Courtney

Human. She/her. Teacher. Scientist.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

‼️Desperate‼️ for some non-chalk-and-talk ideas for Maths pedagogy (particularly repetitive practice).

I don't use my teacher twitter much anymore, can anyone point me in the direction of creative practitioners, websites, ideas, books, whatever?

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

I couldn't find any "paper people" to do some annotating of innate immune responses so instead, I got topical and Year 11 got some Innate Immunity Barbies (and Kens). Poor thing seemed to get a fair few yeast infections (really shows which stories kids actually listened to...)

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

This really pushes some of my high end kids out of their comfort zone.

No fewer than 5 Ss told me that they "just aren't creative people" 😞

Thanks @questacon for the constant inspiration with #engineeringiselementary

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

9 STEM completed a material properties analysis before to lead them into a design and protostorm.

Design and create as many prototypes, models or representations as you can in 15 minutes using the materials provided.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

"At first we thought...but now we think" with 9 STEM.

What is technology? What is engineering?

Some interesting themes came through both before and after some video stimulus. Keen to do this again at the end of the unit.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Engineering challenge for 9 STEM to start the term off. How long a desk overhang can you make with only five Jenga blocks?

Best we had was 10.5cm but a huge variety of designs and approaches (and cheats and sabotages 🤷🏻‍♀️).

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Well this is a new one 🤨

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

I really love getting Biology kids to model things, neurones today. Pics don't really do their work justice. There was play dough, sewing, straws, googly eyes, pom-poms, and anything else they could get their hands on. Great discussions despite steep learning curve with new vocab

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Went into my kid's daycare to talk to the kindy class about CF (it's #CFawarenessmonth, they're celebrating this week). I thought I could manage it, but turns out nothing can prepare you to teach biology to 4-year-olds.

I'm definitely sticking with my day job...

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Year 11 Biology interacting with the claims for their research investigation for the first time. High engagement, high interest level. Mined pre-existing knowledge and Qs with @ProjectZeroHGSE Peel the Fruit, unpacked and defined terms, onto research Qs next.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Working with kids makes me feel old at the best of times but today during music trivia bingo, a Year 11 kid asked me what the song "em em em bop" was and my bones collapsed and turned to dust.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Sure, it was for primary classes but so easy to adapt and build on for my own classroom 🤷🏻‍♀️ weird that more people didn't attend!

Properly reinvigorated my love of teaching STEM after a difficult last few months.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Spent today in an exceptional STEM workshop by the fine people from @questacon.
Inquiry- & project-based learning that stepped teachers through fundamental concepts needed to learn / teach about bridge engineering. Who knew it'd be so damn interesting?!
#EiEAustralia

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Hands-on, creative, crafty, low in digital tech, stocked full of practical applications, with excellent presenters. Heaps of ideas and strategies to take to use in the classroom. The perfect PD, right up my alley.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Year 11 Biology got to dissect their plucks today (kangaroos!). Really struggling with getting them to shake the idea that lungs are big, hollow balloons. Lots of "I keep cutting in deeper and I keep finding tissue!"...

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

I'm just a low-tech-pedagogy kind of teacher (not to be confused with a technophobe...) trying desperately to stay afloat and team teach STEM with a digital tech teacher.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Some good attempts, some big disaster zones, but a good way of checking for understanding. Lots of misconceptions hanging around. Would definitely use a similar activity again.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

Teaching the respiratory system with 11 Biology, tried a new task, asking them to create analogies. Choose one object shown, describe how structure/function of the lungs is:
🟢 like the object
🔴 unlike the object; and
🔵 what you could do to make the object more like the lungs.

[Courtney @ComfortDisturb]

⭐️Would love to hear your thoughts on the use of craft in #STEM education⭐️