What more do YOU want to be doing, and how can I help you to get there?
Inquir-Ed is an alternative, teacher-to-teacher, long-term professional development, support and consulting opportunity. The goal is to help teachers navigate considerations of time, space, money, standards and other obstacles so they can do more of the evidence-based, hands-on, fun stuff they want to do.
*NOTE: I am still available to work with teachers remotely or outside, while maintaining social distance, during these unprecedented times. Please contact me directly if you would like to engage in personalized professional learning through a virtual platform or outdoor setting during the pandemic.
I'm Aubrey Nelson. I'm a mom and an educator. In 2019 I joined the team of the New Hampshire Energy Education Project (NHEEP), providing energy workshops to students and professional development around energy, climate and NGSS to teachers around the state. Prior to my work with NHEEP I was the lead science teacher and outdoor program director at The Beech Hill School in Hopkinton, NH. In that role I had the opportunity to teach middle school Earth, Life and Physical Science as well as Outdoors, Life Skills, Health Education, Solutions, and various elective courses. Before coming to BHS, my work included teaching science in the Concord Public School System (with Project SEE) and three years of wilderness trip leading and teaching at outdoor, experiential education centers. I served on the Board of Directors for New Hampshire Environmental Educators (NHEE) from 2012-2019 and helped develop and implement the NHEEd to Get Outside field trip funding program. I earned my undergraduate degree (Environmental Studies and French) from Bates College and a MEd from Antioch University of New England in Educating for Sustainability.
WHY I INQUIR-ED?
Many teachers learn about 'buzz-word' best practices (outdoor, STEAM-rich, real-world, project-based work that fosters empathy and growth mindset) at conferences and elsewhere, and want to implement them, but there are obstacles large and small, real and perceived that often keep those projects in the ideas-phase. I'm fortunate to have had the freedom to try out a variety of projects and teaching styles, and I feel ready to share some of what I have learned. That said, teaching is a two-way street, and so I need also to be a listener and a learner. I believe that all great teachers seek to improve, but the traditional, workshop/conference model of professional development is not always the most effective for everyone. I prefer an individualized, longer-term approach, which inquires first and develops solutions second. In this way I hope to cultivate more successful and sustainable integration of those evidence-based projects and practices that result in healthier, happier and more engaged students and teachers.