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My first book... It’s dedicated to the notion that teaching everything like an arts class can create transformative learning experiences for students, with more personalization, with more opportunities for individual exploration and with the inclusion of critical design, more opportunities to unleash creativity, reflection, and engagement with the public. It’s partly an investigation of how artists create work, partly a history of how I tried to teach my students to be arts-based researchers, and partly a dialogue between me and my students. Buy it here, among other places |
My Resume
As an educational leader in the community:
I have spent much of the past several years experimenting with various approaches to what is called 'deeper learning" - whether project-based, inquiry-based, or 21st century skills-based. I believe it is important to do outreach to collaborate not only within schools but with teachers and students around the world. As part of these efforts, I have:
- written a book for Rowan & Littlefield based on my PBL project with my 9th grade World History class. The broad topic is “applying the artist's creative process to both curriculum design and student work in the classroom, from brainstorming to exhibition.” I have also written several posts for Edutopia in the meantime.
- I taught a graduate level course titled “Principles of Project-Based Learning” for the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) during the summer of 2012, as part of the curriculum for the Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership for Chaminade University. This course centered on lesson design methodology and assessment with respect to student creativity, communication, collaboration and “authentic learning” and was taught in tandem with a course on academic technologies.
- I served as a Founding Governing Board Member of the SEEQS Charter School for the past year. SEEQS is a 6 - 12 project-based school dedicated to exploring sustainability in the Islands, and developing community partnerships to give students real-world work experience. My role with the SEEQS board has included:
- Developing the school culture and the mechanisms for supporting it
- Developing evaluation systems for students, faculty, staff and administration
- General school governance
- Fund-raising and Development
- Developing our Mission and Vision statements
- Community outreach
- I Presented annually at Punahou’s Brain Symposium Conference for project-based learning. (See sample workshop: "Play to Learn, Learn to Play")
- I Presented at 2010 and 2012 HAIS Schools of the Future Conferences. For the 2012 Conference schedule, see “Mid-Pacific Exploratory Program (MPX) - They Call it a ‘Play’, Don't They?”
- I Appeared on PBS Hawaii roundtable on Education, Mar 4, 2010
As a Teacher/Administrator:
Darrow School, NY (at present):
Mid-Pacific Institute (MPI) 2008-2014:
I played three roles at MPI - as program director for the IB and the AP; as a lead team member for a number of new initiatives on our campus to promote student- and project-centered learning, entrepreneurialism, student and teacher collaboration, and the integration of academic technologies; and as a classroom teacher.
- I serve as Dean of Faculty, and have been charged with facilitating and supporting teacher growth with respect to "Deeper Learning" at Darrow.
- I am also currently teaching 9th grade World History and various elective courses - “How Do We Know” (a study of epistemology;) American Lives (a study of race, class, and gender in American life;) and "Gaming the Cold War" - applying game theory to geostrategic history.
- I design professional development workshops for the Darrow faculty and have been spearheading the use of new technologies for the classroom.
Mid-Pacific Institute (MPI) 2008-2014:
I played three roles at MPI - as program director for the IB and the AP; as a lead team member for a number of new initiatives on our campus to promote student- and project-centered learning, entrepreneurialism, student and teacher collaboration, and the integration of academic technologies; and as a classroom teacher.
- As IB/AP Director: 2010-2012
- Initiated the creation of a Pre-IB curriculum in 9th and 10th grades and led professional development efforts to help teachers prepare all students for the IB Diploma Programme;
- Articulated new strategies, including PR and parent outreach materials, to increase communication and outreach with students and parents
- Counselor to 60 full IB Diploma students;
- Evaluator and mentor for 22 IB teachers;
- Coordinated all IB and AP assessments.
- As lead team member of MPI’s School of the Future project: 2008-present
- Created an interdisciplinary project-based class (“MPX”) stressing collaboration, entrepreneurship, communication and self-reflection as cornerstones of student achievement. Currently teaching MPX grade Humanities, which is a project-based class incorporating social studies, literature, speech, technology and art, in collaboration with our grade 9 Bioengineering class. See sample units here:
- Created and implemented a week-long recurring workshop in technology and project-based education for teachers throughout the state of Hawai’i, focusing on lesson design, collaboration, classroom management, and the use of communications and design technologies for student assessment;
- Developed and led inter-school professional development and protocol sessions help teachers develop more student- and technology-centered classrooms, and to encourage collaboration and critique among the faculty;
- Developed PR and parent outreach materials for our MPX program
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Past Relevant Teaching Experience:
American School Foundation, Mexico City 2006-2008
- Teaching IB History of the Americas (11th grade) and IB Contemporary World History (12th grade); taught 10th grade World History 2006/2007.
- Served as Department Chair 2007-2008 academic year, which entailed mentoring new teachers and supervising curricula and lesson plans for a 20 member staff. This included the DP/MYP, AP, and Mexican curricula.
- Developed and implemented curriculum review to:
- Create a pre-IB history program for grades 8-10
- Build in writing and reading skills throughout the high school history program
San Francisco University High School 2000-2006
- Taught History of Mexico (9th grade), Middle Eastern history (10th grade), Advanced Placement US history (11th grade), and Globalization (11th and 12th grades)
- Served on Steering, Admissions, Curriculum, and Multicultural Committees
- Community Service Learning advisor, taught Poverty and Basic Human Needs class to sophomores
- Received NEH Summer Seminar Grant to study Dante’s Commedia in Siena, Italy, during summer of 2005
- Received school funding to study Islamic architecture in Southern Spain, summer of 2003
- Faculty Advisor for Amnesty International
American Overseas School of Rome (one year leave from University HS) 2003-2004
- Taught IB World History (11th + 12th grades), US and AP US History (11th grade), European History (9th grade), Model United Nations (11th + 12th grades), Economics (12th grade)
Pilgrim High School 1998-2000
- Taught world history (9th grade), AP US history (11th grade), US history (8th grade), Economics and AP Economics (11th and 12th grades), Ethics (10th grade)
- Seventh grade basketball coach and Class Dean
- Attended Summer Teacher Seminar—The United States in a Globalized World, at University of Virginia, in 1999
- First faculty advisor for Amnesty International