Nicole

Nicole teaches physics at an alternative high school in north central Illinois. In addition to physics, she has taught biology, chemistry, anatomy/physiology, and horticulture. In her current classroom setting, Nicole integrates earth and space science phenomena into the physics curriculum. Her goal is for students to develop science literacy, critical thinking skills, and a passion for learning. To achieve this goal, Nicole taps into the students’ natural curiosities by developing course content that is relevant to their interests. She wants them to understand that each individual subject (English, math, history, art, science, etc) are all integrated. Outside of the classroom, all of these disciplines are interwoven; therefore, they should be interwoven inside the classroom as well. To do this, Nicole spends time with each student to get to know their interests, so that she can develop cross curricular content that is specific to their interests. In doing this, students understand and appreciate the relevance of physics in their everyday lives and they learn the importance of understanding its principles.

"As an educator, I want to help develop productive members of society and I want my students to be invested in their learning. As soon as students see the relevance to their lives, they buy in. From that point on, we are able to explore content deeper and broader. Because of the cross-curricular integration that I use, my students leave my classroom well-rounded and with a renewed appreciation for learning." -Nicole