My classes consist of a diverse group of learners. I teach Microbiology (11th-12th graders), and general biology (9th-10th graders). They vary in ethnicity, home language, and socioeconomic status. Many come from homes where they are the first generation to be raised in America. They work hard to obtain an education that can help them have the opportunities to be successful. Although they come from different backgrounds they are open and accepting to all students in their class. They show each other respect and are a wonderful group of students to teach. No matter the obstacle, the students are open to trying new things and are resilient to the struggles that come with being challenged to reach higher levels of thinking.
My Project
Our science department's goal for the past couple of years is to take our curriculum and move it from teacher-directed teaching into experiential student-based learning. We started to implement science phenomena to start peaking student interest and as a way to get students to drive the learning with their questions. This form of teaching was very successful at promoting student involvement and ownership of their learning kept them engaged and increased retention of the information which was visible in their assessment grades. This style of teaching involved a lot of collaborating and during the ecology unit a student noted that a lot more paper was being used for these lessons and if they had dry erase boards we could be more environmentally friendly.
Having these easels will allow for better communication and sharing of students' thoughts, while saving lots of paper!
Before students would be given poster paper, but writing on a flat desk made visibility difficult for some students. I am also trying to manage students impulsive nature and I think having them brainstorm and organize their thoughts before writing on poster would help improve the quality of their work.
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