What led you to become a teacher? How many years have you been teaching?
I had an aunt and a godfather who were teachers and they often brought me in to their classes and to school functions when I was very young. I thought then that I would be a teacher. I am lucky enough to now be working with one of those relatives at Middletown North. It's turning out to be a wonderful experience.
I also had two amazing teachers growing up who inspired me so much. They definitely helped me decide my career path. I was lucky enough to sit down with one of those amazing teachers this past year as she was getting ready to retire and let her know how much she influenced me. The other teacher who had such an impact me was my daughter's teacher this past year. Everything has definitely come full circle for me.
What do you like best about teaching in a Learner-Active classroom?
I have been teaching for a total of eight years. I started at Middletown North last November and Dr. Susan Terplevich was my partner. I am thrilled to be teaching with her again this year in the inclusion initiative.
What's best about it for your students?
I love the fact that in a Learner-Active Classroom students have the opportunity to know the end result of what a unit should be when it starts. I also like the amount of control and responsibility that is given to the students.
Students benefit from being given the assignments and expectations up front for each PBL. They also have freedom and control over when and what assignments to do. This type of classroom gives students with so many learning styles to same chance to succeed.
Which of the Ten Principles is most important to you in your classroom and why?
Personally, I think the most important of the Ten Principles is Connected Learning. In American Literature we are teaching literature that students often have a hard time relating to. It is important to show them the recurring themes and implications these literary works have on their lives.
What's your favorite problem-based unit?
My favorite problem - based unit is one we haven't actually done in our class yet!! We created it this summer and are planning to use it in class this October. It is a unit on The Great Gatsby where students will be starting the unit with a web quest on the 1920's. They will become party planners and each group will be responsible for a different aspect of creating an authentic 1920's speakeasy to be held in class on Halloween. I'm looking forward to the creative aspects of the unit, which also utilizes technology.
How do you think problem based learning helps students experience and learn through real life situations?
One of the things that struck me the hardest in our differentiating workshops was the statistic showing how little students retain of a lecture. Problem based learning helps the student really make choices and learn by actually doing...I think this helps them own what they are learning.
How do you create connections for students between what they learn and today's society?
As the saying goes....History repeats itself. It is amazing the duality that can be found between novels from the past and current society. Whenever a news or media event comes up that parallels the literature, we use it in class to make those much needed connections. Students need to know that the ideas and themes they are learning about mean something in relation to their own lives.
Asking questions where students must elaborate on their own ideas rather than regurgitating information is important as is giving students a lot of creative control over projects and assignments for each unit.
Interview
Sue Terplevich
What led you to become a teacher? How many years have you been teaching?
I am the Special Education teacher on this In-Class Support teaching team. As far back as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a teacher. The Special Education influence came when I was a freshman in high school. A family with a child with special needs moved in across the street. Although they only stayed a year, my experiences with that family inspired me to work with special education students. This is my 39th year of teaching.
What do you like best about teaching in a Learner-Active classroom?
It is gratifying for me to see students in a Learner-Active classroom become responsible, independent learners who are able to set goals, schedule time, utilize resources, and make other decisions on their own.
What's best about it for your students?
The learner-active classroom provides a place for students to determine when, where, and with whom they are going to complete assignments. This flexibility allows the students to make use of their learning styles and strengths as they complete assignments. It also encourages students to explore technology and incorporate that technology in their assignments. A student becomes an active part of the learning process rather than just sitting in a seat and passively listening to information given in lecture format.
Which of the Ten Principles is most important to you in your classroom and why?
In a classroom, the principle most important to me is student responsibility for learning. As students become responsible, active learners, and set goals, schedule time, utilize resources, and make other decisions on their own, my role as a teacher changes. I become "the guide on the side" instead of "the sage on the stage."
What's your favorite problem-based unit?
Michelle and I have been teaching partners less than a year. We started working together last November, and became involved in the Learner-Active classroom in the spring. We have implemented only one problem-based unit with students, the last unit of the past school year. The unit was The G and T Book Club, an independent reading project. This unit proved to be very successful, and resulted in students reading more than was expected, and completing assignments that reflected a true understanding of the books they read. We have developed two additional units for this school year, one of them is a Getting to Know You unit for the beginning of school, and I hope the students will become as excited about this unit as I am.
How do you think problem based learning helps students experience & learn through real life situations? How do you create connections for students between what they learn and today's society?
I find that students are often frustrated by the materials selected for them to read in high school. They often do not see that the themes in American Literature are timeless, and the experiences faced by the characters in works of literature are similar to the problems faced by students today. Through Problem-Based Learning students begin to identify these themes and become aware of similar experiences not only in the media, but also in their own lives. The students then become able to make the connections between the curriculum and their lives in today's society.
