Phoebe Lett
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Evaluations
Community Partners and project COORDINATORS
Community Partners
Adams Elementary School
The teachers, parent chaperones, and principle were all very supportive of and excited for this environmental education program. They wanted a program that met some educational standards, included subjects they were focusing on in class, and allowed students to engage in the environment more. We supplied this through the Restoring Connections 2016 in-class lessons and field trips. Throughout these field trips and in-class lessons the teachers and parent chaperones helped me refocus when feeling overwhelmed and work with individual students that may have needed extra attention that I could not give when trying to lead the group. One teacher expressed as feedback early on that it would be helpful for us to look at and mimic how the teachers interacted with the students and got their attention. Many of the teachers had their own system for keeping the class engaged and listening in the classroom. By watching what they were doing and trying to mimic what the students were used to, we were able to keep better control of our groups. They also knew their students and what was age and class appropriate for the students. I had one teacher specifically give me information on a special needs student that had special key words to trigger calming down. Another teacher told us which groups were more active and less active and telltale signs to look out for in their grade. I used this to notice that some classes had more active students and so more active activities and firmer expectations set in the morning worked better. More introspective groups needed a little bit more observational time and more encouragement to keep moving on from each activity. In addition, we changed our in-class curriculum based on a teacher telling us about reading stories versus telling stories to utilize the students interest in story books. We adapting our own skills to read a story and then refer to the information versus trying to engage them in our own storytelling abilities. Also, through the written feedback, I learned to slow down when talking, not bombard students with information, and to really try to not call on the more outspoken students so that other students get a chance. I felt like this feedback made me a more efficient, adaptive, and caring group leader.
Mount Pisgah Arberetum
The Mount Pisgah staff that we worked with the most were Jenny Laxton and August Jackson, who gave us pilot tours, mentorship, and lead the restoration project. Through the pilot tours I was instructed about the importance of learning about the trails, the history of the park and its ecosystems, and how important personal touches are when leading on a trail. On the pilots we learned about many place-specific fun facts, such as which trees had burrells, which had been struck by lightning, where ants like to make ant highways, and where special flowers liked to grow, such as the chocolate lily. I was able to adapt this into my own teaching by studying the trails I was going on, incorporating their fun facts, and asking about the plants in the area. Through their mentorship, Jenny and August told me to focus on clearly explaining rules so the kids know exactly what they are supposed to do, and to make sure I didn’t make the kids face into the sun. Jenny also told me about the importance of using plant names and not making it up if I didn’t know. I then incorporated this into my lessons on the trails and made sure the students got a chance to explore the plants and I did not just supply them information. Jenny and August also gave me the feedback of really spacing the steps during the restoration project, to emphasize that just because a plant isn’t native doesn’t mean it is bad, and to have the students focus on one task at a time so they don’t skip the weed pulling to try to rush to the planting. I then used this when leading the restoration and teaching about native, non-native, and invasive species.
Restoring Connections Project Coordinators
Some of the main feedback I receive from Kaite, our project director, and Kassandra, our graduate teaching fellow, is that communication is key. Clear and age appropriate communication with the kids is important and properly formal and clear communication with our community partners is a necessity. I incorporated leaning in and lowering my voice dramatically, saying clear and short instructions, and fluxuations when talking to the kids. Timely and clearly written emails, clear clarification and check-ins, and fast responses were essential for communication with community partners and was incorporated throughout the class. Another skill I had that was commented on was my enthusiasm because being enthusiastic on the trials helps us and the kids get through the field trips and makes it more fun for everyone. This enthusiasm and passion for this field sometimes made it hard for me to continue the art of questioning and allowing kids to find answers themselves instead of immediately answering their questions, which was input I had received. I incorporated this by focusing on guided questions and allowing them to utilize their own observational skills. Also, some feedback I received was to be aware of using non-gendered idioms instead of terms that are gendered, such as referring to a group as “guys”. I then continued to work on saying "you all", "team", or "group" instead. A strength and weakness of mine that was also brought to my attention through evaluations is my strong leadership but the importance of giving space for others to lead. This meant me transitioning from a leader to a listener and supportive team member.
Adams Elementary School
The teachers, parent chaperones, and principle were all very supportive of and excited for this environmental education program. They wanted a program that met some educational standards, included subjects they were focusing on in class, and allowed students to engage in the environment more. We supplied this through the Restoring Connections 2016 in-class lessons and field trips. Throughout these field trips and in-class lessons the teachers and parent chaperones helped me refocus when feeling overwhelmed and work with individual students that may have needed extra attention that I could not give when trying to lead the group. One teacher expressed as feedback early on that it would be helpful for us to look at and mimic how the teachers interacted with the students and got their attention. Many of the teachers had their own system for keeping the class engaged and listening in the classroom. By watching what they were doing and trying to mimic what the students were used to, we were able to keep better control of our groups. They also knew their students and what was age and class appropriate for the students. I had one teacher specifically give me information on a special needs student that had special key words to trigger calming down. Another teacher told us which groups were more active and less active and telltale signs to look out for in their grade. I used this to notice that some classes had more active students and so more active activities and firmer expectations set in the morning worked better. More introspective groups needed a little bit more observational time and more encouragement to keep moving on from each activity. In addition, we changed our in-class curriculum based on a teacher telling us about reading stories versus telling stories to utilize the students interest in story books. We adapting our own skills to read a story and then refer to the information versus trying to engage them in our own storytelling abilities. Also, through the written feedback, I learned to slow down when talking, not bombard students with information, and to really try to not call on the more outspoken students so that other students get a chance. I felt like this feedback made me a more efficient, adaptive, and caring group leader.
Mount Pisgah Arberetum
The Mount Pisgah staff that we worked with the most were Jenny Laxton and August Jackson, who gave us pilot tours, mentorship, and lead the restoration project. Through the pilot tours I was instructed about the importance of learning about the trails, the history of the park and its ecosystems, and how important personal touches are when leading on a trail. On the pilots we learned about many place-specific fun facts, such as which trees had burrells, which had been struck by lightning, where ants like to make ant highways, and where special flowers liked to grow, such as the chocolate lily. I was able to adapt this into my own teaching by studying the trails I was going on, incorporating their fun facts, and asking about the plants in the area. Through their mentorship, Jenny and August told me to focus on clearly explaining rules so the kids know exactly what they are supposed to do, and to make sure I didn’t make the kids face into the sun. Jenny also told me about the importance of using plant names and not making it up if I didn’t know. I then incorporated this into my lessons on the trails and made sure the students got a chance to explore the plants and I did not just supply them information. Jenny and August also gave me the feedback of really spacing the steps during the restoration project, to emphasize that just because a plant isn’t native doesn’t mean it is bad, and to have the students focus on one task at a time so they don’t skip the weed pulling to try to rush to the planting. I then used this when leading the restoration and teaching about native, non-native, and invasive species.
Restoring Connections Project Coordinators
Some of the main feedback I receive from Kaite, our project director, and Kassandra, our graduate teaching fellow, is that communication is key. Clear and age appropriate communication with the kids is important and properly formal and clear communication with our community partners is a necessity. I incorporated leaning in and lowering my voice dramatically, saying clear and short instructions, and fluxuations when talking to the kids. Timely and clearly written emails, clear clarification and check-ins, and fast responses were essential for communication with community partners and was incorporated throughout the class. Another skill I had that was commented on was my enthusiasm because being enthusiastic on the trials helps us and the kids get through the field trips and makes it more fun for everyone. This enthusiasm and passion for this field sometimes made it hard for me to continue the art of questioning and allowing kids to find answers themselves instead of immediately answering their questions, which was input I had received. I incorporated this by focusing on guided questions and allowing them to utilize their own observational skills. Also, some feedback I received was to be aware of using non-gendered idioms instead of terms that are gendered, such as referring to a group as “guys”. I then continued to work on saying "you all", "team", or "group" instead. A strength and weakness of mine that was also brought to my attention through evaluations is my strong leadership but the importance of giving space for others to lead. This meant me transitioning from a leader to a listener and supportive team member.