7/11/2017 4 Comments About Hannah Cotten (Part 1)About Mrs. Cotten: Hopes, Dreams and Fervor for Education and Science When I was in middle school, I visited and stayed at an orphanage with my church group in Querétaro, Mexico, to help improve the existing school grounds and living quarters. During my time there, the orphanage needed a substitute teacher for the kindergarteners, so a friend and I volunteered. I didn’t know much Spanish at the time but was amazed at how we were still able to communicate and build meaningful relationships with those precious little ones. While sitting on the dirt floor, reading a picture book in Spanish to a little girl, I knew that I had to work with children for the rest of my life – it felt like I was made for teaching. Ever since that moment, I have known my purpose in life is to teach and influence children in a positive way. Teachers have such an incredible opportunity to impact the future of our world and promote change through education. I love teaching students to think for themselves, ask questions, apply what they learn to real world instances and be excited about the world and all that is in it. I am so passionate about what I do. I have the best job in the world! I love my kids, the teachers I work with and my wonderful principal. It’s not an easy job, but it is so rewarding. I am constantly wanting to improve, grow and learn. I want to bring my students in touch with science and geography in the real world. I want to share this Amazon experience with them so they too can even further their understanding of the world, how it works and what they can do to help. In researching in the Amazon Rainforest, I hope to further my teaching and bring more depth, knowledge, experience and passion to my students in meaningful lessons that inspire them to constantly ache for a better understanding of the world. I am one of those teachers that is always wanting to improve and further my own teaching and lessons. Often times, my car is the last one in the parking lot at school because I may be setting up a science lab, or writing a rap for my students to memorize freezing and melting points, or maybe I’m tutoring kiddos who need a little extra help and TLC. My passions in life are education, travel, science, music and family. As a 5th grade science teacher, I have such a wonderful opportunity to expose my students to the world through hands-on learning and inquisitive thinking. I am so passionate about teaching about the world because I love to travel and I strongly believe that as you see different places around the world, the more accepting you become of others. Your eyes are opened to different ways of thinking, delicious and unique foods, and beautiful and fascinating cultures and languages. Just as Mark Twain says, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” If I can share just a glimmer of the diversity and wonder of the world to my students, I have done my job. I want to stir in my kids a fire for learning about how the world works, what’s out there, and how they can contribute to society in a positive way.
I differentiate my instruction so all different types of learners are being taught in a way they can grasp. One second we may be comparing densities of liquids, using graduated cylinders and triple beam balances and the next, we are experimenting with non-Newtonian fluids. The next day, we could be dancing on our chairs, acting out hot and cold molecules. Next, we could be using the iPads to research the difference between weather and climate and then make a picture book about it. We have made stop motion videos to explain how and why to compost. Students have learned how to make a website, PowerPoint presentations and navigate google drive to share their learning with others. We are constantly moving, singing, experimenting, creating, and innovating in our classroom, known as The Discovery Den. Our motto is “Explore, Dream, Discover” and we do just that! If you would like to see what our classroom is like, check out our website: http://thediscoveryden.weebly.com/
When awarded the JASON Learning Teacher Argonaut travel and research grant, sponsored by CoSN, I was over the moon! This is a lifelong dream of mine and I cannot wait to learn and grow through this experience. Dr. Meg Lowman, world renowned ecologist, author, and conservationist, will be our guide while traveling and researching in the Amazon. I have been reading her books, watching documentaries, and practicing my Spanish. Through my studies in preparation for this expedition, my excitement for science and nature has grown even more! I am hopeful that after diving into the Amazon Rainforest in Peru, learning alongside real scientists in the field, I can bring back this experience and excitement for scientific discovery, using photos, videos, and data collected, allowing my students to feel as though they were on this expedition themselves. When I started thinking of how to use this experience to enrich my student’s learning, one idea I had was to use my GoPro to record myself in the canopy taking leaf samples. The kids would be able to take a "virtual field trip" and see what the canopy looks like and how to identify and observe different plant species. Then, we as a class, would go outside and collect leaf samples and conduct similar research, only of Texas plants. They could draw the shapes of the leaves on graph paper, measure the length, water capacity, density, and strength, thus identifying the structural adaptations that help it survive in its environment. Then we would compare rain forest plant adaptations to temperate and arid plant adaptations. In this way, I would use technology, field research outdoors, and hands-on learning to authenticate the learning of my students, all additionally enriched through my experience in the Amazon. I am thrilled to continue brainstorming and implement my ideas this upcoming school year. Thinking back to that dirt floor, when I discovered I wanted to be a teacher, I now realize that I am so fortunate to be doing just what I was meant to do. I get to teach children, and make a difference in their lives. I can't wait to sit on the dirt floor of the rain forest and soak in the life that is all around me. I know I will be changed by this experience, just like I was influenced by my experience in Mexico all those year ago.
4 Comments
Beth Newton
7/17/2017 12:09:37 pm
Hannah, I can't wait to hear about your experience and watch you bring this into your classroom! Your kids are the luckiest to have you as their teacher!!
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Hannah Cotten
7/17/2017 12:24:54 pm
Beth, thank you so much for your continued encouragement! You are such an exceptional principal! You give us freedom in lesson planning and push us to excel through your supportive comments and involved role in our classrooms and our lives.
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Carlton Cotten
7/17/2017 02:59:53 pm
Hannah, this is an incredibly exciting adventure for you and your students. I can hardly wait to live vicariously through your photographs, videos and the lessons you will bring home to share with your classroom.
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Hannah Cotten
7/18/2017 08:33:16 am
Carlton, Thank you so much for your kind words! I can't wait to share what I have learned and experienced. Thanks for your encouragement and excitement!
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AuthorHannah Cotten is a 5th grade science teacher at Hill Elementary in Austin, Texas. She applied for and received a teacher travel research grant through Jason Learning, and will be traveling with Jason Learning on a research trip with Dr. Meg Lowman. CoSN is sponsoring Hannah, funding her entire expedition! ArchivesCategories |