Connecting Virtually: How a Catalyst Teacher Brought Her Units to Life in an Online Classroom
“My students were in awe—these career mentors looked like them, spoke like them and showed them that STEM careers are not out of reach.”
Tara Beardsley teaches middle school science in Somerville, MA.
The Citizen Schools’ Catalyst program is known for student hands-on experiential learning, teacher professional development, volunteers, which are known as career mentors in our Catalyst program, and student assessments. Many teachers don’t hesitate to implement the units and experiences again year-after-year. Even through a year of virtual learning in so many places, Catalyst teachers saw high student engagement and collaboration.
This holds especially true for Tara Beardsley’s science class at Winter Hill Innovation School in Somerville, MA. Tara, who has taught middle school science since 2000, knew that teaching science units to a class of English Language Learners (ELL) students over Zoom was going to be one of her biggest teaching challenges yet. She incorporated the Climate Change and Metabolism units in her classroom, and quite honestly didn’t think she was going to make it through the program at first. “I almost bagged it in the beginning. I was trying to follow it step-by-step and it wasn’t clicking.”
After reaching out for support from both the Catalyst program managers and career mentors, Tara was able to take a step back and realized these units aren’t meant to be cookie cutter. “I really wanted to make it work, and after working with the program team, I knew that I had the ability to adapt it for the needs of my students. It empowered me to make it my own.”
As the term went on, she saw the students really connect with her four career mentors and become really engaged in their projects. “These mentors were so important for my diverse set of kids. They were able to connect on so many levels; where they came from, what language they spoke, they made a major impact on how these students saw themselves and what they can do in the future.”
Tara taught both the Climate Science and the Metabolism Catalyst projects over Zoom.
In an already challenging year, Tara and her family then contracted COVID-19. “All five of us in my house tested positive. And this was in the final stages of the term.” While she was quarantining in her house and dealing with the symptoms of the virus, she once again leaned on the career mentors and substitutes to finish out the program. “While I couldn’t be there, and with my guidance, I knew that the camaraderie I built with the career mentors, Volunteer Engagement Mentors (VEMs) and my own school personnel would be able to complete the course.”
And so her class did. Tara received 100% participation from her students in the class projects, which was her favorite part of the program. “I loved the videos they made and the final culmination of the unit. They truly brought everything together, came up with their own projects and were able to put their own spin on it. So many of these students used their own experiences from their home countries and brought them to life. They worked so hard, and to see the light bulbs go off will never fade from my memory.”
Hear Tara’s students Juan & Marcos speak about Diabetes through the Catalyst Metabolism unit.
Citizen Schools helps all students thrive in school and beyond through hands-on learning and career mentors. Join us in building the capacity of teachers, schools, volunteers and parents to deliver real-world experiential learning into the classroom. Get more information on volunteering as a career mentor or becoming a Catalyst teacher. If you have questions about our Catalyst units, please contact us.