Reflective Commentary 

As a member of the Aves Compartidas team, I worked primarily with the 5th-grade students. Between the two fifth-grade classrooms at River Road/ El Camino Del Rio Elementary, I had the opportunity to facilitate and co-facilitate five classroom lessons for approximately 60 students. In addition to these classroom lessons, I facilitated groups of eight to eleven 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students on our three field trips to Mt. Pisgah Arboretum. Throughout the lessons, I gained valuable insights that have helped me adapt and grow in my teaching style to better reach students. One of the first challenges I faced as a facilitator was the timing of activities in the lessons. After my first teaching experience, I realized the importance of having adequate time for students to engage in activities to connect with the material. Initially, there were multiple activities planned for each 45-minute lesson. I found that some students felt rushed or overwhelmed because of the amount of transitions in the material. This would prevent engagement in the next activity and students would be unable to finish both activities. By reducing the number of activities for our lessons we were able to emphasize the quality of the activity and learning facilitation and create space for students to become more immersed in the material. Another challenge I faced was balancing student interests with curriculum objectives. Acknowledging student's passions and stories is an essential part of my teaching philosophy so finding this balance was difficult at first. Over time, I was able to redirect students back to the material or connect their interests back to the material. This helped maintain engagement while also meeting our learning objectives and strengthening my flexibility and adaptability in lessons. Lastly, I struggled with my confidence in the facilitator role. It took a few lessons facilitating for me to grow comfortable in this position. I was able to do this by embracing the discomfort and continuing to focus on the enthusiasm of the students and my own excitement to share material with them. Overall, these experiences provided me with valuable lessons that have enhanced my ability to lead and facilitate groups while prioritizing meaningful engagement. As I continue to refine my teaching style I will use what I have learned to create enriching learning environments for students.

Teacher Evaluations

Throughout the weeks of the project, we received feedback from different mentors, peers, and community partners. The teachers at El Camino del Río/ River Road Elementary provided feedback regarding what went well and what could be improved in our classroom facilitation. I received feedback that I was professional in the role, enthusiastic about the curriculum, and able to engage students in activities and material. Most frequently, the teachers mentioned that I could improve my incorporation of Spanish in the lesson. As someone who is not fluent in Spanish, I struggled with this because I did not want to incorrectly model the language and worried that if students spoke to me in Spanish I would not be able to understand them. I addressed this by making sure to include Spanish and English text on the presentation slides, as well as informing students of my proficiency level in Spanish and incorporating more of the Spanish I do know. I also asked students to correct me if I mispronounced words. By stepping out of my comfort zone and working to include as much Spanish as I could, I was able to decentralize the space by encouraging students to share their knowledge with me and enhance the quality of Spanish in the lessons.

Community Partner Evaluations

Our community partners at Mt.Pisgah Arboretum provided feedback for the field trips that we conducted at the site. I received feedback that I was able to uniquely engage students by addressing their needs as individuals, whether it was physical, emotional, or behavioral while bringing attention back to the curriculum. This was important feedback because one of my core values as an educator is to respect and acknowledge student autonomy.

 Environmental Leadership Program Evaluations

I also received feedback from my mentors, Environmental Leadership Program Director Dr. Kathryn Lynch, and Project Manager Lauren Van Vliet, who observed our team in the field every week. Feedback for my role as a facilitator was that I have solid facilitation skills as the lead facilitator and as a co-lead in the classroom. I also received feedback that I was clear when communicating with students and team members, I am observant and responsive to student needs, and I provide meaningful support to students when needed. A key piece of feedback I received was to shift from providing students with immediate answers to their questions to encouraging curiosity. Throughout the lessons, I was able to include a more inquiry-based approach. When students asked me questions I would simply begin by asking them what they thought the answer might be. Then I would model scientific questioning and make observations with the student. By shifting to this approach students had the opportunity to practice critical thinking and be actively engaged with the material. Another important piece of feedback I received was to incorporate pre-corrects when asking students questions during the lesson. During my facilitation, I worked on balancing how many students to call and continuing the lesson. It was exciting that they were engaged in the lesson but in order to manage time we would need to move on before calling on everyone. By incorporating pre-corrects such as stating “ I’m going to call on two hands” I was able to better communicate expectations with students. Additionally, I often noticed that students would raise their hands to share a story with the class. I began to ask students “Do you have a question or comment?” when they raised their hand. If it was a comment I would ask that they wait to share until work time or recess. A key part of this was that I would always follow up with the student at a better time to give them the opportunity to share their comments.