and a variety of experiences. It is important for teachers to really get to know their students personally and academically before teaching new topics. In this video I interviewed two adults and one child and asked them to explain the "simple" concept of condensation. This video proves that you can't make assumptions about what you may think your students, or anyone, should know.
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Using My Personal Learning Network (PLN)
Part of being a life long learner is having the ability to know where to find new information. I think as teachers we all want to inspire our students to be lifelong learners and be willing to seek out new information on their own. The video above shows how I was able to use internet resources to learn how to do something new. Throughout this process I realized the power of choice; choosing the outcome of this project motivated me to learn more! I was also able to step back and see what I would have to specifically teach in order for my students to become successful when given a task similar to this one.
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Community of Learning SurveyI surveyed the teaching staff at Burr Oak Community Schools to
see what experience and comfortability they had using the technology that was available. I also wanted to see what their interest was in becoming more effective with these tools, along with how they would like to use technology in the classroom. This survey showed me that most teachers are interested in learning how to effectively use technology in the classroom; however, they are not all interested in learning it for the same purpose. Survey Results |
Literacy Analysis Child StudyI was given the opportunity to do a literacy analysis on a 1st grade student who is above grade level in reading and writing.
As an effective teacher I can differentiate instruction to reach every learner; however, after finishing this child study I have a better understanding of how to effectively reach students who are above grade level, while also increasing their intrinsic motivation to be more independent learners. |
Problem Solving
TPACK
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Dream ITSince I have been teaching I have noticed a lack of intrinsic motivation in many of my students. This is not something that we should be seeing in grades as early as 2nd grade! After learning about “Genius Hour” and "20% Time" I was interested to see if implementing this concept in a classroom setting would foster Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, relatedness, competence) and therefore increase students' motivation to learn. I have written a proposal to implement Genius Hour or 20% time a classroom.
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Wicked Problem: Innovation as a learning ethicThere are some problems so big that they seem impossible to solve. These "Wicked Problems" may not have one solution to solve it all, but rather solutions that improve the situation. Wicked problems provide the perfect opportunity to collaborate with other educators to find the best possible "solution". Here, I was able to do just that in order to find the answer to innovation as a learning ethic.
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Building on Creativity
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Classroom By DesignIt's every teacher's dream to have unlimited free resources and the freedom to design their own classroom. The program SketchUp allowed me to make some of those dreams come true. I let some of the new teaching techniques and ideas influence my classroom while also taking my own teaching experiences into consideration. I was sure to include flexible seating, maker spaces, storage, reading nook and more.
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Maker MovementThe moment I learned about Maker Education I was hooked. Fill a room or area with tools and supplies and the rest is taken over by curiosity and imagination. These Maker Spaces give students the opportunity to be curious, build, and learn from the entire experience. I was given the opportunity to be a "maker" myself and be a part of a "Maker Faire" that allowed many makers to showcase their work by letting others play and interact with it. Check out this blog post to learn more about this experience and how to build your own Circuit Maze.
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All photos are my own unless noted otherwise.