In my previous school district, I was the only teacher teaching a physics course with set, district-wide learning outcomes. These same outcomes were also taught in physics classrooms at the other high school in our district. But at our school, I was one of the 2 physics teachers. The other teacher taught the AP-level physics courses. So, in many ways, I had opportunities to incorporate strategies I believed were best for learners and that I found worked best for them without being seen as out of alignment with anyone in our building. My amazing friend and one of my teaching philosophy goddesses, Katie Novak, stated the following misconception about alignment: All teachers must deliver instruction in the exact same way. True alignment, she says, is about shared goals, rigor, and outcomes. Thank you, Katie! Katie has taught me to truly believe that learner variability is the rule, not the exception. I encourage you to take 10 minutes to listen to Katie Novak explain it in the ...
It's almost like once you're made aware of how broad STEM fields are, one starts seeing them everywhere. Today, we went to see the new film Joy by David O. Russell which tells the story of inventor, business mogul, and STEM girl Joy Mangano. Joy's ideas come from the world around her. Her innovations solve authentic problems she faces. At a young age, she saw that her dog would tie itself up and choke itself. This was a problem of importance to her and she looked for a solution. So, her first great invention was a dog collar that had reflective tape for visibility and an anti-chocking release. Sadly, she didn't have the resources to have it patented and others eventually sold a similar collar idea to be manufactured by the Hartz Mountain. The invention that brought her success was the Miracle Mop. A truly innovative device I remember from my youth. The idea was born from a need that Joy had. Her creativity ma...