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Since working at North Ridge Middle School I have been involved in many extra-curricular activities. All of these activities have helped me to continue to develop professionally as a teacher and as a staff member.
- IMSA Excellence 2000+ (E2K+) - I have taught the math portion of the E2K program for the past 3 years. E2K is an after-school program for math and science enrichment. North Ridge has a partnership with the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) in Aurora. They offer many integrated math and science units that teach students concepts that they may not normally get in the regular curriculum. Some of the topics that I have taught on include Chaos Theory, Light and Reflection, the Solar System, Rocketry, Earthquakes, Electronic Waste and Math Games. I also wrote the Math Games curriculum for the E2K program working with the IMSA staff. Please look at an example of my Games Unit.
- Future Problem Solvers - I have coached the Future Problem Solvers team at North Ridge for the past 2 years. Future Problem Solvers is an organization that endeavors to help students analyze situations for potential problems and come up with solutions in a systematic way. Students analyze futuristic problems and follow the 6 step plan created by Future Problem Solvers.
- Computer Resource Person (CRP) - I have been a CRP for the North Ridge building for the past 2 years. This includes monthly training on software such as Word, Excel, Inspiration, E-library and others as well as hardware such as wireless laptops, projectors and Smart Boards. As a CRP, it is my job to help troubleshoot computer problems for teachers, provide computer training once a month for teachers and make sure teachers have access to the network.
- Solution One Training - This year I have trained with Solution One to make Webquests. Webquests are quests that students undertake on the web to help them learn concepts through a different medium. You can learn more about webquests at Bernie Dodge's Website. As a result of this training I created my own Proportion Webquest and can train other teachers to do so as well.
- Cognitive Coaching - I have received the first half of the Cognitive Coaching training which is a model for how to coach teachers towards self-directedness. This training was sponsored by the Results by Design state grant. Through this training I have learned how to purposefully coach others and help them become self-directed or intrinsically motivated.
- AIMS Presentation - During October of 2003 I presented with another colleage at the AIMS State Conference for Illinois. We presented on how to train students for the Extended Response Problem Solving Math problems on the ISAT Exam that students take at the 8th grade level. We presented a model for slowly introducing students to Problem Solving questions, responses and grading bringing students to a level of mastery of the process.
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