What is your “WHY” for teaching? To me teaching is the ultimate opportunity to combine my passions, learning and children. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be in a field where I could spend every day seeing and experiencing the world through the eyes of children. As a bookworm and self proclaimed “nerd”, I fell naturally into teaching elementary students and learning alongside them.
Area of Expertise: As a licensed K-6 teacher, I have an additional license in Reading. When I first began my career, I worked with a Data Coach in a Title 1 school. My first classroom was in a Fine Arts integration elementary. Since then, integrating curriculum and using data in my instruction have always been my strengths.
What is your PBL experience? After attending the Magnify Learning PBL workshop, I knew PBL was for me. I began my career in 5th grade at CSA Fodrea, a wall-to-wall PBL school in Indiana. When given the opportunity to use my Reading license in a primary grade, I jumped at the chance to teach PBL in 1st grade at Fodrea. When Fodrea began to transition to a Global Lens approach to PBL, I was honored to take part in the creation of this school-wide approach.
What is your favorite aspect of PBL? PBL is the ultimate tool for unique learners. It is recommended by many gifted education experts, provides the necessary background knowledge many ELL and low SES students need to be successful, and allows students with unique learning needs to showcase strengths that are often neglected in more traditional approaches. With social and emotional learning becoming more and more an integral part of our lessons, PBL empowers students to know that they can take action in the world and make a difference. It helps them to feel heard, seen, and gives them a voice. My favorite aspect of PBL is that it is an approach that truly helps bridge all of the needs of our students as a whole person, academic and emotional.
Why do you enjoy facilitating? Much like coaching, facilitating workshops gives me the opportunity to help spread this incredible approach to education. I learn alongside so many of the teachers taking the workshops and it helps sharpen my skills as a facilitator and mentor. Facilitating also gives me the unique opportunity to hear others thoughts and ideas on the topics I present. It gives me a chance to reflect and improve my articulation of what PBL is and how I teach using it.