Learning and Growing as an Educator

What do you fiercely wonder about?  What do you want the answer too?  What do you want to discover? These are some of the questions I use to kick-off my Fierce Wonderings unit in my classroom.  In this unit of study students are given 100% ownership and decide what they want to learn about for the next five weeks. Students conduct research and find credible, reliable, and valid sources to help answer or solve their Fierce Wonderings. This is my favorite unit to teach in my classroom because I can see the excitement my students experience as they choose and navigate what to learn about.  At the conclusion of the unit students submit a research paper detailing their Fierce Wonderings findings, present an interactive presentation to their peers, and share their research at the Fierce Wondering Exhibit.   This year I was particularly impressed with my students’ imagination and creativity as they demonstrated their learning. One group conducted a live news broadcast on the topic of

As a Tech II Leader/Coach for my district, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the 2014 Fall CUE Conference.  This was my first Fall CUE experience, and I LOVED it!  It was a weekend full of learning and connecting with other educators.  I left the conference feeling inspired and rejuvenated as an educator.  I wanted to share some of my favorite Aha moments to continue the impact of CUE.   Learning Highlights: It is important to Cultivate Curiosity within the classroom! In Karl Lindgren-Streicher’s and Robert Pronovost’s session, a group of educators discussed their thoughts, ideas, and best practices for cultivating curiosity.  One of my biggest takeaways was that curiosity is where learning comes from. I see the validity of this statement as I reflect on my own journey of learning.  The learning experiences I remember the most are the ones where curiosity played a large role.  I still remember when I was in third grade an

Over the past few years I have been implementing a program in my classroom called ZAP: which stands for Zeros Aren’t Permitted. When a student has a missing or incomplete assignment, I assign them a Friday lunch ZAP session. To be clear, ZAP is not a punishment but a time and place for students to get work done with support from their teacher. Students come in with their lunch and get to work: I am there to answer any questions and help them as needed. Last week my ZAP room was full with students; some students didn’t complete the assignment and a few others didn’t quite understand the content. By the end of the 30-minute ZAP session, each and every student had turned in a complete assignment demonstrating his or her understanding of the skill/concept. That means there wasn’t one missing assignment in my grade book at the end of that school week! I sometimes wonder what would my grade book look like without ZAP support.  Would all of my students still be demonstrating mastery of t

This year I am extremely fortunate to teach an elective class called Design Thinking. Last year, through the support of my principal and district, I was able to attend many professional development sessions focused on Design Thinking. In this elective, modeled after Stanford's Institute of Design, teams of students are introduced to the creative process of designing meaningful solutions to problems at a local, domestic, and global level.  Students are encouraged to think and go “big,” while focusing on the key stages of the design cycle: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Students are guided to identify needs, design solutions, collaborate with peers, and present their findings to a meaningful audience. As my colleague and I designed our Design Thinking curriculum over the summer, I would often second-guess my decisions: Will the students enjoy the class?  Will they understand the importance of the Design Cycle?  Will they be engaged?  Will this elective be meaningful

There is nothing more exiting to me than the first week of school with students. Just walking around campus when students arrive fills me with the energy I hear and see. Smiles are copious, and laughter waves through the air. In my classroom, each student starts the year with the drive and determination to do well in school. You can see it through the small tasks they complete or the raised hands that are anxiously waiting to participate. These small moments with my new students motivate me to keep their energy and excitement levels elevated throughout the remainder of the school year.  This is what fuels me to overcome challenges and take risks in my classroom.  Each minute I spend focused on my classroom is for them: my students.  So of course it is fitting that I dedicate this next school year to them!  I promise to do my best each day so that their learning needs are met, their enthusiasm to learn is high, and that they leave me better prepared for their futures! Highlights of t