Terrapin Teachers Newsletter
June, 2015                                                             http://TerrapinTeachers.umd.edu

Photo: Maddie Kutzera (biology major; freshman), tests the distance traveled for a "car" made by students from Hyattsville Elementary School using life savers, straws, and index cards. The lesson was an engineering challenge to design a wind-powered car.
Spring 2015 Highlights
 
Photo:  TLPL 102 class and middle school panelists, James McDowell, left, seventh grader, and Fadeela Ali, right, six grader, both from College Park Academy, College Park, MD.

TLPL 101 and TLPL 102

Two sections of TLPL 101 (STEP 1) were offered during the spring 2015 semester with a total enrollment of 36 students. Students in the class taught two science or mathematics lessons in local elementary schools. The spring 2015 district partners were Cool Spring Elementary (Adelphi, MD), Hyattsville Elementary (Hyattsville, MD), and Paint Branch Elementary (College Park, MD). UM students developed lesson plans with the guidance of UM Master Teachers, Catherine VanNetta and Anita Sanyal, and with mentor teachers (full list below) from the elementary schools.

The second course in the Terrapin Teachers sequence, TLPL 102 (STEP 2), began spring 2015 and builds upon foundations learned in TLPL 101. Undergraduates incorporated information learned from interviewing a middle school student about a science or mathematics concept into their teaching of an inquiry-based lesson taught to local students at Hyattsville Middle (Hyattsville, MD) and College Park Academy (College Park, MD). Three sections of STEP 1 and one section of STEP 2 will be offered fall 2015.

Middle School Panel

Dr. Anita Sanyal informed the TLPL 102 students that they would have the opportunity to speak to a panel of experts about middle school students. The undergraduates were excited about this opportunity because during the semester they would teach a science or mathematics lesson at College Park Academy or Hyattsville Middle School. The undergraduates were totally surprised when the panelists were introduced and Fadeela Ali, a sixth grader, and James McDowell, a seventh grader, entered the classroom. The TLPL undergraduates asked the middle school students about their experiences in mathematics and science and why some experiences were special. What did the teacher do? Why did you enjoy that lab? What makes science and math fun? In turn, the middle school students asked the undergraduates about college life. Is it hard? How many classes do you have each day? Do you get a lot of homework? The class ended with more questions and answers while eating pizza.
Inside This Issue
Terrapin Teachers' Testimonials

Terrapin Teachers Students’ Testimonials

Maddie Kutzera, biology major, freshman, STEP 1, spring 2015

“Fieldwork distinguishes this class from other education courses by allowing hands-on experience with students in an authentic classroom. You are able to test your skills in inquiry-based teaching, particularly in facilitating discussions about the objectives. That by far was the most enjoyable aspect of the fieldwork; the students built off peers’ ideas, debated definitions and applied their experiences to our science lesson at hand. It was thrilling to watch students participate and see their eyes light up when they got the concept of conversation. These discussions really emphasized student ideas, and gave me a clear insight to their thought process.”

Carolyn Lane
Photo:  Carolyn Lane (mathematics major; junior),  assisting a student with patterns in a polygon perimeter at Cool Spring Elementary School. Mentor teacher, Sarah Man, fifth grade, mathematics.

Carolyn Lane, mathematics major, junior, STEP 1, spring 2015

"My favorite thing about the field experience was just getting to know and work with the students. It was really rewarding to feel like you helped them even just a little bit. The most challenging thing for me was drawing out student thinking and asking the right questions. It can be hard when a student answers incorrectly or when you want to get to the answer, but drawing out student thinking and seeing what they are understanding is super important. I overcame this challenge by really intentionally planning my lesson and my questions to draw out student thinking and reasoning."

sink or swim

Photo:  Students at Hyattsville Elementary School test different objects to determine if they will sink or float.  The lesson was done by Andrea Dai, not pictured, (biochemistry major; sophomore) and Maddie Kutzera, not pictured (biology major; freshman). Mentor teacher, Tim McCaffrey, third grade.

Andrea Dai, biochemistry major, sophomore, STEP 1, spring 2015

"STEP 1 provides firsthand field experience in the elementary school classroom setting. Students are placed in groups of 2 or 3 for the entire semester to observe and teach at a local school. A challenge that my teacher partner and I needed to overcome was a means of transportation to our school. Our very first excursion turned into quite an adventure. We were not able to take the bus we intended to take and determined to find another that thankfully arrived in the same neighborhood. Field experience definitely teaches responsibility and the significance of planning. All in all though, the children make every trip worthwhile."

Neha Gupta, undecided major, sophomore, STEP 1, spring 2015

"The most challenging, and rewarding, aspect of the course was the experience of actually teaching a class. We spent many classes analyzing student responses and teacher effectiveness. It is easy to hear a student’s response and, through a discussion, conclude what he may have meant; it is just as easy to watch someone else teach and criticize them, saying you would respond differently in their position. However, standing in front of 30 students staring at you waiting for your responses is much harder. You lose the safety of time; everything you do is on your feet. Through the course, I learned to always be prepared, be comfortable speaking, and, most importantly, be okay with not finishing a lesson."



Photo:  Yimei Cai, class of 2015, major, physiology and neurobiology; Yimei will enter the Master's certification program in the College of Education, summer, 2016.
Not pictured:  Irsa Sarkawi (STEP 2, spring 2015) and Erick Thunnell (STEP 1, fall 2014) will enter the Master's Certification program summer 2015.


Spring 2015 Field Experiences

 

Mentor Teachers, Miya Page, Montre' Robinson-Swain, Danielle Spisak

Photo: Mentor teachers provided an information session to TLPL 102 (STEP 2) students about the classroom needs and engagement of English language learners (ELL).  Left to right:  Miya Page, sixth grade science, Paint Branch Elementary; Montre’ Robinson-Swain, third grade math, Cool Spring Elementary; Danielle Spisak, fifth grade science, Cool Spring Elementary.

Cool Springs Elementary School, Frances Tolbert, principal

Teaching Team: Carolyn Lane (mathematics; junior), Alex Schulman (undeclared; undergraduate), & Praise Carson (undeclared; freshman)

Mentor Teacher: Sarah Man, fifth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Patterns in polygon perimeters; focus on coordinate plane

Lesson 2: Pack & post

John Sotomayor

Photo: John Sotomayor (materials science engineering major; sophomore), assisting a student with the "What's poppin?" lesson at Cool Spring Elementary School. Mentor teacher, Dana Etedgi, fourth grade, mathematics.

Teaching Team: Katelyn Nave (mathematics education; junior), Joey Miller (mathematics; freshman), & John Sotomayor (materials science engineering; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Dana Etedgi, fourth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Hotel Snap; Building for Profit

Lesson 2: What's poppin'?

Teaching Team: Christine Jean (computer science; sophomore) & Neha Gupta (undeclared; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Dana Etedgi, fourth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Hotel snap; building for profit

Lesson 2: What's poppin'?

Teaching Team: Alexa McManus (mathematics education; sophomore) & Rob Prindall (criminal justice; senior)

Mentor Teacher: Jake Sondheimer, sixth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Investigating patterns in snap-cube buildings

Lesson 2: Inquiry with equations & inequalities

Jamie Lebovics

Photo:  Jamie Lebovics (computer science major; sophomore) assisting students with the "Lumpy liquids" lesson at Cool Spring Elementary School. This is an investigation of a chemical reaction which forms a precipitate.

Teaching Team: Gabby Brock (cell biology/molecular genetics; senior) (& Jamie Lebovics (computer science; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Danielle Spisak, fifth grade, science

Lesson 1: Lumpy liquids

Lesson 2: Balloon rockets

Student at Cool Spring Elementary build a structure

Photo:  Students at Paint Branch Elementary School build a structure made from spaghetti and marshmallows in an engineering challenge. Mentor teacher, Jannette Hunt, fourth grade.

Teaching Team: Zoe Ladwig (civil engineering; freshman) & Dan Robinson (astronomy; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Ann Johnson, fourth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Classifying animals

Lesson 2: Marshmallow engineering challenge

Teaching Team: Sabrina Elshafei (mathematics, secondary education) & Noah Kasmanoff (physics; freshman)

Mentor Teacher: Erica Jackson-Green, sixth grade, science

Lesson 1: Stations with light activities

Lesson 2: Bristlebots - engineering challenge

Hyattsville Elementary School, Julia Burton, principal

Teaching Team: Zach Wilkins (physiology/neurobiology; junior) & Christine Bersabal (mechanical engineering; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Rachel Rectanus, fourth grade

Lesson 1: Batteries, parallel circuits, electromagnets

Lesson 2: Marshmallow engineering challenge

Teaching Team: Maddie Kutzera (biology; freshman) & Andrea Dai (biochemistry; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Tim McCaffrey, third grade

Lesson 1: Blow it away!

Lesson 2: Sink it!

Teaching Team: Elizabeth David (public health; junior) & Soham Roy (cell biology/molecular genetics; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Karina Jones, fourth grade

Lesson 1: Batteries, parallel circuits, electromagnets

Lesson 2: Marshmallow engineering challenge

Teaching Team: Usha Murugesan (physiology/neurobiology; senior), Emma Evans (agriculture; junior)

Mentor Teacher: Amy Monjes, third grade

Lesson 1: Blow it away!

Lesson 2: Sink it!

Teaching Team: AJ Truss (education; freshman)  & David Hannon (mathematics education; junior)

Mentor Teacher: Adrienne Cooper, fifth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Patterns in polygon perimeters; focus on coordinate plane

Lesson 2: Pack & post

Michelle Thomas

Photo: Michelle Thomas (biochemistry major; senior) assists a student  with the "Batteries, parallel circuits, and electromagnets" lesson at Hyattsville Elementary School. Mentor teacher, Jennifer Stanton, fourth grade.

Teaching Team: Michelle Thomas (biochemistry; senior) & Paula Huang (computer engineering; senior)

Mentor Teacher: Jennifer Stanton, fourth grade

Lesson 1: Batteries, parallel circuits, electromagnets

Lesson 2: Marshmallow engineering challenge

Paint Branch Elementary School, Emmett Hendershot, principal

Larrysa McAllister

Photo:  Larrysa McAllister assists students with the "Powder particulars" lesson at Paint Branch Elementary School.  This is an investigation of chemical reactions. Mentor teacher, Jannette Hunt, fourth grade.

Teaching Team: Emily Liang (senior; physiology/neurobiology), Larrysa McAllister (chemical engineering, senior), & Julie Estrada-Luyo (education; junior)

Mentor Teacher: Jannette Hunt, fourth grade

Lesson 1: Powder particulars

Lesson 2: Marshmallow engineering challenge

Teaching Team: Heather Groves (cell biology/molecular genetics; sophomore) & Ryan Mahaffey (earth materials/physical education; senior)

Mentor Teacher: Miya Page, sixth grade, science

Lesson 1: Simulation of ecosystem

Lesson 2: Investigate “remains” of animals

Teaching Team: Sean Crawford (mathematics education; freshman), Paul Decker (undeclared; sophomore), & Kush Mukherjee (biology; senior)

Mentor Teacher: Ian Gleason, sixth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Understanding variables through real world problems

Hyattsville Middle School, Kimberly Washington, principal

Teaching Team: Lauren Cohen (statistics; senior) & Chris Steenkamer (computer engineering; senior)

Mentor Teacher: Raquel Dodson, seventh grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Deriving pi

Teaching Team: Kate Shannon (mathematics education; sophomore) & Neha Soni (mathematics education; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Mary Grace Pagharion, eighth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Scatter plots

Teaching Team: Irsa Sarkawi (biochemistry; senior) & Robyn Harper (psychology; senior)

Mentor Teacher: Ruth Franklin, sixth grade, science

Lesson 1: Population ecology

Teaching Team: Sara Tatum (mathematics education; sophomore) & Frances del Pilar (mathematics education; sophomore)

Mentor Teacher: Mary Grace Pagharion, eighth grade, mathematics

Lesson 1: Scatter plots

College Park Academy, Bernadette Ortiz-Brewster, principal

Teaching Team: Lauren Brown (environmental science/policy; senior) & Teni Ayeni (biology; senior)

Mentor Teacher: Kathy Worden, sixth grade, science

Lesson 1: Categorizing objects in space

Teaching Team: Eddie Singer (undeclared; sophomore) & Will Tanzola (physics; freshman)

Mentor Teacher: Herbert Williams, eighth grade, science

Lesson 1: Sound waves and their properties

Matt Bisk and Yimei Cai

Photo: Matt Bisk (not pictured) and Yimei Cai (background, class of 2015, neurobiology and physicology major) planned an engineering challenge for students at College Park Academy to design a structure made from marshmallows and toothpicks to withstand an earthquake, simulated by placing the structure on a bed of jello and then shaking.

Teaching Team: Matt Bisk (biology; senior) & Yimei Cai (class of 2015, physiology/neurobiology)

Mentor Teacher:Arianne Premuzic, seventh grade,  science

Lesson 1: Earthquakes and structures

Mentor Teacher Testimonial 

Ian Gleason, fifth and sixth grade, mathematics, Paint Branch Elementary School

"My experience with Terrapin Teachers was encouraging to see non-education majors branching out to the education field. I find it exciting to see students who would not typically be involved in education classes testing the waters and experiencing what it is like to work with and teach children. I enjoyed the dynamic of seeing some of their inventive ideas, while also working with them to improve upon some of the aspects of their lesson. Overall I think it was a rewarding experience for all involved, including the students."

New Hire
 Terrapin Teachers Student Organization
The Terrapin Teachers Student Organization (TTSO) was established to offer professional, social, and volunteer opportunities for students interested in teaching. Members will participate in service opportunities such as tutoring and mentoring at local schools.

The 2015-2016 Executive Board of TTSO includes: Kathryn Shannon, president; Neha Soni, vice-president; Maddie Kutzera, secretary; and Frances del Pilar, treasurer. Kathryn Shannon and Will Tanzola attended the UTeach national conference in Austin, TX, May 19-21. The students received a campus tour of the University of Texas, Austin.  Student sessions included information about "building your student organization"; "interview techniques for future teachers"; "effective classroom management"; and "making the most of your apprentice teaching experience."  Anisha Campbell, Associate Director, and Catherine VanNetta, Master Teacher, mathematics, attended the conference and received valuable information about UTeach courses, using technology in middle and high school classrooms, and creating engineering teacher preparation pathways.
 
What's Next Fall 2015?

Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science, EDCI 488M, will be offered fall 2015.  This course is the first in a sequence of College of Education courses in the Terrapin Teachers program.  Coursework starts by imparting the understanding that there is a science to learning and by having UM students examine ideas of what it means for an individual to know or understand something. Undergraduates then take a close look at domain-specific understanding in mathematics and science and identify the standards for knowing that will be used throughout the course. The course expands its focus to include learning as a social activity. Issues of student identity, agency, and participation are emphasized. Subsequently, students will question the impact of education beyond the classroom. The course will be taught by Dr. Lawrence M. Clark, Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership Division, College of Education.
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We welcome visitors to Terrapin Teachers Step 1 and Step 2 classes. If you would like to visit a class, please contact Travis Larmore at tt@umd.edu or 301-405-0645. Please note that we have limited space for a few visitors in each class so we will give priority for those who contact us first.

 
 

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