Looking back...
Looking back, there are so many things that I have discovered this summer. I have discovered the power of STEM and how it really unlocks you to a new world of exploration. I have discovered how you can teach your students to see the world in a different way. By asking students to ask questions and find answers and show this to the class through World of Wonder. Once I finally got the hang of how to find a World of Wonder, I now see them all the time. Daily, I am asking myself questions about things I am seeing during the day. I then ask myself, “Why does it work that way? Why does this happen? What is its purpose?” Also, another important part that may seem small to some, but can have such an impact on an entire class are Tech Tips. By sharing knowledge of technology that may seem basic to one person, could mean the world to someone else in the class. I have learned so many useful helpful tips from my peers that have helped me tremendously. Tech Tips also kept the class up to date with new technology that is out today. Another idea that has changed the way that I think about teaching comes from the article, Disciplining the Mind by Veronica Mansilla and Howard Gardner. From this article, I have discovered that I should not teach just one subject. I should never just teach mathematics to my students. I should teach interdisciplinary material to my students. Why stop at just the mathematical concept when science and technology fit so well with this concept? By bringing in other subjects, I am opening my students’ eyes and having a greater impact on what they learn. Another important finding for me was teaching with the TPACK framework. Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler explain the framework elegantly in the article, Too Cool for School? No Way! Using the TPACK Framework: You Can Have Your Hot Tools and Teach with Them, Too. One eye-opener to me is the definition of technology. When I think technology, I think about iPads, chromebooks, and iPods. I did not realize that technology does not refer to the newest technology out there. Technology can be anything that is used as a tool. It can be playdough, Legos, string, sticks, or even glue! And when we teach, we do not teach technology, we teach through technology. We use the technology as a tool to teach a concept. By combining technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge, you can create meaningful and powerful lessons. We did an activity where we really looked at all the combinations that could be done to teach using the TPACK framework and I could not believe how many different ways a lesson could be taught. Something else that I discovered through this program is what it takes to make a good teacher an outstanding teacher. Danah Henriksen and Punya Mishra make this very clear through their article, Learning from Creative Teachers. Studies show that what makes a teacher an outstanding teacher is by connecting their interests outside of school with the curriculum inside the classroom. It’s time to start bringing the things that surround our everyday lives into the classroom and in front of the students. During our summer session, the leaders did a really good job of doing this. We went from learning about a passion of photography, to ways to magnify pictures using an iPhone, to creating art by taking pictures of letters in everyday life. This whole experience has been new and exciting to me. When I first applied for this program, I was expecting STEM to be completely foreign and new to me as if it were a completely different language. In a way, this is true. I do feel I am speaking a different language, but many of the aspects of STEM have been in front of me the entire time. I just needed to open my eyes to see it. It is all about seeing education in a different way. Quit thinking about the traditional style of teaching and start thinking about exploring. Take your class on an adventure, ask questions, and do not stop until you have discovered something new. This learning experience has really impacted me. I learned to look at education and even the world from a different view. When I walk down the street now I do not just see trees, cars, and birds. I see questions about how to measure the age of the trees based on its height. I see questions about how does a motor work. I see questions about what allows a bird to fly? And then I think, how can I bring all of this into my classroom for my students and get them involved in finding the answer to these questions.
Looking Forward...
Looking forward, this experience has influenced me in several ways. As I create my unit plans for the upcoming school year, I have had some STEM-inspired units that are completely revamping the mathematics curriculum. It has also influenced the way I will be teaching this year. I have learned that it is time for me to sit back and let my students discover through doing. Let them create and explore and create that ownership of their personalized learning experience. This experience has really changed the way that I look at teaching. I feel that my style before was based around textbooks. I would use the textbooks as the base of my curriculum and followed through the lessons. It’s time to step away from the textbooks and worksheets. It’s time to allow my students to learn through exploring. I am creating lessons that are based around real everyday problems. Bringing the outside into the classroom. The biggest thing that I am taking away from this experience is how to rally make quality learning in the classroom that is powerful and impactful. I want to teach my students things that they will remember for the rest of their lives, just like this experience has done for me.
Bibliography
Mansilla, V.; Gardner, H. (2008). Disciplining the mind. Educational Leadership (65) 5.
Koehler, M.; Mishra, P. (2009). Too Cool for School? No Way! Using the TPACK Framework: You Can Have Your Hot Tools and Teach with Them, Too. Learning and Leading with Technology (page 14-18).
Henriksen, D.; Mishra P. (2013). Learning from creative teachers. Educational Leadership (70) 5.
Koehler, M.; Mishra, P. (2009). Too Cool for School? No Way! Using the TPACK Framework: You Can Have Your Hot Tools and Teach with Them, Too. Learning and Leading with Technology (page 14-18).
Henriksen, D.; Mishra P. (2013). Learning from creative teachers. Educational Leadership (70) 5.