Copy of STEM and Computer Science Instructional Coach Portfolio

Jerry Lynn Recker

Science & STEM Instructional Coach

“The property value where a scholar resides, should not determine the quality of education the student receives. Therefore, drive instruction in manner that engages every learner to a point of success." Jerry Lynn Recker

Table of Contents

3. About Me

4. Resume & Evaluations

5. Philosophy

6. Innovative Instruction

7.Leadership

7. Professional

Development

8. Technology

9. TVAAS Scores

10. Get in Touch

About Me

I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and I am a product of Memphis City Schools which has driven my passion for urban education. I earned my undergraduate degree in Education at the University of Memphis. Last year, I earned my graduate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Arkansas and I am the first person to earn a degree in my family. However, my greatest accomplishment is being the mother of two incredibly brilliant children who have blossomed into thriving and successful young adults.

In my current role, I am the Computer Science Instructional Coach for the middle and the high school and I am also the Science Departmental Chair for the middle school as well as a STEM teacher. I love teaching science and learning about evolving technology.

This year, I was honored to have the opportunity to be a member of the Computer Science Standards Writing Committee with the Tennessee Department of Education. Our team revised and wrote the new standards in Foundational Concepts within the 6-8th grade band. Additionally, I am a proud participant in the Instructional Coaches Innovative Leaders Institute for 2023 where I learned new ideas on how to increase capacity for instructional support and I also learned new coaching and facilitation strategies.

Resume & Certifications

STEM Education Concept , STEM. Science Technology Engineering Ma

LEadership

Improve teacher capacity

Providing exemplar support

Cultivate teacher capacity by strategically aligning professional development opportunities based on the needs of the staff. Partnered with community to provide incentives for educators and give a ways. Gained trust through transparency and leading teachers across the state to observe STEM Designated Schools that were high performing and shared best practices. Located PD that gave three teachers a new iPad.

This year I had the honor of coaching six educators in computer science, and six teachers in the science and STEM department. I led three teachers to Computer Science Endorsement Pathway and provided professional development for the staff for implementation of the new standards. Conducted observations, provided prompt feedback, shared instructional strategies, co-taught, and located funding and supplies for staff.

Networking

As a lifelong learner, I sought out PD for coaches with TSIN and served in the Instructional Coaches Innovative Leaders Institute where I learned more about becoming an active problem solver with a passion to drive academic achievement and personal growth for others. I have also formed partnerships with stakeholders that have provided me with sets of robotics and I recently gained more insight on grant writing at the TSIN Summit.

Evaluations

Philsophy

I believe that ALL scholars can learn and I also believe that the quality of education that students receive, should never be dependent upon the zip code in which they reside. As an educator it is my responsibility to drive instruction and propel students not just academically, but also emotionally and socially so that they are prepared to enter the workforce confidently, with twenty first century skills to be competitive in a global and digital economy.

I also believe that scholars need to have a learning environment where it is safe to be wrong, in that we can always learn and develop from our mistakes or misconceptions. Through my fourteen years of teaching experience, I have learned that teaching student's to use accountable talk and have scholarly debates when someone chooses the wrong answer, is very effective and scholars are often more equipped to dissect their ideas and convey them to each other better than adults most often.

Innovative instruction

Through my practice at MASE, both as an instructional facilitator and as an educator, I have become an advocate for the constructivist theory as I believe that scholars construct their own learning and that hands on learning opportunities engage young minds. In the picture above, the students are about to actively engage in popping a popcorn seed in a test-tube to learn more about the hydrologic cycle.

Yes....they have test tubes and flames!

Engage learners with relevant phenomena, to promote curiosity and drive learning opportunities that require action and movement, that is engaging for reluctant learners. I believe that it’s important for my students to “learn by doing.” This does not mean sitting at a desk reading boring PowerPoints. Rather, this means having students build roler coaster models, compete in escape rooms, create solar ovens, role-play, write and create coding programs, collaborate and solve environmental problems locally and globally, research STEM fields and salary schedules, engage in project-based learning activities and lessons that are tied to the real world, analyze scientific data, and engage with their local community. It is by doing that content becomes memorable and learning is retained. "In the STEM classroom, robust partnerships reach beyond the walls of the school to include higher education and business partners in real-world lessons(TSIN)." And it’s a ton of fun. Take a look!

Innovative instruction

TSIN Design Challenge REgional winner 2022

For this event, there were 10,000 students who engaged in the Design Challenge! I am very proud of the hard work that our scholars put forth and we learned so much together about the environmental concerns in our city. The skills we employed include:

mathematical concepts in measurment
reading and research skills during the investigationprocess
communication skills were used during the presentation
collaboration and team building
circuitry
a plethora of science standards were covered
computer science and block based coding

TSIN Design Challenge Regional Winner 2022

The students coded Ozobot to tour Memphis and identify environmental problems by flashing red (problem) or green (solution).

TSIN Design Challenge

REgional winner 2022

Cross curricular Project Based Learning using strategies that combine the Engineering Design Process, project-based learning, computer coding, and circuitry, to solve environmental issues within the infrastructure of Memphis. The scholars coded the Ozobot to lead a guided tour through the model of Memphis. The students also created presentations of their findings. We ALL learned so much about our city and the issues within our infrastructure! This video explains each project in detail.

PRofessional Development

The Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN) provides educators the opportunity to embark on a year long journey as part of the Innovative Leaders Institute (ILI)for mentoring and networking experiences with some of the state's top innovative leaders to build capacity and drive STEM integration and best practices. I observed the best leadership practices, shared knowledgeable strategies, and was able to network with other STEM Designated schools across the state and share with our faculty the plethora of ideas of effective STEM integration. If you school is seeking STEM Designation, access this website https://www.tsin.org/innovative-leaders-institute to learn how your school can develop team capacities and enhance STEM implementational practices.

PRofessional Development

As a result of the unanimous passage of Chapter 979 of the Public Acts of 2022 vote of the Tennessee General Assembly, there is a critical need for educators who have the capacity and the endorsement to teach computer science as all Local Education Agencies (LEA) and public charter schools are required to provide K-12 students with grade-level appropriate computer science education beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
I am excited to be a historical part of paving the way for scholars to learn computational thinking and problem solving skills that will help them create and utilize innovative technology. I can honestly say that I have learned as much, if not more that the scholars this year!
Legislation Overview: Public Chapter 979 Computer Science

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/2022-legislative-session/Computer-Science-Overview.pdf

PRofessional Development Facilitated

In order to create teacher buy-in and build capacity for the implementation of computer science across all content areas, I created and led a PD where teachers were exposed to robotics and the anaotomy of the Ozobot.
Once they were familiar with some of the common codes, they were given the task of designing a 100 centimeter race track (with OzoCodes), that will get Ozobot to the finish line as fast as possible.
The teams that were in the top three places were given prizes!
The PD was highly effective and engaging and I presented the same PD for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education to model how to utilize the miniature robots and how to access pacing guides and lesson plans.
Another presentation that I created, facilitated and led was "Leading the Scene to Make Memphis Green: a Guided Tour by Ozobot for the Tennessee STEM Innovators Summit 2022.
This year, I am excited to be a presenter for TSIN's Summit 2023 where I virtually presented a PD for Teachers to Effortlessly Teach Coding with Zero Background Knwledge.

As a result of the pandemic in 2020, we were learning virtually which meant no holiday party, and I felt like the students deserved to have a small gift from me that year. So, I told the scholars to check their mailboxes and to stay inside their homes while I dropped a gift into their mailboxes. The smiles on their faces, was definitely worth the effort!

Parent Letter