Building a movement with BLISS - Center for Inspired Teaching

February 26, 2015

(Photo: Matt Fiteny/Center for Inspired Teaching)

This piece was written by Adam Evans. Adam is a 2014 BLISS Teacher Leader and a social studies teacher at Ballou Senior High School, a DC Public School. On February 20-21, Adam joined Inspired Teaching staff and 2014 BLISS Teacher Leader Stephanie Bunton to present at the annual conference for the Middle States Council for the Social Studies.

An essential part of building a movement is telling others about your work. As a Teacher Leader with DC Public Schools’ (DCPS) and Center for Inspired Teaching’s BLISS: Building Literacy in the Social Studies program, I have been telling everyone who will listen about my experiences and the positive gains that have resulted for my students. BLISS has been essential for me to provide quality instruction for my students in this content area and also in building students’ critical thinking skills through the Wonder-Experiment-Learn cycle. The program has been as effective as it has due in large part to the role provided for us as Teacher Leaders to develop inquiry-based writing modules for DCPS Social Studies classrooms.

This February, BLISS Teacher Leaders and members of the staff of Center for Inspired Teaching attended the Middle States Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Throughout this snowy weekend, we spent time building relationships with education professionals from all over our region. They all wanted to know how we made the partnership between DCPS and Center for Inspired Teaching so successful – and what we as Teacher Leaders thought about implementing the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework along with other initiatives.

Members of our team led two sessions at the conference, one focused on teacher voice in curriculum writing, the other on building effective partnerships between organizations. In both sessions, participants were engaged in the types of interactive lessons and activities that made Inspired Teaching sessions truly standout. It was such a joy to see people building partnerships and collaborating as they played and learned together. Many seemed open to our ideas about including teachers in writing curriculum and building partnerships around common goals.

Our team also attended a host of sessions ranging from learning how to use games as texts in a history class to ways for students to take informed action to meeting potential partners for further development of teacher resources. The trip also included visits to several historic sites throughout town, including the Eisenhower House, Seminary Ridge Museum, and the newly redesigned Gettysburg Heritage Center.

For two days, we, as representatives of Inspired Teaching and DCPS, had the chance to meet fascinating professionals from around our region, discuss our ideas, and build relationships. There were more than a few people interested in joining our movement, and as a BLISS Teacher Leader, I feel honored to be a part of it.

The application to become a 2015 BLISS Teacher Leader is now open. Learn more and apply before the March 27 general deadline.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.