Teacher Feature - Ms. Philippa Palmer - Center for Inspired Teaching

August 2, 2017

This summer, Inspired Teaching spoke with 2017 Inspired Teacher Leader Philippa to learn more about her experience during the summer Intensive.

What drew you to participate in the Inspired Teaching Institute?

Knowing that I am inspiring and preparing young children for the future is one of my favorite aspects. I am participating in this institute because I wanted to be able to develop my teaching skills, my pedagogy, my mindset, and my levels of creativity. I was motivated by the question, how do I benefit my students and myself as an educator? I wanted to be able to add layers to my levels of professionalism and instruction across multiple modalities in order to explore more ways to make kids happier and more creative.

How would you describe your experience during the Inspired Teaching summer Intensive this far?

Being at institute makes me feel refreshed. I have been completely inspired from the moment that I’ve been interacting with teaching professionals and Inspired Teaching staff. This professional development has helped me look at the types of ways I can elevate my teaching practices emotionally, psychologically, and physically.

How has your time as a participant in the summer Intensive impacted you?

The skills and knowledge I’ve gained throughout my time with Inspired Teaching are transcending into all aspects of my life. I noticed that since I began the Inspired Teaching Institute, I approach my personal relationships differently. I’ve started to think more about how the people in my life process, think, and learn differently—and that has influenced how I relate to them. Before participating in the Inspired Teaching Institute, I wouldn’t have been that reflective. Seeing how I applied the Inspired Teaching philosophy to my personal life gave me chills—I didn’t need to think, how can I act as an Inspired Teacher? Instead, utilizing my skills as an Inspired Teacher was instant because this professional development has been transforming for me.

What assumptions or dispositions, if any, has the Intensive tested this far?

I have fined tuned my metacognitive skills and I’ve become more perceptive to my thinking. I used to think that successful classroom management meant that students were quiet, sitting and working. That does not have to be what learning looks like. This professional development challenged what I consider to be typical, good classroom management to describe an environment where groups of kids can be scattered, autonomous, loud, collaborative, and independent. My classroom is going to look so different this year. My kids are going to use all of the space because my schema of my classroom space has changed.

How has the Intensive influenced how you view the role of a teacher?

One of the most meaningful moments of Institute for me was when the Inspired Teaching facilitators challenged the notion that a teacher’s role is to dump information into their student’s minds. I believe that the teachers role is not to dump knowledge. I believe teachers should address student’s minds and ask: what do my students think about this? Teachers should address students’ eyes and ask: how do my students look at things? Teachers should address students’ souls and ask: how are my students doing socially and emotionally? Students are more than students—they are humans, listeners, learners, people who love, people who feel. I want to tap into the other areas of my students’ lives and think beyond academics. This perspective will help me address the whole child.

After participating in the Intensive, what are you going to take into your classroom next year that is different?

A lot! The first thing I want to take into my classroom is a strong emphasis on social and emotional development. I also want to think about how to include physical activity and movement in the moment to enhance my lessons. Another goal of mine for this year is to give my students more autonomy. I will move away from stressing rote learning in order to give my students more freedom. I will give students back their autonomy and offer more choice in the classroom. At Institute, I’ve explored how to ask more meaningful questions and this school year I will incorporate more opportunities for inquiry in my classrooms because inquiry fuels thinking; it sets the foundation for growth.

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.