Welcome to 5th Grade STEM and Social Studies

Collaboration. Communication. Creative Problem-Solving. F.A.I.L.ing--

21st Century Skills that are the foundation of Room 211.

I feel students learn best through a constructivist teaching approach. Constructivism is an inquiry-based teaching method that offers a student-centered learning community where students work collaboratively together to solve real world problems. I believe that teaching with this type of instruction empowers my students to take ownership of their learning by allowing them to explore problems and uncover solutions.

To be a successful educator, student learning should be the focal point of instruction. For that reason, I consider myself a facilitator rather than a teacher. As a facilitator, I aim to provide my students with the learning tools to construct their own education. For example, I help students find ways to answer their own questions by encouraging them to perform active research, rather than giving them the answer. I also provide guidance and assistance to my students to help them accurately formulate their own hypotheses, discoveries, and conclusions. If one were to walk into my classroom, he or she would find my students working in groups, solving problems through hands-on investigation and technology integration. One may also describe it as 'organized chaos'.

How are students 'graded' in our class? Most of a student's grade is based on completed projects and their collaboration efforts. There are very few traditional tests. Students will be reading several informational texts and their responses to these texts will also be part of their grades. In Science, neat and complete Science Journals are part of the student grade. In other words, I don't put too much weight on memorization of facts, but rather applying what they learn into projects and working well with others.