CMU Stem Ambassadors Site

My first year teaching as a STEM ambassador was very insightful for me as it was my first time teaching younger kids. It brought unexpected challenges, but was also very rewarding as teaching made a visible impact on the children in the classroom. I started out teaching more timid, but as I gained more experience I started feeling more comfortable in the new environment. One memory that I have from teaching last year is taking apart owl pellets with the older class group. They were disgusted by the thought of it being inside of an owl but they were very mature and open-minded and tried the activity anyways. There were a lot of good moments but some kids struggled with focusing and paying attention. This was less due to the engagement of the topic, but more because of their young age and short attention span.

Two things I want to learn more about are how  to create more engagement with the younger children (under 6), and how to foster an environment where the children are very comfortable with sharing their thoughts and ideas.

The teacher that keeps me the most engaged is probably my Chemistry teacher Mrs. Powers. She makes class very engaging by keeping a high energy in the class and allow students to express their own thoughts and opinions. It is really effective because it creates an environment of learning where students want to participate and engage with the class material.

I don't have many experiences with neurodiversity, but in the few cases I have, I have been able to see that people proccess information differently. Every neurodivergent person I have met has been capable of understanding and comprehending what is going on around them, it is just how the speed and way they proccess. These experiences have opened my eyes to realize that neurodivergent people aren't so different than a neurotypical person.

In the classroom, you can help include people by asking someone what their needs are and try to accomodate them. You can try and create a calm and respectful learning environment so people can feel free to share their own thoughts and opinions without getting made fun of.

One example of a neurodivergent person is Shaun Murphy from The Good Doctor. He is diagnosed with autism, but still manages to make it as a doctor. He faces discrimination throughout the show as people don't think he is capable of being a doctor due to his condition. Despite this, his peersmake workplace adjustments and communication strategies to make him feel comfortable and safe in his environment so he can function properly. This can be used in our learning spaces by making sure that the students have a way to communicate when they are stressed and a procedure to help calm them down.