Embedded Files
Throughout my many in-class lessons and field trips, I have watched one theme in particular play a crucial part in my confidence as an environmental educator. I found that the more knowledgeable I was on the lesson plan and focal species, the better prepared I was to lead my group of students. I noticed this specifically during my first field trip with second graders. Prior to this trip, I more thoughtfully educated myself on ten different focal species at our field trip site. I researched interesting facts about these plants, and made sure that I would be able to recognize them in nature. After that, educating the students felt natural. I was able to engage them in thoughtful conversations about the plants around us without having it feel like they were listening to a lecture. After this change, I noticed how students were more receptive to the information I had to tell them, and they asked curious questions which illustrated their critical thinking skills.
Thanks to the confidence and knowledge that I developed, my lessons became much more interdisciplinary. I remember a specific moment, where a group of students and I were observing camas blooming among the grass. In this moment, I was able to inform the students about some of the indigenous peoples of the Willamette Valley - the Kalapuya tribes. I was able to provide cultural context for this native plant species. Similar experiences occurred throughout our field trips. When students and I were admiring a giant sequoia, we were able to have a discussion about circumference and diameter. We applied this to the trunk of the tree, explaining how a giant sequoia can grow to become over 200 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter. Moments like these have led me to realize how crucial it is to feel confident in the material you are teaching in order to successfully implement engaging, interdisciplinary lesson plans.
Thanks to the confidence and knowledge that I developed, my lessons became much more interdisciplinary. I remember a specific moment, where a group of students and I were observing camas blooming among the grass. In this moment, I was able to inform the students about some of the indigenous peoples of the Willamette Valley - the Kalapuya tribes. I was able to provide cultural context for this native plant species. Similar experiences occurred throughout our field trips. When students and I were admiring a giant sequoia, we were able to have a discussion about circumference and diameter. We applied this to the trunk of the tree, explaining how a giant sequoia can grow to become over 200 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter. Moments like these have led me to realize how crucial it is to feel confident in the material you are teaching in order to successfully implement engaging, interdisciplinary lesson plans.
Teaching Evaluations
Teaching Evaluations
During my time on Restoring Connections, we were able to deliver environmental education to 241 elementary school students. Specifically, I led activities in 2 kindergarten classrooms of 18 and 19 students. During the kindergarten field trips, I worked with groups of approximately 5 students each. I also led two second grade activities in classrooms of 24 and 23 students. For these two corresponding field trips, I led groups of approximately 6 students each.
After working in classrooms and leading environmental education field trips, I strive to collect feedback from teachers and school staff members. Our team held debrief sessions in order to address any strengths, as well as areas for improvement. These debriefing sessions were invaluable, as they provided me with an outside perspective on my teaching style. During one of our classroom visits, our lesson plan involved reading a book to the students while we were gathered in a circle on the floor. By this time in my teaching career, I had developed a strong sense of confidence in being able to keep students' attention. However, this teacher asked for her students to stay seated at their desks while I read the book under the document camera. While reading the story projected up on the screen, it was more challenging to keep students' attention and project my voice across the classroom. This experience provided me with a great lesson on adaptability. Feedback from my project director and project manager guided me in addressing this issue. After debriefing with my team, I developed strategies on how to work with students' needs in order to provide a comfortable and focused learning environment. In the following classroom visits, our team was able to read the story in a much stronger way by incorporating crucial elements of storytelling such as movement and sound effects. Thanks to this reflection, the students were able to more strongly reach the learning outcomes for the activity.
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