Professional Development Transcript
As educators we are constantly provided with opportunities to continue growing and evolving. While I have logged hundreds of hours of professional development (PD) over the past few years on the job, some of my more robust PD experiences have left an incredible imprint on my teaching. These opportunities are listed below.
CoT Training
June 2015 Troy School District Train teacher leaders to implement Cultures of Thinking at Athens High School In the summer of 2015 I was able to participate in 5 day training the the field of Cultures of Thinking (CoT). We were able to learn from the man who wrote the book on the topic (literally) about various routines and classroom policies to get students to think deeply and show their learning visually. We also studied "The Eight Cultural Forces" which allow for the construction of an optimal and comfortable learning environment for our students. It was hugely impactful on how I run my classroom. |
Modeling in Chemistry 1 & 2 Workshop
July 2016 (3 weeks) & June 2017 (2 weeks) Novi High School (through Oakland County) Improve my understanding on teaching chemistry. I attended a 3 week learning session in the summer of 2016 in order to experience the way "modeling" works in teaching. Modeling is an incredibly popular method of teaching that focuses on students building an understanding of chemistry through repeated experimentation. This was hugely transformative to the way that I teach. While I do not follow their curriculum exactly, I was able to pick up a variety of tips/tricks to help better the way I set-up my curriculum in chemistry. |
SAFE Talk Training
January 2018
Troy School District
Provides tools and training for teachers to help at-risk students.
Teachers in Troy were asked to participate in this workshop provided through Oakland County to help provide safe guidance for students who may be struggling with depression.
Oakland County "Science Literacy Innovation Project" (SLIP)
2016-2017 School Year
Oakland County (various schools)
Improve my understanding of literacy in the science classroom and share my current ideas and uses of text.
This school year I was able to participate in SLIP. While we haven't met extensively yet, I can already tell that I will enjoy not only being able to learn more about incorporating literacy into my teaching, but also being able to share what I already do in regards to the integration of reading and writing into science.
Oakland County Effective Practices Conference
June 2016
Clarkston High School (through Oakland County)
Gain information from other Oakland County science teachers & share my knowledge with others
I was fortunate enough to present at the Oakland County Effective Practices Conference in the early summer of 2016 on different activities I have done with my chemistry and physics students in regards to lab work. In addition, I was able to see a variety of different speakers at the conference. Two of the speakers I was fortunate enough to see were a pair from Clarkston High School on using whiteboards in chemistry. This confirmed my work that I have been doing on similar labs.
National Science Teachers Association Meeting
March 2015
Chicago IL
Gaining information from the best in teaching across the country
In 2015 I attended the National Science Teachers Association National Meeting (NSTA national meeting) in Chicago IL. During the three days while I was at the conference I was able to meet Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and attend several sessions on various topics in science education. One that stuck out to me was the use of "flipped classrooms" as a method of doing video notes at home and using class time to work with students and do practice. I have used this method of instruction a great deal in chemistry which has been incredibly effective for me as a teacher.
January 2018
Troy School District
Provides tools and training for teachers to help at-risk students.
Teachers in Troy were asked to participate in this workshop provided through Oakland County to help provide safe guidance for students who may be struggling with depression.
Oakland County "Science Literacy Innovation Project" (SLIP)
2016-2017 School Year
Oakland County (various schools)
Improve my understanding of literacy in the science classroom and share my current ideas and uses of text.
This school year I was able to participate in SLIP. While we haven't met extensively yet, I can already tell that I will enjoy not only being able to learn more about incorporating literacy into my teaching, but also being able to share what I already do in regards to the integration of reading and writing into science.
Oakland County Effective Practices Conference
June 2016
Clarkston High School (through Oakland County)
Gain information from other Oakland County science teachers & share my knowledge with others
I was fortunate enough to present at the Oakland County Effective Practices Conference in the early summer of 2016 on different activities I have done with my chemistry and physics students in regards to lab work. In addition, I was able to see a variety of different speakers at the conference. Two of the speakers I was fortunate enough to see were a pair from Clarkston High School on using whiteboards in chemistry. This confirmed my work that I have been doing on similar labs.
National Science Teachers Association Meeting
March 2015
Chicago IL
Gaining information from the best in teaching across the country
In 2015 I attended the National Science Teachers Association National Meeting (NSTA national meeting) in Chicago IL. During the three days while I was at the conference I was able to meet Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and attend several sessions on various topics in science education. One that stuck out to me was the use of "flipped classrooms" as a method of doing video notes at home and using class time to work with students and do practice. I have used this method of instruction a great deal in chemistry which has been incredibly effective for me as a teacher.
Cultures of Thinking Photo: http://www.rcsthinkfromthemiddle.com/ Retrieved 10/19