Math & Science Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education

Fellow: Brice Hansen, M.S. graduate fellow Biological Sciences
Teacher: Amy Hexum, Harbor City High School, Fall term 2008 - 9th grade Physical Science & 10th grade Biology.

A tenth grade biology classroom was not a place I expected to soon revisit.  However, in my time at Harbor City International School I have seen the enthusiasm students have for the world around them and of which they realize they are a part.  I have enjoyed the time I have spent in the classroom as well as the prep work for lessons.  Watching the students squirm as you explain that they will be digging through yesterday’s school trash, and the realization of their impacts on the earth at the end of the day, can both be gratifying outcomes from a lesson.  We have taken the time to grow and study bacterial samples that we collected throughout the school, explored energy transfer through organisms and food webs, the effects of invasive species, and cell structure and function. It has been great watching the students develop throughout the year, becoming more confident in asking questions and venturing their opinions during class discussions.  I have learned new strategies to teach students with special needs, classrooms with very diverse learning styles and abilities, and students that have their own opinions of the importance of the material. This truly is a great and rewarding experience.

Teams in Action

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Curriculum