About Mrs. Armstrong
I am a 5th year teacher in Bettendorf, Iowa, navigating my way through a changing student population, with new academic needs.
My teaching journey started when I graduated from a small liberal arts institution, Augustana College. Augustana is in the Quad Cities, a cluster of towns on the Illinois and Iowa border, or as we Quad Citians like to say, "We live by the only place where the Mississippi River runs east to west." After graduating, I accepted a position at Bettendorf Middle School, which is about fifteen minutes away from my Alma mater. Bettendorf Middle encourages teachers to use Project Based Learning (PBL) as their instructional model. Project Based Learning encourages students to think and solve real world problems. The problem comes in a form of a driving question. This question is reassessed and analyzed through instruction, learning, and assessment. The students drive the learning process. It stresses community involvement, 21st century skills, and passion based learning and teaching.
As a 23 year old, first year teacher, PBL seemed like daunting endeavor, especially considering I sometimes still got lost trying to find the teacher's lounge. Yet, I have dove into PBL and have not looked back since. Rarely will you see students taking a test in my room or working alone on a worksheet. Rather, if you enter my room, you will see students collaborating, discussing, critiquing, researching, and solving real world problems, with legitimate solutions. I encourage my students to develop unique ideas and positions on issues. I push my students to think less about themselves and more about the world they are living in. When students leave my room each year, they should not only have a more advanced understanding of reading and writing, but an awareness of their community, country and world.
In the last two years I have received the John Finnessy Innovation in Education Award, presented my What is Essential and World Without Water projects to local organizations, been featured in local news and national news, and presented at The Deeper Learning Conference at High Tech High in San Diego. I have also traveled to multiple workshops and conventions to further my understanding of Project Based Learning, Deeper Learning, and Individual and Personalized Learning.
On this site you will find an overview of some of my more successful PBL projects I have completed in my room. Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or to connect our classes.
[email protected]
My teaching journey started when I graduated from a small liberal arts institution, Augustana College. Augustana is in the Quad Cities, a cluster of towns on the Illinois and Iowa border, or as we Quad Citians like to say, "We live by the only place where the Mississippi River runs east to west." After graduating, I accepted a position at Bettendorf Middle School, which is about fifteen minutes away from my Alma mater. Bettendorf Middle encourages teachers to use Project Based Learning (PBL) as their instructional model. Project Based Learning encourages students to think and solve real world problems. The problem comes in a form of a driving question. This question is reassessed and analyzed through instruction, learning, and assessment. The students drive the learning process. It stresses community involvement, 21st century skills, and passion based learning and teaching.
As a 23 year old, first year teacher, PBL seemed like daunting endeavor, especially considering I sometimes still got lost trying to find the teacher's lounge. Yet, I have dove into PBL and have not looked back since. Rarely will you see students taking a test in my room or working alone on a worksheet. Rather, if you enter my room, you will see students collaborating, discussing, critiquing, researching, and solving real world problems, with legitimate solutions. I encourage my students to develop unique ideas and positions on issues. I push my students to think less about themselves and more about the world they are living in. When students leave my room each year, they should not only have a more advanced understanding of reading and writing, but an awareness of their community, country and world.
In the last two years I have received the John Finnessy Innovation in Education Award, presented my What is Essential and World Without Water projects to local organizations, been featured in local news and national news, and presented at The Deeper Learning Conference at High Tech High in San Diego. I have also traveled to multiple workshops and conventions to further my understanding of Project Based Learning, Deeper Learning, and Individual and Personalized Learning.
On this site you will find an overview of some of my more successful PBL projects I have completed in my room. Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or to connect our classes.
[email protected]