As an instructor I strive to create an environment where students feel comfortable to explore, create and question. The modern classroom doesn't accommodate multiple learning styles, so many children and adults learn from hands on experience, not being talked at. With my students I provide a space for them to interact with their environment, this is accomplished through developing lessons and curriculum that are learner oriented, rather than having me tell them what to do, I use constructivism to build off of what they already know. By asking questions like "Why do you think it does that?" or having other students explain why they think something is or does. I feel that all students want to learn and are just seeking the proper environment that will allow them to flourish.
The majority of my teaching comes from teaching at middle school outdoor school. This experience led me to develop a passion for education in the context of the environment. It is critical for the future of humanity that we instill a strong sense of stewardship and responsibility towards the natural world. I feel that educating todays youth will break the cycle of irresponsibility towards ecosystems, both natural and anthropocentric. Through using an awareness to action frame work, students become more knowledgeable about issues and how they relate to their lives. In turn, leading them to feel a sense of ownership and want to reach out to find opportunities that they can make a difference.
Following my years as a counselor at outdoor school, I found myself in the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon, once again teaching middle school aged youth in an interactive, student led program called "Canopy Connections." This course gave me the opportunity to teach myself in the same way I like to teach my students, no strict schedules and a teacher talking down to you, but rather a blank canvas where me and my teammates could design our own curriculum in the way we though would be the most effective at reinforcing our theme of "Nurturing Naturalists."
I aspire to become more involved with furthering my role as an environmental educator, creating impacts in the lives of our future generations changing the world for the better, one student at a time.
The majority of my teaching comes from teaching at middle school outdoor school. This experience led me to develop a passion for education in the context of the environment. It is critical for the future of humanity that we instill a strong sense of stewardship and responsibility towards the natural world. I feel that educating todays youth will break the cycle of irresponsibility towards ecosystems, both natural and anthropocentric. Through using an awareness to action frame work, students become more knowledgeable about issues and how they relate to their lives. In turn, leading them to feel a sense of ownership and want to reach out to find opportunities that they can make a difference.
Following my years as a counselor at outdoor school, I found myself in the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon, once again teaching middle school aged youth in an interactive, student led program called "Canopy Connections." This course gave me the opportunity to teach myself in the same way I like to teach my students, no strict schedules and a teacher talking down to you, but rather a blank canvas where me and my teammates could design our own curriculum in the way we though would be the most effective at reinforcing our theme of "Nurturing Naturalists."
I aspire to become more involved with furthering my role as an environmental educator, creating impacts in the lives of our future generations changing the world for the better, one student at a time.