Professional Summary

• 12 years of international school teaching experience; 16 years total working in education
• 10 years of IB Diploma teaching experience (Psychology, ITGS, Geography, Environmental Systems and Society, ToK)
• 1-1 laptop environment experienced teacher and technology integrator
• Fluent with 21st century pedagogies and the UbD curriculum framework
• Launched three new courses in two international schools (IB Psych, IB ITGS, Tech Skills for the 21st Century Learner)
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues
• Organized, highly motivated, and detail directed problem solver
• Flexible, adaptable, and creative educator with strong technology abilities
• 11 years of advising and directing Model United Nations programs and taking students on related trips
• Actively involved in an offline and online personal learning network
• Consistently pursue professional development activities

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

This century is a dynamic time of rapid change and technological advancement. Thus, we need to be educating students for their future, not our past. Building the skills and frames of mind along with relevant content that will help them become flexible, adaptable, and compassionate global citizens are essential. What makes me an outstanding educator is not only my recognition of this need, but my creative and engaging approaches to making the learning process enjoyable, relevant, rigorous, and reflective. I just don’t endeavor to do things better. I endeavor to do better things.

I approach teaching in a student-centered manner where I act more as a guide-on-the-side rather than a sage-on-the-stage. I do little lecturing. The arrangement of learning I foster includes both individual and group work; project-based learning; differentiation; connections to real-world issues, skills and themselves; authentic assessment, and reflection. In regards to differentiation, I try to make the product, process, content, and, when possible, the learning environment tailored to student interest and ability. Communication, collaboration, creative, and independent critical thinking skills are equally emphasized and assessed along with the content. I ensure the students know how they’ll be assessed from the beginning and the students also know what the learning objectives are for the activity and/or unit at hand. All of this is done using the Understanding by Design curriculum framework.

I promote technology as an essential tool students need to use whenever appropriate and when it helps achieve the learning objectives. Building technology skills are essential for success in today’s world. At the same time, I’m intimately involved in the learning process with students and I encourage the students to help, support, and teach their peers. Academic rigor, accuracy, and honesty are qualities I continually espouse along with the students learning how to learn. Reflection is critical in the process and is assessed. Overall, students are expected to be active in and responsible for their learning. I take this approach in all my classes whether it’s an IB course or a regular course.

Ultimately, I want kids to learn about themselves whether it’s through a psychology course, any social studies course, or even a technology course. If they know who they are, I believe they will be more likely to follow their passions in life. Helping a student develop his/her passion is more important than any content that we can stuff in their head and ask them to regurgitate.  Projects and assessments should support this objective. Moreover, when they make personal and emotional connections to the content, it becomes more meaningful, and, thus, they will better remember it along with the skills that went along with the process.

After their experiences in my course, I hope the students leave not only with an appreciation and understanding of the subject area content and skills, but with a strong foundation in becoming life-long, reflective learners who can appreciate the diversity of knowledge and perspectives while being open-minded and compassionate young men and women.