[…]felt that it was the area where I could make the biggest impact. The discipline of physics allows for the ultimate combination of student inquiry, critical thinking, hands-on-learning, project-based instruction, and quantitative literacy in the science context.” Professional Experience During his undergraduate studies, Ian served as a physics learning assistant, physics tutor, and lab assistant at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. Ian completed an internship at the University of Rochester, where he got to study third-order bi-nodal astigmatism in the Hilbert Telescope. Additionally, he completed an internship at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he worked on validating a […]
[…]IB) for eight years at Central High School in Philadelphia, and served as IB Diploma Coordinator for two years. KD was fortunate enough to be awarded a Knowles Science Teaching Fellowship in 2009 and achieved National Board Certification in secondary science teaching in 2013. KD is the co-author of two articles for the American Biology Teacher with Knowles Senior Fellows Kirstin Milks and Rebecca Van Tassell. KD Davenport now oversees science curriculum, professional development, and community partnerships in the School District of Philadelphia as a K-12 Science Curriculum Specialist. Academic Background University of Pennsylvania (Master of Science in Secondary Education) Swarthmore College […]
[…]again. We had over two feet of snow just outside the door of our classroom and the students kept jokingly asking to take class outside to build a snowman or have a snowball fight. This gave me inspiration for a snowshoe building project. I still had not covered pressure in physics class and my students could use some review on the differences between mass and weight. I also knew I could find some ways to build in some math skills as well. Furthermore, I could use this opportunity to provide my students with real experience with the engineering design process. […]
[…]out of this, with policies and procedures that aim to motivate students, rather than punish them for apparent laziness. Listen to “When to Share the Bread.” Download Transcript Jamie Melton, a Knowles Senior Fellow, taught primarily biology during her six-year career, along with human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, Earth science, geology, and seventh-grade science. She believes telling stories, our own and others’, is one of the most important things we can do. Currently, Jamie lives in Ogden, Utah, and is taking some time off to stay home with her children. Reach Jamie at […]
[…]directions than you planned for. I’m a flexible person, but not every teacher is going to be comfortable with this. Much like the situation with my students in their stoichiometry unit, I had (in a sense) set the teachers in my district up for failure. I didn’t want teachers to run to their classrooms and try this strategy, then discover it looked nothing like the video I showed. They might blame me, or themselves, or (even worse) the students. I realized I needed to re-think how I might engage teachers in training. I was given that opportunity just a few […]
[…]support from a community that has always felt homelike. Right from the beginning, I felt safe and comfortable to voice questions. Despite being new, my voice was valued and space was given for my suggestions. Each meeting, even though virtual, began with time for authentic connection. The goals and passion for education felt they were truly in the right direction. The field of education has left more to envision and question this year, Time was given to appreciate and desire more from this essential career. Do you feel you made and had time to reflect upon your professional passion and […]
[…]and truly valued teaching as a tool for equity and change. It seemed like the perfect way to combine my passion for education and social justice.” Amanda’s Story Teaching Discipline Biology Why Biology “I love facilitating students’ sense-making about the world around them through each of these sciences. I love teaching biology with a focus on biodiversity loss and climate change.” Professional Experience During her undergraduate studies, Amanda worked as an executive assistant at the Law Offices of Jana K. Weimann in San Diego, California. She also worked as a private tutor from 2017 to 2020, teaching high school and […]
[…]Week 3 to Week 5. The students provided insight to me that, because they didn’t learn anything “new” and instead were just revising old work, the week didn’t “feel” hard. I was able to not only explain the rationale for having weeks like this, but also hear from them about how we could ensure that their brains were still working hard (like having a warm-up with a new idea or a short lecture at some point during the week). In the end, improvement science and our entire network helped me identify new ways of collecting data about my students. Furthermore, […]
