It’s inspiring to read about how your journey in biology led you to teaching and how deeply your experiences in the Cowichan Valley shaped your perspective. I really resonate with your point about lifelong learning and how our prior knowledge both helps and challenges us as adult learners. I’ve noticed the same in my own teaching and learning. Drawing on past experiences can make new concepts more accessible, but it also takes conscious effort to reshape old assumptions when approaching something differently.
I also love how you integrate constructivist principles and relevance into your lessons, like using the nature park and plant knowledge cards. That hands-on approach not only engages students but clearly connects learning to real life, which seems so aligned with the way you describe motivation and the ARCS model. I’ve found that when students can see the “why” behind what they’re learning, they invest more effort and curiosity.
Your use of design thinking is another element I find interesting. The way you empathize with students, prototype solutions and reflect on what works mirrors how I try to approach lessons. I’m curious, have you found any particular strategies for balancing student autonomy with the need to scaffold learning, especially when exploring open-ended projects like the ecosystem work?
