Ariadne Prior-Grosch

Academy for Software Engineering, New York NY

Explore geological phenomena of South America, including volcanic activity, hotspots, plate tectonics, glaciers, and associated ecosystems, to enhance earth science curriculum with inquiry-based exploration of topics and artifacts.

Where I've Been

  • Manizales, Colombia
  • Medellín, Colombia
  • Parque Nacional Natural los Nevados, Colombia
  • Galapagos Islands (Santa Cruz), Ecuador
  • Parque Nacional Sangay, Ecuador
  • Quito, Ecuador
  • Riobamba, Ecuador

My Fellowship in Images

The first stop on my learning adventure was the active Nevado del Ruíz (or Kumanday in the local indigenous language) volcano in Colombia which sparked my initial interest in learning more about the Northern Andean Volcanic Belt.
Walking across the páramo (an ecosystem found in a few locations around the world at tropical latitudes and high altitudes above the treeline and below the snowline) in the Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados felt like walking across a giant sponge.
The most physically challenging experience of my fellowship was a 3-day trek to the edge of the glacier on Nevado del Tolima volcano. With my amazing Colombian guide Julián, we hiked over 56 km from an altitude of 7,500 ft to 16,500 ft and back down.
To explore the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador I decided to go with the local transportation option - horseback! Since the Earth bulges at the equator, the summit of Chimborazo is the farthest point on the Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center!
My experience in the Galápagos was completely awe inspiring. Not only seeing firsthand, but swimming, snorkeling and diving with so many iconic species in the same places where Charles Darwin made his groundbreaking observations was incredible.
Diving at North Seymour Island allowed me to expand my understanding of how geologic forces change the Earth’s crust, both above and below the water. North Seymour Island was created by seismic uplift unlike the rest of the Galápagos Islands.

Your Personal and Professional Growth

How have your knowledge, skills and capabilities grown?

My knowledge of South American geology, volcanology, climate, ecosystems, and culture has grown by leaps and bounds over the course of my month-long fellowship. I now have a wealth of knowledge related to the volcanoes of the Andes and how they have influenced both the natural and cultural landscapes. My experiences in the Galápagos deepened what I had previously learned in school and from reading. I now feel much more confident in my ability to bring all of these topics alive for my students.

As a result, in what ways will your instructional practice change?

The major change I envision for my class this year is that I will be able to design my curriculum in a much more cohesive manner. The topics in Earth Science range from geology to meteorology to astronomy. Often, these topics can seem unconnected to students since they are taught as discrete units of knowledge. This year, I plan to anchor my Earth Science curriculum in case studies based on my experiences in Colombia and Ecuador to show the interconnectedness between the many topics we study.

What is the greatest personal accomplishment of your fellowship?

I feel the greatest sense of accomplishment in relation to my planning and execution of a month-long, detailed itinerary across two countries. I was able to visit and learn in so many different places, meet so many amazing people, and navigate all sorts of complicated transportation and social situations. Additionally, I was psyched when random people on the street in both Colombia and Ecuador asked me in conversation which South American country I was from.

Impact on Your Classroom, School and Community

How will your experiences positively impact student learning in new ways?

My experiences allowed me to collect a large amount of classroom resources in the form of rock samples, photos, stories, and personal contacts that will shape the way my students engage with Earth Science topics this year. As opposed to discussing hotspots, glaciers, and volcanoes in an abstract way, my students will be able to ground their learning in specific examples that we will revisit throughout the year. Many of these examples will be drawn from my students’ countries of origin.

What are your plans for working collaboratively with colleagues?

I am so excited to share with the AFSE Science Department my experiences and learning in Colombia and Ecuador. Luckily I have had the opportunity to teach both the 9th- and 12th-grade Biology courses prior to teaching 10th-grade Earth Science and during my fellowship I felt like I was constantly being bombarded with new ideas and ways to better align and connect the way we teach science at AFSE. We will undertake this important alignment work during our department meetings at AFSE this year.

Imagining the Future

How do you envision celebrating of your students’ new learning?

As my students build their knowledge of Earth Science over the course of the year, they will create a variety of multimedia projects to showcase their learning. These projects will be displayed in our classroom, hallways, and also digitally. As we study new topics, they will be able to incorporate their new learning into their projects. At the end of the year, students will reflect on their year of learning and select the pieces of work that they are most proud of to create a science portfolio.

Are there issues or challenges in your school, community or the greater world about which you and your students might try to make a difference?

The greatest threat to all of the ecosystems that I visited is climate change. Climate change will shrink the glaciers I observed on the volcanoes; some have predicted that this could actually trigger more eruptions. In the Galápagos, they are expecting an increase in ocean temperatures, stronger El Niño seasons, sea level rise, and ocean acidification that will threaten the islands’ biodiversity. My students and I can continue to raise awareness about the far-reaching effects of climate change.

How would you describe to a friend or a grant funder the most fundamental ways in which your fellowship has changed your personal and/or professional perspective?

As a science teacher, I want to make science come alive for students. This can be a challenging undertaking when I am planning instruction for topics that I personally am not an expert in (science teachers are expected to be experts in a huge breadth of topics unlike scientists who usually have hyper-focused research topics). This fellowship provided me with an infinite number of experiences that have expanded my expertise that will influence how I teach science concepts for years to come.

FUND FOR TEACHERS ©