{"313581":{"#nid":"313581","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Biomedical Engineering Students Take on Teaching","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKrissy Jeffares, Erika Loupee, and Emilee Roberts are not new to the world of problem-based learning \u2014 or \u201cPBL\u201d as they call it casually. In fact, this teaching model is standard operating procedure in their Georgia Tech classes. This summer, though, the three biomedical engineering students found themselves in a PBL puzzle as part of both the problem and the solution. Interning at Centennial Academy, they were brought in to run a test class with nine rising sixth-graders that used PBL in place of a more traditional teaching format.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe school, which this year began the process of transitioning from Centennial Place Elementary to a K-8 charter school, is leaving behind some of the restrictions of public school operation and hoping to incorporate elements of problem-based learning into its pedagogy in all grade levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe wanted to see what we could learn from the kids and bring to the teachers,\u201d said Roberts, a fourth-year student from Tifton. \u201cIt also helped the students learn about PBL and how it works. They\u2019ll be kind of like ambassadors to the other students this year.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe three enthusiastic women \u2014 all former Tech cheerleaders \u2014 were considered action researchers by Centennial, giving them both internship and research experience as part of their undergraduate curriculum. They spent the first half of the summer teaching the subject of earth science and used the remaining weeks to gather and analyze data, then put together presentations and recommendations for Centennial\u2019s faculty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey also were able to compare what they learned as teachers and researchers to their own experience as students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou have to do a little more traditional teaching with PBL with younger students, as opposed to how you would in a college class,\u201d Roberts said, pointing out that critical thinking skills aren\u2019t fully developed until around sixth grade. \u201cThe kids adapted much easier than we anticipated, though. Their progress in only 12 days of instruction was astounding.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore their experience at Centennial Academy, all three women had some prior interest or experience in working with children, but they hadn\u2019t necessarily considered education as a career. Now, they\u2019re considering how they can use their engineering background and skills to improve the education system.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen you think about it from an engineering standpoint, education is a process that needs to be optimized,\u201d Loupee said. After working at Centennial and teaching test prep classes for Princeton Review, she knows what it\u2019s like to be in the classroom but also knows there are areas beyond the classroom that need an engineer\u2019s mind.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s possible there are other places we could be more beneficial to the system,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJeffares is now planning to work pre-teaching classes into her coursework at Tech. Loupee is taking two pre-teaching classes this fall and has already completed Tech\u2019s contemporary education course.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe education classes at Tech are great,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re not just about grades K-12\u0026nbsp;\u2014\u0026nbsp;you get an inside view of your own education.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELoupee graduates in December, but Jeffares and Roberts have more time to figure out their path. Jeffares could see herself working in a school\u2019s math, science or engineering lab, all of which exist at Centennial Academy. Roberts hopes to use her background to recruit more women into STEM, and perhaps education, by showing you can find balance as a female in these fields \u2014 particularly at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe can be girly girls but still love engineering,\u201d she said. \u201cYou get that at Tech, but I don\u2019t know that it\u2019s something you get nationwide.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll three encourage other Tech students of any major to venture across the street to gain work experience at Centennial Academy. Past pre-teaching interns have also come from the College of Sciences and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s a huge benefit to have both schools right here,\u201d Loupee said. \u201cYou can get experience while also fulfilling the needs of Centennial. There are so many opportunities here for Tech students.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe pre-teaching program also offers internships at Grady High School. More information on pre-teaching opportunities is available at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/preteaching.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Epreteaching.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Three Tech students bring problem-based learning to K-12 classrooms"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThree young women spent the summer as interns at Centennial Academy helping the school transition to a teaching model of problem-based learning.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Three young women spent the summer as interns at Centennial Academy helping the school transition to a teaching model of problem-based learning."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2014-08-12 09:51:50","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:52","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"314821":{"id":"314821","type":"image","title":"Emilee Roberts and Krissy Jeffares with Centennial Academy students","body":null,"created":"1449244947","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:27","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"Emilee Roberts and Krissy Jeffares with Centennial Academy students","file":{"fid":"199913","name":"picture.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/picture_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/picture_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":83185,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/picture_0.jpg?itok=Mwk545o3"}},"314831":{"id":"314831","type":"image","title":"Tech students with Centennial Academy students","body":null,"created":"1449244947","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:02:27","changed":"1475895022","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:22","alt":"Tech students with Centennial Academy students","file":{"fid":"199914","name":"pngbase64f0da84725763bd32.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pngbase64f0da84725763bd32_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pngbase64f0da84725763bd32_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":570068,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pngbase64f0da84725763bd32_0.png?itok=M-9h0vTV"}}},"media_ids":["314821","314831"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/preteaching.gatech.edu\/","title":"Pre-teaching at Georgia Tech"},{"url":"http:\/\/preteaching.gatech.edu\/coursesandcollaboration","title":"Pre-Teaching Courses"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1432","name":"education"},{"id":"1648","name":"Internships"},{"id":"4551","name":"k12"},{"id":"47381","name":"preteaching"},{"id":"167258","name":"STEM"},{"id":"167141","name":"Student Life"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:susan.belmonte@cetl.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESusan Belmonte\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EPre-Teaching\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}