Final Reflections
Looking Back
The eleven day summer session with the MSU Wipro STEM Fellowship program was a very unique but rewarding experience. There were times I felt like I was in bootcamp because of the level of intensity of the input and output of work on a daily basis. But as I look back on all that was accomplished (exposure to history for the day, world of wonder and tech tip presentations, establishing and utilizing a twitter and facebook account, establishing and collaborating with a team, developing a web page, video production, creating a meme, reading and discussing the Carl Sargan’s Cosmos book, reading and discussing two or three articles a day in regards to deepening students’ understanding, performing an image scavenger hunt at the Museum of Science and Industry, role playing, creating masks and musical instruments, STEM projects, designing and building using Makey Makey kits, etc.), it was very much worth ill all. I cannot express how much this experience has help me to appreciate STEM and the role I serve in it’s implementation. I thank the instructional team for their time and effort in organizing this program and I know that this experience will have a great impact on what I accomplish this 2015-2016 school year.
The journey began on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 at Loyola University. The facilitators appeared very organized and knowledgeable. It wasn’t long before we dived into activities that would eventually become part of our daily routine and expectations. Candace open the program with an icebreaker which also served as a tech tip presentation. Using an app called flickr.com, surveys of the class were taken whereby she would use her cell phone to scan the class responses based on a show of hands. Professor Punya gave us a world of wonder and a tech tip which was a olloclip. This device was clipped on to his cell phone and used as a microscope. Through this device we saw an enlarged view of a fly, spider flower and insect eggs which was very interesting.
It took me a few days to realized that the facilitators modeled, demonstrated and guided us through a process by which they wanted us to learn. This process involved new ways of learning and simulation using hands on and real world experiences. It was Akesha who enlightened us with today in history. By the next day, one of the teams that were established began the rotation cycle of presenting tech tips and world of wonders to the class. As I thought about the process, two thoughts came to my mind. Curiosity and excitement is part of the learning process. Curiosity makes learning more effective and enjoyable. Curious students not only ask questions, but also actively seek out the answers. Without curiosity, Sir Isaac Newton would have never formulated the laws of physics. Albert Einstein once said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
At the beginning of the session I didn’t like the idea of using twitter and facebook but when I saw that it served as a resource for sharing ideas, photos and suggestions for group projects, I had a complete change of heart. In our discussion about TPACK (Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge), it was stated that “learning is least useful when it is private and hidden. It becomes most useful when it is public and communitive”.
Reading was a very important part of the summer session. By the beginning of the summer session, we had to have read Cosmos by Carl Sargan. One of the quotes from the book that stood out to me was by Johannes Kepler found on p. 41. It read, “We do not ask for what useful purpose the birds do sing, for song is their pleasure since they were created for singing. Similarly, we ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of the heavens… The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment”. What was being brought out in this chapter was that things change according to patterns, rules or as we call them through the laws of nature. When I think about teaching math and making connections to increase student’s understanding this gave me ideas about utilizes patterns and rules in nature to help bring out concepts in math. How awesome would it be for students to see patterns in different leaves for example and make a connection to geometry.
In addition to reading the Cosmos, we also had to read two to three articles per day. One of the articles we read and discuss was Theories of Learning and Teaching “What Do They Mean for Educators?” by Suzanne M. Wilson and Penelope L. Peterson. For class, each group had to expound on a section in the article. We either had to present by way of powerpoint or skit or lecture. My group chose to do a skit and our topic was “Teaching as Shared Work’. Reviewing the section on “Teaching as Shared Work” we as a team discussed how teaching could be shared between students and teachers. We tried to bring out in our skit that in team teaching a role had to be created for every student on the team so that there was individual accountability for team results.
The article titled “Teaching for Aesthetic Understanding” brought out that we can know something and not really understand it.. Aesthetic understanding is dramatic, transforming and unifying. It allows you to artically craft concepts and be able to model those this aesthetic value. Aesthetic understanding helps you have to begin to see new ways. One of my challenges when I return to school is to probe teachers with the following questions: How will you apply the idea of seeing in new ways to your classrooms? How can you make the familiar strange?
Another aspect for the summer session was working on the Big Four to help bring out our big idea. The big idea would be the STEM project we plan to develop and implement during the school year.. The big four included The Ultimate STEM, Imagine It, Dream It and the Reflection Paper. We did quickfire activities to help us in preparing for the big four. For example, we had an activity where we were given a letter and had to take a picture of something that would suggest that letter. My team took a picture of the carpet that looked like letter E. We also took 3 photos at the museum of science and Industry the represented images of our big idea.. These activities placed a lot of emphasis on pacing and working through a timeline. It also gave a model as to how to help students navigate through completing extensive class projects and science fair projects.
One of the biggest excitement for me was receiving the Surface Pro. Not only did it make it easier to take notes while reading the articles but it allowed me to easily share and connect between computer platforms. It also made it easier to take photos. Overall, the device serve a vital part in completing assignments with ease. i am very grateful for the Sufrace Pro.
Looking Forward
This summer session has equipped me with much information and many tools and strategies that I plan to share with teachers. When offering professional development, I will be able to incorporate tech tips, world of wonders, TPACK game , storify and share and discuss some of the articles like Aesthetic Understanding , Creative Teaching and Disciplined Learning to help broaden teachers’ understanding regarding teaching. I definitely want to expose teachers to new ways that students can learn and help them to become more involved with real world applications. I also plan to use some of the ideas from the summer when I facilitate classes in the engineering lab.
In lieu of exit slips or pop quizzes, how awesome it would be to sometimes implement, quick fire activities to assess students’ understanding. It would also be great in a math class to share math facts for today in history or have students share world of wonders involving math, for example. Ultimately, I want to see a movement in education where students are taking ownership for their learning and teachers are implementing the tools and strategies that would enable a shift in instruction.
Why Curiosity Enhances Learning, December 17, 2014
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-curiosity-enhances-learning-marianne-stenger.
Looking Back
The eleven day summer session with the MSU Wipro STEM Fellowship program was a very unique but rewarding experience. There were times I felt like I was in bootcamp because of the level of intensity of the input and output of work on a daily basis. But as I look back on all that was accomplished (exposure to history for the day, world of wonder and tech tip presentations, establishing and utilizing a twitter and facebook account, establishing and collaborating with a team, developing a web page, video production, creating a meme, reading and discussing the Carl Sargan’s Cosmos book, reading and discussing two or three articles a day in regards to deepening students’ understanding, performing an image scavenger hunt at the Museum of Science and Industry, role playing, creating masks and musical instruments, STEM projects, designing and building using Makey Makey kits, etc.), it was very much worth ill all. I cannot express how much this experience has help me to appreciate STEM and the role I serve in it’s implementation. I thank the instructional team for their time and effort in organizing this program and I know that this experience will have a great impact on what I accomplish this 2015-2016 school year.
The journey began on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 at Loyola University. The facilitators appeared very organized and knowledgeable. It wasn’t long before we dived into activities that would eventually become part of our daily routine and expectations. Candace open the program with an icebreaker which also served as a tech tip presentation. Using an app called flickr.com, surveys of the class were taken whereby she would use her cell phone to scan the class responses based on a show of hands. Professor Punya gave us a world of wonder and a tech tip which was a olloclip. This device was clipped on to his cell phone and used as a microscope. Through this device we saw an enlarged view of a fly, spider flower and insect eggs which was very interesting.
It took me a few days to realized that the facilitators modeled, demonstrated and guided us through a process by which they wanted us to learn. This process involved new ways of learning and simulation using hands on and real world experiences. It was Akesha who enlightened us with today in history. By the next day, one of the teams that were established began the rotation cycle of presenting tech tips and world of wonders to the class. As I thought about the process, two thoughts came to my mind. Curiosity and excitement is part of the learning process. Curiosity makes learning more effective and enjoyable. Curious students not only ask questions, but also actively seek out the answers. Without curiosity, Sir Isaac Newton would have never formulated the laws of physics. Albert Einstein once said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
At the beginning of the session I didn’t like the idea of using twitter and facebook but when I saw that it served as a resource for sharing ideas, photos and suggestions for group projects, I had a complete change of heart. In our discussion about TPACK (Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge), it was stated that “learning is least useful when it is private and hidden. It becomes most useful when it is public and communitive”.
Reading was a very important part of the summer session. By the beginning of the summer session, we had to have read Cosmos by Carl Sargan. One of the quotes from the book that stood out to me was by Johannes Kepler found on p. 41. It read, “We do not ask for what useful purpose the birds do sing, for song is their pleasure since they were created for singing. Similarly, we ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of the heavens… The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment”. What was being brought out in this chapter was that things change according to patterns, rules or as we call them through the laws of nature. When I think about teaching math and making connections to increase student’s understanding this gave me ideas about utilizes patterns and rules in nature to help bring out concepts in math. How awesome would it be for students to see patterns in different leaves for example and make a connection to geometry.
In addition to reading the Cosmos, we also had to read two to three articles per day. One of the articles we read and discuss was Theories of Learning and Teaching “What Do They Mean for Educators?” by Suzanne M. Wilson and Penelope L. Peterson. For class, each group had to expound on a section in the article. We either had to present by way of powerpoint or skit or lecture. My group chose to do a skit and our topic was “Teaching as Shared Work’. Reviewing the section on “Teaching as Shared Work” we as a team discussed how teaching could be shared between students and teachers. We tried to bring out in our skit that in team teaching a role had to be created for every student on the team so that there was individual accountability for team results.
The article titled “Teaching for Aesthetic Understanding” brought out that we can know something and not really understand it.. Aesthetic understanding is dramatic, transforming and unifying. It allows you to artically craft concepts and be able to model those this aesthetic value. Aesthetic understanding helps you have to begin to see new ways. One of my challenges when I return to school is to probe teachers with the following questions: How will you apply the idea of seeing in new ways to your classrooms? How can you make the familiar strange?
Another aspect for the summer session was working on the Big Four to help bring out our big idea. The big idea would be the STEM project we plan to develop and implement during the school year.. The big four included The Ultimate STEM, Imagine It, Dream It and the Reflection Paper. We did quickfire activities to help us in preparing for the big four. For example, we had an activity where we were given a letter and had to take a picture of something that would suggest that letter. My team took a picture of the carpet that looked like letter E. We also took 3 photos at the museum of science and Industry the represented images of our big idea.. These activities placed a lot of emphasis on pacing and working through a timeline. It also gave a model as to how to help students navigate through completing extensive class projects and science fair projects.
One of the biggest excitement for me was receiving the Surface Pro. Not only did it make it easier to take notes while reading the articles but it allowed me to easily share and connect between computer platforms. It also made it easier to take photos. Overall, the device serve a vital part in completing assignments with ease. i am very grateful for the Sufrace Pro.
Looking Forward
This summer session has equipped me with much information and many tools and strategies that I plan to share with teachers. When offering professional development, I will be able to incorporate tech tips, world of wonders, TPACK game , storify and share and discuss some of the articles like Aesthetic Understanding , Creative Teaching and Disciplined Learning to help broaden teachers’ understanding regarding teaching. I definitely want to expose teachers to new ways that students can learn and help them to become more involved with real world applications. I also plan to use some of the ideas from the summer when I facilitate classes in the engineering lab.
In lieu of exit slips or pop quizzes, how awesome it would be to sometimes implement, quick fire activities to assess students’ understanding. It would also be great in a math class to share math facts for today in history or have students share world of wonders involving math, for example. Ultimately, I want to see a movement in education where students are taking ownership for their learning and teachers are implementing the tools and strategies that would enable a shift in instruction.
Why Curiosity Enhances Learning, December 17, 2014
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-curiosity-enhances-learning-marianne-stenger.