Shae Johnson has been teaching for 32 years now with 21 in the fourth grade. She was went through educational/technology training in 2001-2002 with the eMINTS http://www.emints.org/about/index.shtml professional development available in Missouri schools. She has a classroom of 30 students, 15 computers, a workstation, scanner, digital camera, a SmartBoard, and various college practicum and student teachers.
Shae's website is outstanding. It has been designed to be an integral part of the fourth grade curriculum, and she spends many hours updating and maintaining it. Her 9 and 10 year-old students as well as the college students who come into the room and parents benefit by the wealth of information that is on the web.
Shae's instruction includes inquiry learning techniques as well as direct instruction where the children are allowed to explore, ask questions, develop reports, models, experiments, presentations and much more. Students learn how to do research, write reflective responses, and learn about, then use critical thinking strategies. The classroom environment is exciting and enthusiastic, nurturing and stimulating. It is a place where children are allowed to talk, move about, work in partnerships and cooperative groups. If you view her website, you will see so much about what goes on in the classroom.
Many area teachers, especially those who are now learning eMINTS instruction, come to visit the classroom, use her website, email her with questions, and she is always available to help. College Education students are placed in her classroom so they may learn more about eMINTS and classroom management, inquiry learning, and hands-on education. They leave knowing so much more than the theories; they learn practical applications.
Nine and ten year olds learn lots of information, but they also learn much about technology and Internet by the time the year is ended. The learn self-evaluation techniques, they learn poise in presentations, they learn how to work with a team and with partnerships, and they learn to reflect on their lessons and thinking. Weaved into the entire curriculum is service learning. Foundations are set at this level, citizenship is strong, and learning how to apply their learning to help the community is integral in her students' education.
