Digital Portfolios
Matt Leader
- 2010
What happens when I use meditation in the classroom?
Meditation can be described in many ways but is often defined as “thought upon a subject”. This action research studied the effects that meditation had on individuals and the dynamics of a project based biology class at High Tech High North County. The study examined what happened when meditation was first implemented in the form of “inward” meditation using breathing exercises over the course 3 months. The research then shifted to “outward” meditation using visualization for 2 months.
Mele Sato
- 2020
Mathematics and Human Connection: What Does It Take to Be a Social Justice Math Activist?
Students need to feel empowered by mathematics in order to create change, shift mindsets, and revolutionize our world. The intersection of Social Justice Mathematics and Project Based Learning is the goal of this work, since not all social justice work is achieved through projects, and not all projects are about social justice or are authentic. Social Justice Mathematics and Project Based Learning engage students in authentic learning experiences. When the door is opened for teachers to learn alongside their students there is an opportunity to develop students’ sociopolitical consciousness.
Melissa Agudelo
- 2014
What practices best support the development of meaningful student voice and leadership in student government?
How could it possibly be that those that are most disconnected (ie. boards and principals) have the most power in deciding what are the problems and what are the solutions?
Melissa Han
- 2013
Listen! Using Student Voice to Guide a Democratic Classroom
During this course, we learned about research methods and design and developed action research proposals based on questions that we generated from our own practices. This process has helped us to value our own voices and engage in structured inquiry as a strategy for enhancing our learning environments. As I reread my inquiry journal from the year, I noticed that my wonderings returned to student’s voice and building a democratic classroom multiple times. Therefore, my action research question was: what happens when student voice and student reflection guide my teaching and our learning?
Melissa Mouton
- 2017
Reducing First-Period Tardies: Finding an Equitable Balance Between Standardized Consequences and Restorative Practices
“School culture is largely regarded as the “thing” that makes or breaks schools. It singlehandedly has the power to propel schools and students to be either wildly successful or catastrophic. School culture has been defined as “the set of norms, values, beliefs, rituals, ceremonies, symbols and stories that make up the ‘persona’ of the school” (“Is Your School’s”, 2014). It is something that schools have been trying to improve for decades. When a school is able to develop a strong culture, truly remarkable things happen—it is crucial to get right.
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Melissa Witeck
- 2023
Graduate Studies: Relationships in the classroom
Relationships at the core of deeper learning.
Michelina Miedema
- 2020
Kindergarten Teacher
Hello! I am a Clairemont local and a High Tech High alum! Last year I jumped at the opportunity of opening a brand new High Tech school, in my very own neighborhood! I have just completed my first year teaching Kindergarten at High Tech Elementary Mesa. I consider myself an enthusiast of project based learning, and feel that it merges particularly well with Play Based Learning in the Kindergarten setting. This program helped me develop important practices as an educator. It supported me in becoming a more culturally responsive teacher, who urges students to discover meaning and value in their own identity as well as the identities of their peers. Additionally, it guided me to incorporates Universal Design for Learning strategies which work to engage and support all types of learners. I am thankful for my experience and time spent with my cohort!
Mindy Ahrens
- 2013
Deep Reading: Building Motivation and Authentic Purpose for Reading
I have always loved to read. I never thought about why and no one ever asked me. As I started teaching, it’s no surprise that I enjoyed teaching reading the most. Teaching middle school has allowed me to share my love of young adult fiction with many classes and I have had great success guiding many nonreaders to also enjoy books. Before my action research started I taught reading for enjoyment. My theory was, if students enjoy reading, they would read more, and therefore, be better readers. When someone asked how I knew they were better, I would point to test scores.
Natalie Alli
- 2010
What happens when children explore nature in a school setting?
Most children today have little or no experience in the natural world. In many urban areas, children are surrounded by a jungle of cement and asphalt, have limited “free” playtime outdoors, and generally get their nature experiences second-hand from television and videos. Children are starved for real experiences with nature.
Pam Baker
- 2012
How can I create authentic interdisciplinary projects that are rigorous collaborations for colleagues and students?
“Co” means equal, so that means encouraging and supporting a culture where teaching partners are equal contributors and feel that they have an equal say in the project. This makes me reflect on how I can be a better partner to my own colleagues – to be better at communicating, spending more time brainstorming ideas, making sure everyone I work with feels like they are an equal contributor to the projects we work on, and finding resources that we can all benefit from or that add to our projects. I feel fortunate that this is what I want to improve at my school, that my focus is on how to make something wonderful, even more wonderful and to push myself in the process.