My students come from a wide variety of learning situations, from struggling to striving. The school is set within a suburban community near military housing. Even though my school is within a large metropolitan city, it feels like a small community and sheltered, an "island in the hills." Within these hills, we have a variety of ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as several families that have moved here from other countries. Many of our students are also grappling with parents being deployed or on active duty.
Project-based, STEAM exploration is engaging and motivating to all my students, and a tool to building a growth-mindset, regardless of their academic level.
My students are exuberant and creative, and I am constantly challenged to investigate new opportunities for them to test the waters in STEM/STEAM learning for all grade levels in TK-5th grade. We also make a concerted effort to incorporate NGSS standards and make them relevant to the students' world and interests. The curriculum is student-driven and ever-morphing to meet their needs in a problem-based learning environment.
My Project
We have been teaching on Zoom for almost a year now, and it certainly has been challenging! The district equipment is not really adequate for daily online teaching. It is also often difficult to move from tab to tab while also using Zoom, in order to have all of your resources available and handy when you need them.
Having a second screen will help student engagement by providing a more smooth lesson delivery, better eye contact, and increased productivity.
As a STEAM enrichment teacher, the students and I are exploring lots of different technology while we are online. A second monitor will make Zoom in the room a little easier for both my students and myself.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Allard's STEAM Lab and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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