Electronic Portfolio

The University of Pennsylvania's Science Teacher Institute
Master of Integrated Science Education Program
Leadership –
The participant has grown as a leader in science education.

LEARNINGSCIENCE.ORG

These pictures are from a presentation that my classmate/co-worker, Angela Maresco, and I arranged at our school. We wanted to introduce our co-workers to a great resource for teaching science, so we invited George Mehler, the web page designer of Learningscience.org, to give a presentation of his website at our school. He is showing our staff some of the interactive sites and giving us ideas on how to use them with our students. (Use the link above to connect to the website.) Angela and I met George Mehler during the Teaching and Learning Middle School Science Education course at Penn. George Mehler created Learningscience.org  by compiling and organizing dozens of interactive websites from around the world that help students learn science content. All the websites on his webpage are accurate, reliable, and fun, and help students see the science through the computer graphics and animation.

This was the first time I took on and followed through in a leadership role. It was a small presentation, but I was able to share a resource that would help my fellow teachers teach science and incorporate technology. After Mr. Mehler presented this resource to us at Penn, Angela and I knew this was something we wanted to share with our co-workers. Understanding the pressures to excel in reading and math, and the back-burner treatment that science receives, I knew that this resource was something our staff would definitely use. It was a great way for us to share our experience with our entire staff, allowing us to become science leaders. Our principal was a key player in this small venture since he allowed us the time to have this presentation during a staff-only professional development day.

This was a good experience for me, but this is only a baby step. There is much more that can be done in my school to spread the science knowledge around, as I am sure many people probably feel. I am curious to know how many teachers used this resource in their classrooms, and how the teachers and students felt about learning science this way. As a science leader (informally) I would like to know if my efforts helped any; maybe by taking an informal survey. I am curious to  know what my next leadership venture will be; it can only get bigger and better!

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Mini-Grant Project:
During the next school year, I was indeed able to continue in my venture to become more of a leader in science education. I applied for a Penn STI mini-grant for $1000 worth of science materials, and I was approved. I was able to buy some "HOT" equipment for students to use in both science and math labs. As part of the grant requirements, I went on to present the project that my students did using the equipment. I remember talking to others in my Cohort about the grant, saying that I was not going to apply, but Jane Horowitz encouraged me to go for it. I am so glad she came along at that moment because I was approved for the money, and I felt very proud knowing that I was able to do something else to help my school community. Taking on this leadership role meant that I had to do a little bit of extra work, with the application process, and presentation, but the reward was great: I got equipment for my school and it was a great experience for my students.
Click here to read all about it - I'VE GOT THE HOTS FOR MATH & SCIENCE
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