Note:

I have recently accepted a full-time position and now teach very few classes on Outschool. At this time, I am unable to accommodate class requests. Thank you!

To excel in a 21st century world, kids need much more than the "Three R's." Parents and educators are attempting to prepare kids for a future that will be vastly different than our own- for jobs that don't even exist yet. How can we do this? 

I believe we can best prepare our students to adapt to an ever-changing world through experiences in critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving. These skills are not subject-specific and will apply to whatever challenges life throws at our students. 

This twice-weekly ongoing class will serve as a "homeroom" of sorts for students who wish to develop the skills listed below in an accepting community that celebrates diversity and cooperation: 

Problem-Solving
Communication
Debate/Discussion
Divergent Thinking
Adaptability
Creativity
Leadership
Collaboration
Teamwork 
Conflict Resolution
Reasoning/Logic


How will these skills be learned? In a variety of ways, including but not limited to:

-Facilitating classroom discussion and debate about real-life conundrums and dilemmas  
-Asking students to work together to solve brain-teasers or other similar puzzles
-Using Socratic Questioning to challenge thinking and promote discovery 
-Issuing class-wide STEM challenges 
-Giving students a problem to solve that has multiple answers or no clear answer
-Asking students to argue something from another point of view
-Teaching students to disagree respectfully and thoughtfully 


The class format will follow this general pattern:

First 5 minutes: Greetings/New and Noteworthy
5 minutes: Warm-up Brain Teaser
30 minutes:  Main Lesson/Challenge
Last 5 minutes: Debrief/Goodbye 


I have been teaching for more than 15 years, and my teaching style can be described as high-energy and compassionate. I use humor, high-interest activities, and multi-sensory methods to keep instruction engaging and meaningful. This classroom will be a safe space for all who enter, including LGBTQIA+ youth, the neurodiverse, those of all religions, genders, backgrounds, ethnicities, and any other unique traits that make our world the beautiful cornucopia of diversity that it is.