I am beyond excited that my students Hailey and Jessica designed this project. It shows me their dedication and that they want more for their education - they are willing to work together for something they know will help them and their classmates increase class productivity and learning.
The idea came up one day when we were looking at models that were borrowed from another Physio/Anatomy teacher. They were studying the different parts of the body for an upcoming test. We use the models as often as we can, because looking at a model and identifying the difference parts and nomenclature is an excellent way to study and is helpful when trying to remember concepts for their tests. Sometimes we cannot have access to the materials if the other teacher will also need them that day. This leaves my students without the materials they need to become proficient in Anatomy. My students have decided to participate in this project to receive a heart model out of self interest. Jessica has stated she wants to become a cardiologist someday, thus her interest in having a heart model within the classroom. It would be great if the heart models could inspire more future doctors in the room.
With this student-lead project, my goal is for my students to understand the importance of self-advocacy, to build leadership skills, to collaborate with other students/adults, and to communicate their needs in a thoughtful and sophisticated way. They need to learn they can achieve great things by working hard and putting forth effort. Through this project, my students will develop their critical thinking, teamwork, and real-life problem-solving abilities that will prepare them for college and for their careers. All of the students will either pair up or form a group to work on this project. While doing so, students must learn how to cooperate with each other. The benefits of acquiring these academic and social-emotional skills will prove very handy in the future.
In Their Own Words
Our project idea is to have a heart model for our 4th period Physio-Anatomy class, so we may use it in our classroom to enrich our learning experience. With this three dimensional model, students will not only get hands-on experience with the heart, esophagus and trachea model, but also have better visual learning as well- not just from textbooks they read.
When we saw we didn’t have many models we could study from, we thought this was the chance to make a difference in the classroom. Even students who will take this course after us will benefit! This way, we’ll all be leaving an impact on the underclassmen after us as well.
For me, this project is essential because i want a better learning environment for all of us. Physio-Anatomy is such a course we need to both learn with books and hands-on activities. I learn by incorporating many different types of learning skills, as I’m sure others do as well! I believe this is very important to our community as well, it will enrich the current and future students’ education like no other- and can spark interests that they didn’t know of before.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Borstel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
