Science Teacher
Mount Mansfield Union High School
PORTFOLIO
March 2010
PROFESSIONAL GOAL # 1
To encourage students to take ownership of their learning.
ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT GOAL:
1. Introduction to Geographical Information Systems, SUNY (2002) (1 credit)
2. Place ENVS, UVM (2002) (1 credit)
3. Institute in Japan, UVM (2003) (3 credits)
4. VCAT Course, Southern New Hampshire University (2005) (3 credits)
5. WorldTeach, (2006-07) (3credits)
6. Environment and the Economy, University of Florida (2008) (2 credits)
7. Institute on Learning and the Brain, workshop (2009) (1 credit)
8. Differentiated Instruction, workshop (2009), (1credit)
EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ACTIVITIES AFFECTED MY PROFESSIONAL GROWTH:
The set of knowledge that I bring to the classroom has been increased by many of the activities that I have participated in
throughout the last 7 years. I was able to enhance my knowledge of mapping and using global positioning satellite technology in the
Intro to GIS course offered through SUNY. The Place course taught me about the history geology, ecology and demographics of
Richmond, Vermont. The Institute in Japan course allowed me to travel with 6 other teachers from CESU to learn about Japanese
Culture near Osaka, Japan. My attention during this trip was focused especially on the environmental ethic demonstrated by the
families and institutions in this part of the world. The VCAT course allowed me to work with colleagues to develop more consistent
curricula in several courses that I teach, and record activities, assignments, and those key concepts that are related to every unit in
those courses. The Environment and the Economy course allowed me to place my interest in ecology and environmental studies into
a greater context, relating environmental concepts to risk-benefit analyses, social trends, politics, and policy. The Institute on
Learning and the Brain workshop allowed a team of educators from MMU to learn about how the brain works when it learns, and
stages of brain development.
By far, however, my “professional growth” was affected the most by the year my wife and I took a year’s leave of absence
and became volunteers for an NGO called WorldTeach, based through Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Our teaching careers
began in Peace Corps, Cameroon, in 1984, and that experience affected our lives more than any other single experience. I learned
then that the perspective one is able to gain by working and living for an extended period of time in a foreign culture is invaluable,
and more knowledge is gained in a short time thus over, say, four years in college! We wanted to take a break, not from teaching,
but from a comfortable and somewhat predictable lifestyle in Vermont, and the timing was right. We gained permission from the
Superintendent to suspend our contracts within the district for one year, and taught on a small island called Pohnpei, in the
Federated States of Micronesia, in the Pacific Ocean. There, I taught chemistry and physics (just like at MMU), but also Geometry,
and even a little Geography. English is spoken there, but as a second language, so I had to learn to communicate higher-order
science concepts in a “different” way than I had been used to here. Teaching mathematics for the first time (and geography!)
opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of problem-solving that I had never had to worry about at MMU. In short, I was able to step
out of my comfort zone, and the challenges that that implies has allowed me to become a much more “interesting” teacher than I’m
sure I ever would have been otherwise!
.
EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ACTIVITIES AFFECTED MY TEACHING:
In order for students to truly understand any concept with any sort of depth, it is important for them to be able to relate
what they are learning in class to their own experiences and desires. Thus, “ownership” of learning perhaps starts with the ability to
relate concepts to one’s own experiences. With this in mind, several of the activities in particular in which I have participated during
the last 7 years have allowed me to include information and activities in which I have been able to enhance the learning experience
for many of my students. For example, I have been able to have groups of students create maps of natural areas when studying the
ecology of a particular spot near where they live, using GIS technology and having discussed the history of that particular area of our
district. I have been able to have students compare their own environmental ethical standards to those that I was able to
experience in Japan and in Micronesia. I have been able to greatly enhance the level of discussion that takes place in Environmental
Design by having students study what is called the “triple top line” of a proposed solution to a problem, which includes not just the
ecology but also the economic feasibility and the social desirability of that proposal, and to make more informed decisions based on
that sort of analysis. In short, the activities that I have participated in have allowed me to offer a richer learning experience to
students, by allowing them to approach a particular topic from a different perspective, often one of their choosing.
.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL #2
To improve instruction for students of all ability levels.
ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT GOAL:
1. Introduction to Geographical Information Systems, SUNY (2002) (1 credit)
2. Place ENVS, UVM (2002) (1 credit)
3. Institute in Japan, UVM (2003) (3 credits)
4. VCAT Course, Southern New Hampshire University (2005) (3 credits)
5. WorldTeach, (2006-07) (3 credits)
6. Environment and the Economy, University of Florida (2008) (2 credits)
7. Institute on Learning and the Brain, workshop (2009) (1 credit)
8. Differentiated Instruction, workshop (2009), (1credit)
EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ACTIVITIES AFFECTED MY PROFESSIONAL GROWTH:
(see above)
EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ACTIVITIES AFFECTED MY TEACHING:
I have taught mostly Honors and “A” level Junior and Senior classes for the last decade, and have not had as much
experience during that time trying to teach high-order concepts and skills to very many students whose writing and math skills are
weak. Thus, I had to learn much about how to do so, quickly, upon arrival in Micronesia. There, most of the 11 th- and 12th- grade
students at Nanpei Memorial High School were performing at about the equivalent of about a 9th-grade student in Vermont, in math
and science. I developed a system for each unit in science there that seemed to work fairly well for organizing the concepts and
skills associated with chemistry and physics. I brought that system back with me, and incorporate it into my chemistry classes at
MMU, and have been able to help students who are struggling with the material to at least have structure in place to help them
understand the difficult topics they encounter.
The VCAT course has allowed access by educators, parents and students to an organized description of each unit in each
course that I teach. The GIS, Place, and Environment and Ecology courses have made projects involving natural systems
approachable by students from various new perspectives that I would not have been able to easily offer had I not taken those
courses.
The workshop Institute on Learning and the Brain has made me at least consider how I teach in terms of the way that the
human brain stores information and develops. As a result of that workshop, I am even more determined to advocate for block
periods for my science classes. (I had already accumulated anecdotal evidence that such scheduling worked best for my classes, but
that workshop allows me to cite scientific evidence for justification.)
.
PROFESSIONAL GOAL #3
To increase the use of the computer (and related technology) in the classroom and the lab.
ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT GOAL:
1. Introduction to Geographical Information Systems, SUNY (2002) (1 credit)
2. Place ENVS, UVM (2002) (1 credit)
3. Institute in Japan, UVM (2003) (3 credits)
4. VCAT Course, Southern New Hampshire University (2005) (3 credits)
5. WorldTeach, (2006-07) (3 credits)
6. Environment and the Economy, University of Florida (2008) (2 credits)
7. Differentiated Instruction, workshop (2009), (1credit)
EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ACTIVITIES AFFECTED MY PROFESSIONAL GROWTH:
(see above)
EXAMPLES OF HOW THE ACTIVITIES AFFECTED MY TEACHING:
Every course or workshop listed above has been used to support my goal of increasing the use of computers and related
technology in my classroom. Indeed, I am sure that societal trends and emerging technology alone would have caused the increase.
However, each of these activities has led to at least a few applications whereby a student has improved their learning by using a
computer or other technology in my classroom. Some are probably obvious: GPS and mapping software to create descriptions of
natural areas (GIS, Place); using the World Wide Web to conduct research about environmental ethics (Japan), or simply checking
online to see what assignments are expected during a particular unit in chemistry (VCAT). However, other activities are not as
obvious: I have had students in my advisory use Google Earth to find my house on Pohnpei (WorldTeach); in and Ecological Design
course I had students create hyperlinked images that helped them to understand how solutions to environmental problems are
always linked to solutions to societal and economic problems.
HOW THESE ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE FIVE STANDARDS FOR VERMONT EDUCATORS:
STANDARD 1: LEARNING
Principle 1: I have increased my knowledge of the subject matter within my area of expertise during this period, especially related
to the use of GIS and GPS technology, natural systems and their interconnectedness, problem-solving related to the
environment, and the use of computers in the classroom.
.
STANDARD 2: PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Principle 2: The year in spent teaching in Micronesia, visiting schools and talking to educators and students in Japan, and the
Institute on Learning and the Brain have increased my understanding of how individuals learn and develop.
Principle 3: Several of the activities in which I have participated have allowed me to create equitable learning opportunities that
take into account those differences among individuals or groups. I had to work with students that were barely able to
write a sentence in English or who had had very little exposure to serious problem-solving techniques in Micronesia.
(That particular senior class took their school’s first college entrance exams in English and Math that year, and I am
proud to say that they had one of the top performances in the entire nation!) The Institute on Learning allowed me to
understand that even the lowest-performing student in my classes is continuously learning something, because that is
simply how the human brain works. (The trick is to get it to learn the topic at hand well!)
Principle 4: A variety of instructional strategies provides more opportunities for learning for more students, and several of the
activities that I have participated in allow for this to take place. For example, the increased ability of my students to
use GPS/GIS technology and computers in problem-solving has opened doors to some students that were not opened
previously.
Principle 5: Through discussions about the students that I have been lucky enough to have had in my classes in other places (like
Micronesia), students in my classes and advisory are able to understand the importance of a classroom climate that
encourages respect for others, and positive social interaction, personal health and safety. I am better able to give
examples from these experiences that lead to greater insight about the importance of a respect between people.
Principle 6: The GIS, Place, and Economics courses and workshops, and the travel to Japan and Micronesia, has allowed me to
modify and create new existing curricula for courses I teach. I have been able to better react to student interests while
revising curricula, and that revision has been able to be documented using VCAT.
Principle 7: I was able to develop several new assessment strategies and needed to modify my instruction while I was teaching in
Micronesia, simply because of the lower abilities of the students that were under my tutelage there. As a result, I am
able to better ensure the continuous intellectual, social, physical and emotional development of more of my students.
Principle 8: I have not been in the position to work with very many students who have disabilities over the past several years, but
those with whom I have worked with have been able to be integrated into the classroom without difficulty. The
Principle 9: I have been able integrate current technology seamlessly into the curricula. The GIS course represents an obvious way
that that has been able to occur. However, most of the ways that I improve or increase my use of technology in the
classroom come not from courses that I take that are able to be demonstrated here, but rather from various forms of
“professional building capacity” that take place (both formally and informally) between colleagues when a new piece of
software or hardware becomes available. (The only post-grad university course that I ever took related solely to
technology became obsolete over the semester that the course ran! The internet had changed that fast!)
Principle 10: My awareness of the diversity that exists among students, and the importance of understanding those conditions and
actions that could lead to any form of discrimination based on sex, race, color, creed, age, sexual orientation, disability,
or national origin, has been reinforced by my being able to travel to Japan and Micronesia, and experiencing first-hand
conditions in other parts of the world.
STANDARD 3: COLLEAGUESHIP
Principle 11: I have been able to work as a part of a collaborative team with colleagues, parents, agencies and others to support
student learning. The VCAT course (and subsequent activities) represents perhaps the most obvious example.
However, my work with WorldTeach represents an important example of colleagueship, also. There, I was involved in
training new teachers, working with administrators and other teachers to develop new curricula and assessments, and
evaluating student performances. I have also taken on the role of “lead teacher” for the science department, where I
help organize meetings, budget, and develop schedules and in-service activities. I have been able to co-teach two
courses during this time, which requires a great deal of “professional building capacity”, in order to develop new
curricula, and modify activities. As a member of a team from the high school, I attended the Institute on Learning and
the Brain.
.STANDARD 4: ADVOCACY
Principle 12: Differentiation has allowed me to promote equity in the classroom. The Place course has allowed me to offer placedbased educational opportunities. In addition, I have written numerous college recommendations and attended many
school activities, which helps to recognize multiple influences on students both inside and outside of school.
STANDARD 5: ACCOUNTABILITY
Principle 13: I understand laws related to student and educator rights and responsibilities, and apply current state and federal laws
and regulations as they apply, in a fair and equitable manner.
Principle 14: Through colleague interaction, course work, educational travel, and workshops and professional development
activities, I have grown professionally in order to improve student performance.
Principle 15: The VCAT course has helped me to formalize assessment of student performance in relation to standards, and where
deemed necessary curricula has been modified in order to improve student performance.
Principle 16: I maintain records of student work and performance, and communicate student progress in relation to standards that
are documented using VCAT.