During our week at The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), The Kenan Fellows Program empowered us by providing numerous unique professional advancement opportunities. Teachers experienced positive team building exercises in addition to collaboration time. We were able to network with each other, exchange ideas, and hold discussions during interesting presentations as well as delicious meals.
Collaborative sessions occurred in a variety of formats which included interactive discussions with professionals and hands-on experiences with leading instructional tools and methods. A diverse range of topics were covered through these sessions such as follows:
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Project management tools for both students and teachers (https://trello.com/, http://www.ganttproject.biz/)
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Web-based tools tools for organization, parent/student contact, and data visualization (http://www.chronozoom.com/, https://edpuzzle.com/)
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How to effectively collect and use student data
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Engage students and develop their skills in problem-solving through STEM education
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Engaging parents of various socioeconomic statuses through the use of different tools and methods (http://www.leadingtochange.com/)
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Many more (the above are just sessions where I was a participant)
A highlight experience of the week, would be the white water rafting trip through the Nantahala River. The reason for this is because it was both a professional and personal advancement opportunity. While hesitant at first about having to raft down the river, in the end it was very exciting and educational. Of course, this was a team building exercise where we experienced applying communication methods and problem solving skills but it was also a chance to participate in a very unique interactive learning opportunity. While on the trip we had experts who were able to identify the biodiversity of the river surroundings. Not only did they identify the plant life but also the variety of uses for them in addition to the formation of the river, types of rocks, flow of water, and cultural history.
This professional advancement opportunity was extremely important to me, my fellow teachers, in addition to the students and other educators we all reach out to because it allowed us to grow professionally by experiencing unique bonding experiences with experts and colleagues.
- White Water Rafting on Nantahala River – Photo Credit: Esta Lampkin
