How to use this website:
Sorry, I'm not much of a web-design kind of guy. But I have created several links here to make it easier to access some of my work done for the Teachers For Global Classrooms IREX fellowship. Also, there are several documents that you can access at the top of the home page. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. And please, click through and read my travel blog! There are numerous pictures and daily observation there to help you see this experience through my eyes. Resources for Local Teachers
A Few Words About Me, Jeff Ofstedahl
Science & Engineering Teacher Center for Academic Success, Sierra Vista, AZ I was fortunate when I was a student in school. I had some terrific teachers who inspired me. In particular, I remember my seventh and eighth grade science teachers. They were so enthusiastic in their approach to teaching science. Each and every day they brought their “A” game to the classroom and they made me eager to want to learn more. By seventh grade, I was not very good at math. It was frustrating and, frankly, embarrassing to be doing so poorly on my tests and quizzes. It took about all I could muster to approach my math teacher. Mr. Beta took me under his wing and spent several hours after school showing me the steps I was missing. It wasn’t long before the gears started meshing. I mention these experiences because they are the memories I cherish from school. These are the memories that have kept that burning desire to want to become a teacher. Life, however, has a way of taking one on a different pathway. I spent five years in the military working as Russian translator, returned home, finished my bachelor’s degree and pursued a life in the business and publishing world. But there was still a void. Regardless of any successes I achieved, I still wanted to teach: To be “that” teacher that inspires my students to love science, the world and learning as much as I do. My goals as a teacher, guided by the state standards, is to engage in coursework that would prepare our students for success in the global world. To this end, I do not believe that textbooks are the driving force to learning science. I am a fan of Jean Piaget’s research into the developing adolescent mind. I strongly believe that concrete operations must be utilized. The mind of the average middle school student is not prepared to grasp theoretical or abstract ideas. I believe in using hands-on manipulative opportunities that allow them to work through a problem to see a solution. These activities, using real world scenarios, and connecting my students to other students around the globe help to demonstrate the relationships between what something is, how it works, and how things impact each other. It is not enough that we teach students to remember facts, but to engage them in thinking metacognitively. To improve my teaching and professional skills I have taken continuing education courses, attended workshops and worked at summer internships alongside other scientists. I graduated from the University of Arizona in December 2012 with my Master’s Degree in Teaching and Teacher Education in Science. I still have a lot to learn. I believe that anyone who teaches is also a lifelong learner. I continue to take education and science courses – not only for professional advancement but because I know it ultimately will make me a better teacher. Why do I wish to pursue this opportunity with Teachers for Global Classrooms Program? I am ready to learn more and do even better; to engage my students in thinking globally, connecting people, cultures and education. We’re all in this together. |
Goals for the Global Classroom
What does it mean to have a global classroom? The four competencies for students participating in a global classroom: • Investigate the world • Recognize perspectives • Communicate ideas • Take action We should be teaching our students these skills, and of course, mastering the competencies ourselves. They probably sound familiar: Some call them 21st-century skills, and others refer to them as the new basics. Students need to go beyond their comfort zones and actively learn from (not just about) people who have different worldviews. This is not a call to throw out the curricula that we currently are using. On the contrary, it's an opportunity to enhance our practice and create a more rigorous and meaningful learning environment for our students. We are all connected. From Southeastern Arizona, to Moscow and Khabarovsk and back
My home in Whetstone, Arizona, where I live off the grid, 100% on solar and wind power, in an eco-friendly strawbale home I built.
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My next big adventure?
CANANEA,SONORA MEXICO SCHOOL VISIT,
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 -- POSTPONED due to flooding in the region. To be rescheduled.
As a mentor teacher in the University of Arizona South's Transition To Teaching (TTT) "Education in the Borderlands" graduate program, we are excited to have the opportunity to spend a day in high schools in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. Last year, teachers in these schools visited school in Sierra Vista and Bisbee, AZ, and attended the Living and Learning on the Border symposium. The return visit on September 18 marks the first formal international exchange of TTT members.
Understanding the education system that many of the students in our partner schools have experienced is an important step to having a fuller understanding of the students in our classrooms. During the visit we will have the opportunity to sit in on classes in our subject areas, hold informal discussions with teachers and meet with city officials.
We will leave from UA South campus at 7am, Sept. 18th and return at 6pm. Cananea is 75 miles from Sierra Vista and we will cross at the Naco border crossing. We will be taking university vans and will be traveling under our own passports.
The adventure continues!!!
CANANEA,SONORA MEXICO SCHOOL VISIT,
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 -- POSTPONED due to flooding in the region. To be rescheduled.
As a mentor teacher in the University of Arizona South's Transition To Teaching (TTT) "Education in the Borderlands" graduate program, we are excited to have the opportunity to spend a day in high schools in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. Last year, teachers in these schools visited school in Sierra Vista and Bisbee, AZ, and attended the Living and Learning on the Border symposium. The return visit on September 18 marks the first formal international exchange of TTT members.
Understanding the education system that many of the students in our partner schools have experienced is an important step to having a fuller understanding of the students in our classrooms. During the visit we will have the opportunity to sit in on classes in our subject areas, hold informal discussions with teachers and meet with city officials.
We will leave from UA South campus at 7am, Sept. 18th and return at 6pm. Cananea is 75 miles from Sierra Vista and we will cross at the Naco border crossing. We will be taking university vans and will be traveling under our own passports.
The adventure continues!!!
Contact me @
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Disclaimer:
"This website is not an official U.S. Department of State site. The views and information presented are the fellow's own and do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program, IREX or the U.S. Department of State."