How Do These Artifacts Demonstrate Acheivement of the Standard: Artifact #1 demonstrates this standard by engaging learners in a cross-disciplinary activity involving chemistry, biology and social studies to examine the many challenges involved in providing clean drinking water both locally and globally. Participation in this type of project helps expand students' perspectives and begin exploring how these types of problems can be addressed. Artifact #2 demonstrates this standard by creating a project that requires students to apply what they have learned while engaging in an authentic task.

 

How Have These Artifacts Impacted My Understanding of Teaching/Learning?: Creating these artifacts helped me identify how projects and learning activities can be created that engage students in critical thinking, application of what they have learned, and problem solving. I relied heavily on my previous experience working with the drinking water industry to help design the drinking water quality lesson plan. Using a gallery walk where each station provides different information is a great way to expose students to the various issues and perspectives related to a given topic. It also provides an opportunity for students to become experts on a topic and share what they have learned with their peers.

 

Strengths: My previous work doing environmental consulting helps me to identify how to weave real-world applications of science into lessons that include both local and global perspectives.

 

Areas for Improvement: I would like to continue to identify ways to engage learners in evaluating new ideas and novel approaches and seeking innovative solutions to problems. Being able to think "outside of the box" is an important skill for students to develop. During my internship, I would like to develop more projects that focus on problem solving rather than just learning about a problem.