Category: Educator Spotlight

Learn more about the inspirations and motivations of educators around the world in our Educator Spotlight series!

Educator Spotlight, Main

Educator Spotlight: Investigating the Stories Behind Smartphones

Loris Chen designed a unit that guides her eighth-grade students through an exploration of smartphones. Students follow the product life cycle from beginning to end, discovering what raw materials are used, how they are sourced, and how sustainable they are. The project culminates with students producing videos to share their ideas for improving smartphone sustainability. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Investigating the Stories Behind Smartphones

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Educator Spotlight, Main

Educator Spotlight: Developing the Patience to See

Lyanne Abreu connected her urban students with the natural world around them through a challenge offered by the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden. Students learned about native and migratory bird species in South Florida and collected data, making observations at specific sites and documenting their findings in journals. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Developing the Patience to See

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Educator Spotlight, Main

Educator Spotlight: Working Together for a Cleaner School Environment

Helen Pugh used the Geo-Inquiry Process as a framework to guide her students in action projects within their school. Groups of Helen’s students developed projects related to composting, food waste reduction, gardening, and more, all with the goal of creating a cleaner school environment. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Working Together for a Cleaner School Environment

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Educator Spotlight, Main

Educator Spotlight: Exploring Challenges of Water Quality and Access

Lisa Abramovitz guided her third-grade students through a multifaceted investigation of water quality and access. Students completed a visual water usage survey, read picture books about clean water, conducted background research, and took part in a water walk to understand the difficulties of traveling long distances to obtain water. Their learning culminated in working with a nonprofit to construct water filters for those in need. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Exploring Challenges of Water Quality and Access

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Educator Spotlight, Main

Educator Spotlight: Discovering Biodiversity Close to Home

Judy Joung teaches 9th-grade biology at Schurz High School in Chicago, IL. She took students on a field trip to a state park, where they completed a modified BioBlitz and shared their findings using iNaturalist. A BioBlitz is an event that brings together community members to find and identify as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Discovering Biodiversity Close to Home

Mary Adelaide Brakenridge1 Comment