Hi! My name is Martha, author of this website...undertaker of this inquiry!
I have been an Early Childhood Educator at St. Peter's Regional School for 24 years, and for the record, it never gets old! I pride myself on being an inquisitive educator, always searching for new and better ways to inspire and engage my students.
I currently teach kindergarten. What a wonderful age...talk about being inquisitive!
I have a Masters in Education with a specialty in Early Childhood from SUNY New Paltz. My undergraduate degree is in History and I also hold a two year degree in Mental Health Assisting.
Married to my best friend and confidant for 32 years, we share the joy of having raised two wonderful children...now responsible adults who both maintain a love of nature!
I am not a fanatic 'tree hugger', but I do have respect and reverence for our natural environment. I was raised with the outdoors: camping, canoeing, gardening, fishing, and hunting for sustainability. I played outdoors..a lot! Our children were raised the same way and continue to enjoy the outdoors.
My project is an active inquiry (research) which addresses the following questions:
1. How can I engage students in active learning in an outdoor classroom?
2. Hand-in-hand with the first question: can 'just playing' in the outdoor classroom produce active and authentic learning?
3.What core content areas can be enhanced using the environment of the outdoor classroom?
4. What curiosity and inquiries will using the outdoor classroom inspire in my students?
5. This one is near & dear to my heart: will this project inspire the students families to 'take the ball and run with it'...be inspired by their children's excitement about the project enough to carry on further outdoor explorations outside of school time?
I currently teach kindergarten. What a wonderful age...talk about being inquisitive!
I have a Masters in Education with a specialty in Early Childhood from SUNY New Paltz. My undergraduate degree is in History and I also hold a two year degree in Mental Health Assisting.
Married to my best friend and confidant for 32 years, we share the joy of having raised two wonderful children...now responsible adults who both maintain a love of nature!
I am not a fanatic 'tree hugger', but I do have respect and reverence for our natural environment. I was raised with the outdoors: camping, canoeing, gardening, fishing, and hunting for sustainability. I played outdoors..a lot! Our children were raised the same way and continue to enjoy the outdoors.
My project is an active inquiry (research) which addresses the following questions:
1. How can I engage students in active learning in an outdoor classroom?
2. Hand-in-hand with the first question: can 'just playing' in the outdoor classroom produce active and authentic learning?
3.What core content areas can be enhanced using the environment of the outdoor classroom?
4. What curiosity and inquiries will using the outdoor classroom inspire in my students?
5. This one is near & dear to my heart: will this project inspire the students families to 'take the ball and run with it'...be inspired by their children's excitement about the project enough to carry on further outdoor explorations outside of school time?