This list is in no way indicative of all these experiences and are in no certain order but have impacted my outlook on educational philosophy the most.
- College Course named "Introduction to Learning Strategies"
- T2T Alternative Teaching Program and 3 year Internship License teaching 7th & 8th grade Math, Science & Reading.
- NASA & Spaceport America Space Camp Teacher for "Summer of Innovation - Launch to Learn"
- International Science Fair Grand Awards Judge - Chemistry
- UNM Chemistry job as Research Technician
- UNM Biomedical Sciences Program
- High School Classes
- Tutoring Experiences
I want to teach the way that I would want to be taught. I fall into all three categories of learning styles; auditory, visual & kinesthetic. There should be questions that are provoked during a lesson. People are not born knowing everything. A teacher must be patient and inform students about learning strategies. Students should be enabled. Some students can do this on their own, but most don't realize that they have this capability. I would tell all my students to think of a time when they were trying to teach a younger sibling or a dog something new and to remember how patient you had to be with them. Well... Exercise that same patience with yourself when learning something new so that you don't become frustrated or overwhelmed. There are many great learning strategies, tools and theories out there... Use Them!
when you talked about remembering students about a time when they had to teach something to a younger sibling or dog to help them relate and understand patience is a really nice idea.
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ReplyDeleteIt may be hard to convince some students that they may learn differently than others. But it is true. Middle school students usually want to conform. A teacher will do well to recognize a students learning style and cater to it. For a student in middle school to recognize that they have an indivudual learning style would be amazing.
ReplyDeleteHi, Seth, I love your background and will be looking for your insightful comments on science, basic principles and how to make it interesting to those middle school students who await us. I asked a friend of mine who is a physics professor what is the most important principle of physics that middle school kids need to know. He is still stumped on that question and he has been in academe for 30 years!
ReplyDeleteHey, Mario, those middle school kids have reached an amazing point in their lives: attained the age of reason and still not the tumultuous adolescent. I agree we need to engage their attention and and trigger their imagination. They are so phenomenal and their intellects are still roving and curious; may we feed those minds in a way that is meaningful to them.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting and useful background! I, too, will welcome any of your thoughts, suggestions, and insghts into teaching middle school science. Your reminder to be patient with ourselves is very timely and something I tend to forget when I get frustrated.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see the wide range of education and personal experiences that make up your educational background. I completely agree with your thoughts of being patient when learning something new. It's something that I have to remind my son often while helping him with his homework. I'm going to have to remind myself of this as well now that I'm trying to learn new things.
ReplyDeleteYour have a clear direction that you want to go to in your teaching. Your big challenge will be trying to fit these into the context of public schooling. Most students are used to mediocre instruction, what will you do to condition them to a different way of learning?
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