Math & Science Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education

Fellow: Emerald Erickson, M.S. graduate fellow in Geological Sciences
Teacher: Derek Parendo, Proctor High School, grades 9-12 Physics, Life Science, Astronomy & Geology

Derek Parendo and I worked together at Proctor HS with a 11th-12th grade physics class, 9th grade Life Science class and a 9th-11th grade Astronomy/Geology class.  I attending class twice a week for four class periods; one Astronomy/Geology, one Life Science and two Physics classes.  During the school year we performed action research mainly involving the Physics class.  Our research involved preparing inquiry labs to gain an understanding of what motivates students at this grade level to learn.  From our action research we came to a few valuable insights.

• 1) students in the 11th and 12th grade are very accustomed to learning in a traditional classroom environment
• 2) learning styles seem to change greatly from 9th grade to 12th grade
• 3) students need variety when doing labs so as to keep their excitement and interest in the subject matter
• 4) students enjoyed making objects, testing them and being able to compare them to the other students in the class

My place in the schools allowed the students the opportunity to have a scientific consult and understand more about the scientific process through labs and lectures.  As a fellow I learned what it is like to teach science to high school aged students and gained insight into the career path I want to follow. 

Teams in Action

1. 2. 3.

Curriculum