Science Week at Newton Elementary School , Newton , MA

I got to plan and teach two classes at Newton Elementary - one on force and rockets with fifth graders, and one loosely themed around the concept of air taking up space for kindergarteners.

The fifth grade class first explored the idea of a force by pushing themselves around on chairs with wheels. What happens when you push off of a stationary wall? Your friend in another wheeled chair? What if your friend is the same size as you? What if your friend is also holding a backpack full of rocks? What if your friend is a lot smaller than you are? The class came to the conclusion that when you push off of something, both bodies feel the push or force. They also concluded from these experiments that the lighter body moves faster than the heavier body. We related this to how rockets work - fuel is shot out one way sending the rocket up in the opposite direction, and since the fuel weighs a lot less than the rocket, it has to move really fast to get the rocket to go anywhere. Then we tested our ideas on the playground with " alka-seltzer/fuji film case rockets" that we had built and decorated - how can we get the fuel to push faster? One at a time, we varied water temperature and amount, amount and form (powder or tablets) of alka -seltzer, and how much the rockets were shaken, and measured the maximum height of the rocket to answer this question.

The kindergarten class "experiments" utilized a huge clear tub of water, a bowl of ice, balloons, paper towels, a drinking glass, plastic and glass bottles and food coloring to explore the idea that air takes up space. Activities/questions included...

· How can we keep a paper towel ball in the bottom of a glass dry when the glass is totally submerged in the tub of water?

· How do balloons work?

· Why does a balloon get sucked into a glass bottle filled with air when the bottle is packed in ice?

· How do you get a test tube balloon squid in a plastic soda bottle to move up or down the way you want it to?

· And of course, fun time with food coloring....

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Fall 2002 ~ Teaching Assistant, MIT

12.000 Solving Complex Problems

First-year undergraduate course at MIT. Launched in 2000 with major financial support from the Alex and Brit d'Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in MIT Education and sustained as part of the Terrascope program,"Solving Complex Problems" is an opportunity for entering freshmen to gain first-hand experience with working as part of a team to develop effective approaches to complex problems in earth system science and engineering that do not have straightforward solutions. Each year's class explores a different problem in detail through the study of complementary case histories and the development of creative solution strategies. It includes training in web site development, effective written and oral communication, and team building. The subject is designed to enhance freshman education by helping them develop contexts for other subjects in the sciences and humanities, and by helping them to establish learning communities that include upperclassmen, faculty, MIT alumni, and professionals in science and engineering fields. Taught by Kip Hodges and Rafael Bras.

"Develop a way to characterize and monitor the well being of one of the last true frontiers on Earth - the Amazon Basin rainforest - and devise a set of practical strategies to ensure its preservation."

· Assisted with preparation of team-based problem solving course for MIT first-year students

· Facilitated team meetings in small groups, and graded individual and team websites for project design

Mission 2006 Final Project website

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1998-2001, Volunteer, Teacher, Director

m.a.n.o . mujeres avanzando hacia nuevas oportunidades: women working towards new opportunities: Volunteer adult ESL education program, Chapel Hill , NC

m.a.n.o . is a student organization at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill which addresses the English as a Second Language (ESL) and other pressing needs of non-Native, primarily Spanish-speaking, women in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. This program provides university students the opportunity to serve the specific needs of this community. Our objectives are to teach English skills based on the individual needs of each participant, and to provide childcare/tutoring for the participants' children during the classes. Furthermore, the volunteers serve as a valuable resource for the wellbeing of these families and their integration into the Chapel Hill/Carrboro community. In order to fulfill our goals and objectives, we hold year-round classes two times a week for an hour and forty-five minutes each day at the Carrboro Elementary School . We select our volunteers through an application process and hold supplemental reflection and training sessions for the volunteers throughout the year. Volunteers include undergraduate and graduate students at UNC as well as a few community members. The program is headed by an executive committee with frequent input from volunteers and participants, as participatory learning is an integral part of the class.

m.a.n.o . see where the program we started is today!

Carolina Center for Public Service gave us some of the initial support for this program

S.C.A.L.E. Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education helped me out with materials and training me in adult teaching methods and how to teach teachers

2000-2001, Director, m.a.n.o .

· Won grants to expand Chapel Hill program and start sister program at Duke University

· Designed and instructed teaching workshops for instructors and tutors

· Recruited, trained and directed volunteers; directed student, public relations and fundraising activities

· Served on Carolina Center for Public Service Grant Awards Committee

1998-2001, ESL Teacher, m.a.n.o .

· Helped design program to promote education for immigrant families: English classes for women, childcare and tutoring for children, and advocacy and community for families

· Designed curriculum and taught group and individual adult ESL classes