Math & Science Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education

Fellow: Lindsey Dietz, M.S. graduate fellow in Mathematics
Teacher: Margie Menzies, Harbor City High School, grades 9-12 Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

From the beginning, Margie and I had a very symbiotic relationship.  We were successfully able to fill the gaps in each other’s styles.  My inexperience with high school students led to idealistic ideas for students; Margie helped turn them into realistic lessons.  I was able to fill in areas of algebraic necessity and especially expand the physics student’s knowledge by implementing some calculus concepts.  Together we injected inquiry into the everyday curricula of the students.

Some of the major accomplishments of our team were simple and others more complex.  We tried to help students overcome math anxiety through daily math problems.  In our minds, we reached some students through this method.  Another of our accomplishments was creating and successfully implementing lesson plans, which used inquiry as a basis. 

I’d like to think that I did make a significant impact in the classroom this year.  By contributing my lesson plans to Margie’s classroom, I added breadth in crucial areas.  From my mere presence, I gave the students a visual of a young adult in the fields of math and science.  I was able to bring some new things to complement the old.  The students got a fresh, and sometimes fun, take on areas that are typically seen as boring.

Throughout this experience I have gained much.  Communication, leadership, creativity, motivational tactics, persuasion, patience, the list goes on and on.  The improvements in my skills through this project will be instrumental in my future.  Many of the abilities that I tuned in this project are things that I will call upon in my career path.  Even though I don’t plan on being a teacher, I am definitely willing to do some research and analysis in the areas of K-12 education should the opportunity arise.

Teams in Action

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Curriculum