TEA Collaborative Learning Group
Annual Report

King
2002

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How did your work with your team help you meet the professional growth goals you set for yourself?
My team members have been invaluable in offering suggestions, challenging my thinking, and pre-testing activities with students at three different levels. It has been most beneficial to have TEA Associates to represent elementary, middle school, and high school. This has proven to be an advantage because it has enabled us to observe and compare students at the three levels. Sue Smartt began this TEA experience as a third grade teacher looping to fourth grade with her students. This past year she has changed paths to become her school’s media specialist. Sue has been a highly active member of the Wilson County Reading Council for several years. Along with her knowledge of effective science teaching and inquiry-based science kits, Sue will add her expertise and enthusiasm to help integrate reading and science with an added focus on the Polar Regions. Terry McDonald began this experience as a sixth grade teacher, but changed to teach seventh grade math last year. This change was a bonus because Terry teaches math, yet has a good understanding of inquiry-based science. (All of my TEA Associates are familiar with inquiry-based learning and are strong and well respected teachers in their field). Bob King has been a wonderful mentor and collaborator for the past 28 years. He has a great love for science and a common sense approach to teaching. He is an “enabler”, someone who encourages growth in others professionally and personally. We have spent hours upon hours in discussion over the best way to transfer this experience to students. His constructive criticism, both positive and negative, has been most helpful. I value the honesty and knowledge he brings to this experience as a math and computer teacher. He has added “physics” to his teaching role this year. My three TEA Associates have helped me meet my goals for professional growth by contributing their different perspectives to this TEA experience. Teaching different disciplines with a focus to integrate learning has been the most valuable resource to bring to this polar experience.

How did your work with your team impact your content knowledge and pedagogy?
It was beneficial to work with a high school math teacher when co-writing the ice investigation with Bob King. This enabled us to create a math lesson, which could successfully span different grade levels from fourth grade to high school. It was also helpful to have the inquiry-based ice investigation pre-tested with a fourth grade, seventh grade, and honors biology class. Doing this activity at the three different levels was helpful because each teacher offered valuable input for making improvements. It also brought some surprises, especially when comparing the three groups. The honors biology class, who had not been trained with inquiry-based science, was more tentative and less willing to make mistakes. They were looking for a set answer, while the fourth grade students were more open and inquisitive about “investigating” their own questions. Students, as well as teachers, offered suggestions to make things easier and more efficient. One seventh grade student suggested that we laminate the paper strips used to measure around the ice, since the ice tended to make the strips tear upon getting wet. We also realized at all three levels that students might successfully answer a question when tested about measurement without really knowing how to measure. It made us realize (and stress in our presentations) that teachers should not assume that students, especially high school students, know how to measure with a centimeter ruler. We found that students need much practice with measuring before they can truly apply what they have learned in a textbook. We also learned that giving students time to summarize and verbalize their results was most important in helping students develop higher level thinking skills

What materials / resources / workshops did you use / produce / host with your team members over the last year?
Our team pre-tested and presented the inquiry ice investigation activity at the TSTA (Tennessee Science Teachers Association) conference. This active hands-on lesson with ice was shared with teachers across Tennessee. It proved to be successful, inexpensive, and took little preparation time. Bob King and I also presented this investigation at NSTA, 2002, at the TEA short course. Lesson plans for the ice investigation was handed out along with TEA/NSF literature about the Polar Regions. TEA Associate, Sue Smartt, is working with me to develop polar resources for the classroom (reading literature and web sites).

Based on the past year, what ideas do you have to improve the effectiveness of your team interactions?
My goal is to encourage growth for each TEA Associate, dependent on their individual needs and strengths. I plan to continue learning and bringing polar research into the classroom by integrating science with other disciplines. My goal is to give my TEA Associates the opportunity to make local, state, and national presentations, as well as encourage their growth by providing resources to network with highly enthusiastic teachers. I would like to encourage their involvement in the TEA program by following TEAs in the field, developing activities, and keeping them current with polar research and arcticles. I plan to schedule monthly meetings or workshops with Sue Smartt and Terry McDonald (now that they’ve had time to adjust to the changes in their teaching assignments this past year), to develop resources, new activities, and to share ideas. I will continue to work with Bob King in much the same capacity as previous years. My goal is to bring out the best in these teachers by helping to bring opportunities, personal and professional growth, and learning to them.

Total hours of collaboration with each team member:
Bob King (300+ hours); Sue Smartt (27.5 hours); Terry McDonald (26.5 hours)

Additional reflections:
My goal is to share my experiences with my TEA Associates by encouraging the best in them and helping them find their strengths to challenge their teaching. By bringing out the best in the teacher, students are affected through the transfer of knowledge and enthusiasm. I gain from this collaboration because the teachers involved are teaching in two neighboring counties (Wilson County and Sumner County). Working with teachers in different grade levels and disciplines also provide different perspectives and approaches to activities and the transfer of this polar experience. Their suggestions and input are valued. They make me a better teacher.