Throughout the course of my fellowship I have learned so many things that will change how I teach throughout this school year. I have gained lesson ideas, technology ideas, different ways of looking at data, paradigm shifts about what is best for my kids or really anyone who is learning something (adults included), and a lot of really interesting science concepts. I thought that the title of this blog was quite fitting because I can definitely classify everything I learned into these four categories, 1. something borrowed, 2. something new, 3. something borrowed, and 4. something ewww (since blue doesn’t really fit). Here are a few things that I have learned since the start of my fellowship and how they have changed and will continue to change my teaching.
1.Something Old- There have been many different times throughout my fellowship, especially during PD, that ideas were shared and they happened to be things that I had been doing in my classroom already. Whenever this happened I made sure that I paid very close attention to what was being shared because it allowed me to understand why what I was already doing was actually working. An example of this was during the data training that was done during the Raleigh PD. I had been collecting the different kinds of data throughout my teaching and had actually learned a lot of these things from Justin O. but never knew just how to express to others that it was the right thing to do. Now that I am back in the classroom and working with other teachers at my school I have been spreading this “old” knowledge of mine in a new way so that the other teachers will see the importance of looking at all kinds of data in order to make informed decisions about our students.
2. Something New- Professional development…As Kenan fellows we are very fortunate because we receive a lot of professional development opportunities. Not only did we have a week at Cullowhee and a couple of days here in Raleigh, we also had the opportunity to receive PD throughout our entire externship. As a Salmonella fellow we had the opportunity to learn from the professors that we worked with while learning about microbiology and from 4H. I feel that we were definitely immersed in a wide range of learning that we could take back in some way to our classrooms. At times while we were learning all of these new things during our externship I felt that I was getting overloaded with information and ideas but now looking back on it I can’t imagine not having all of these opportunities.
3. Something Borrowed- People’s ideas…I worked with an incredible group of educators this summer and I continually was asking for information, clarification, and ideas. I would say that they taught me new things but really it was them breaking down ideas for me and helping me to understand how to relay all of the exciting scientific ideas for my kids. In return of borrowing their ideas and thinking I have learned how to do the same for my students. They are constantly needing to borrow ideas from other people and so I have really focused on giving students plenty of time to collaborate and share ideas especially when learning a brand new topic.
4. Something Ewwww- I learned a lot of very interesting and disgusting things about microbiology but I also learned that many kinds of bacteria are not just gross but actually very helpful. This is something that I will be spending a lot of time teaching my students throughout my 4H lessons so that they will understand that our bodies contain both good and bad bacteria. Another thing that was brought to my attention that will change how I teach my students is that students love disgusting things. So if I make connections for them while teaching science that has some gross factor, most likely they will remember it and become more interested.