Danbury High School, Danbury CT
Explore Germany's national parks and investigate the collaboration between business innovations and green educational programs to prepare students for career pathways and promote internship programs and authentic PBL experiences that engage students in career-focused journeys.
Berlin Holocaust Memorial - Embrace our diversity lest we disappear
Phaeno Science Museum, Wolfsburg - Curiosity in Action!
Insel Vilm Biosphere 350 yr old tree - Perils of Climate Change
Bavarian Forest National Park - Day 1 Orienteering Meet Results
Rossfeld Panorama Street - Berchtesgaden National Park Where Have All The Glaciers Gone
Black Forest National Park - Education In Action
I learned that regardless of cultural and political diversity, the desire to protect and preserve our resources exists in us all. While on our historical walking tour in Berlin, a young woman approached and asked to take our empty water bottles. Our guide explained that you can leave empty bottles anywhere and people come along and retrieve them for reimbursement. We saw no roadside or public trash in any countries we visited. People took pride in their communities and shared this with others.
I learned that I am resilient and curious. I tried many new regional foods, like the Berliner Green dessert, a healthy cousin to our US ambrosia salad and the delicious east german pickle soup shared by our Pirna host after he learned of my FFT trip. By sharing our diversity, we celebrate what ties us together and I want to reinforce this lesson with students. Watching the joy among adults and kids alike at the Phaeno science museum instilled the importance of using phenomenon based learning.
I didn't plan to break my arm day 2 of the orienteering race. However, after explaining that I was a science teacher, I convinced the surgical staff to take pictures of the procedure. I missed my Berchtesgaden meeting with their national park education coordinator, but gained visual artifacts to incorporate into future lessons. Serendipity connected me later with the Black Forest educational director who shared multiple school program guides that I can use to implement experiences back at DHS.
I plan to implement authentic learning opportunities with industry experts in my classroom as well as incorporate consistent phenomenon to foster problem based learning experiences. I will invite experts into the classroom and provide students with field trip/externship opportunities to see the science in action. I plan to work with my department to support their implementation of these strategies as well. I also plan to incorporate an orienteering event into our curriculum to foster skills.
I will leverage my fellowship, by increasing the use of phenomenon to drive student problem-based learning around authentic issues. For example, when learning about invasive species, I plan to include the local Candlewood Lake Association, to engage students in learning about invasive carp and millfoil. This will connect student learning not only through the phenomenon but also with local experts. I plan to work with teachers to support their launch of similar student-led learning opportunities.
I plan to work with teachers to plan and develop learning opportunities, similar to ones I learned from the national park program guides, to extend student involvement beyond the classroom. I am working with AP teachers to incorporate a learning opportunity for AP students to teach elementary students about a content topic. One such teacher has begun to plan a joint experience with a 5th grade teacher. I plan to bring community experts into the classroom, to mentor students & foster engagement.