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Who are we?
Janaki
Janaki
Nagarajan
I have worked as a teacher in Pre-K-5th grade settings for a decade. I am passionate about math education, teacher learning, and play as social justice. I earned my Masters in Teaching from University of Washington, Seattle. I have presented at math education conferences regionally and nationally, as well as planned and co-facilitated teacher professional development.
I love finding the intersections of mathematics and creativity and exploring those ideas with students.
Janaki, by-the-numbers...
5🎹 9🇮🇳 12🌍 10🏫 77👨🏾👩🏼🦱👧🏽👩🏻🦳
When Janaki isn't teaching, she enjoys...
☕️🫖 exploring coffee/tea shops with friends
🌌🪐 learning about the universe
🎨✍🏼 painting and doodling
🧥🧣 watching endless fashion videos, shopping for clothes, and putting together outfits
Janaki's blog: https://thinkingwithchildren.com
Colley
I have taught 4th grade bilingual (English/Spanish) as a classroom teacher and have been a K-5 science instructional coach. I earned my Masters & PhD in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on elementary science teaching and learning from the University of Washington, Seattle. I have led school-based, regional, & national professional learning experiences on K-12 science education.
My passion for elementary science and STEM education drives me and my work.
Carolyn, by-the-numbers...
1🐶 11🌎 13💍 20🏫 24🪴
When Carolyn isn't teaching, she enjoys...
🚗🗺️ road trips
🧵👖 sewing
🍃🚶🏻♀️ walking in nature
Carolyn's website:
Kitten
Kitten
Vaa
I hold a Master’s in Teaching and have over 20 years of experience in elementary education. I’m passionate about early science and literacy, and committed to creating joyful, inclusive classrooms where curiosity drives learning. I continually seek opportunities to grow, learn, and play. Most recently, I completed a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research project in Finland, studying how sustainability education can foster hope, action, and belonging in the primary classroom.
Kitten, by-the-numbers...
3🐈⬛ 25🏫 2👦🏻👧🏻 38 WA 25💍
When Kitten isn't teaching, she enjoys...
📖📚 browsing a bookstore or library
🥾🌲 hiking under tall trees
📝🧠 scribbling new lesson ideas in the margins of a read-aloud
🤔💡wondering how to turn today's curiosity into tomorrow's "a-ha!"
Kitten's website:
Why did we create PD²?
We love to play and consider possibilities!
Sometimes when we "play", the ideas that surface don't go anywhere...it's just for fun! Other times, our playful conversations end up informing how we work with other teachers and students. We think there are other teachers out there like us who want to play while exploring various places around Seattle. So we created professional learning that encourages teachers to play together while experiencing tasks that can be used in classrooms and sparking professional conversations.
Examples of a few of our playful conversations...
We were playing Connect Four at a staff event, trying out various versions of rules, wondering about patterns, game theory, and versions of the Connect Four that could guarantee a win.
We got on the topic of topology and "What is a hole?" This conversation turned into a rabbit hole of research and some interesting questions about what properties define a hole.
We were discussing Which One Doesn't Belong, commonly used in math and wondered if WODB would be useful in science and have been tinkering with that idea and trying-it-out.
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