Professor Kamellia Keo's GTCH 2003 is a combination of GTCH 1001’s Inquiry Approaches to Teaching and GTCH 1002’s Inquiry-based Lesson Design. In order to gain teaching experience, students in Professor Keo’s class first observe the workings of a middle school classroom, then take those observations and apply them to the creation of a lesson plan. These lesson plans are then utilized in the classroom, with GTCH 2003 students engaging in instruction using the plans and procedures informed by their observations.
For information about Community Engaged Scholarship at GW: https://go.gwu.edu/cesc
Fall 2024
Professor: Meghan Hollibaugh Baker
Students Reporting: 25
Time Reported: 672.83 hours
Community Partners:
Students in GTCH 2003 gain hands-on teaching experience in Washington DC public schools, where they observe experienced teachers, develop lesson plans, and teach science and math classes to elementary and middle school students. This semester, GWTeach students worked with several partner schools:
Brent Elementary School: GW students worked with 4th and 5th graders, teaching earth science concepts and other subjects. Students observed classes, developed interactive lesson plans, and delivered engaging lessons.
John Francis Education Campus: Students taught middle school science classes, including lessons on the skeletal system, human body systems, and math concepts like multiplication. They created hands-on activities to spark student interest in science through interactive learning experiences.
Marie Reed Elementary School: GW students taught 3rd grade science lessons, including topics like life cycles, with a specific focus on pumpkin life cycles. They created developmentally appropriate lessons that incorporated interactive elements to engage young learners.
Oyster-Adams Bilingual School: Students worked with 6th graders on science lessons, including environmental hazards and their socio-economic impacts, as well as weather phenomena like tornadoes, using interactive experiments and activities.
Student Comments:
"I loved getting to know the students and hearing about their day. It was sweet to interact with them knowing that sometimes talking to another person that isn't a teacher can boost their confidence." -Student working with Oyster-Adams Bilingual School
"It was very eye-opening to be back in middle school and work with the students. Being able to directly see a student learn a new concept was very heartwarming. I didn't realize how many different ways students learn."-Student working with John Francis Education Campus
"By going to a local elementary school and assisting with teaching, not only was I enabled with skills such as community engagement and teaching, but I learned a lot about own curiousity about younger generations, as well as school systems in a state other than my own. I was really interested in learning about school funding, school curriculums, and other comparisons from state to state. I was also curious about DC's strategies in ensuring each student is appropriately tended to in their academic needs. I gained answers, as well as clarity and became extremely happy to have participated in making change in students lives even for just a short time." - Student working with Marie Reed Elementary School
"Teaching the 7th-grade class helped me improve my communication and classroom management skills while adapting to different learning styles. I also gained a deeper appreciation for the severe challenges teachers face and the importance of creating lessons that are both engaging and educational." -Student working with John Francis Education Campus
Fall 2023
Professor: Kamellia Keo
Students Reporting: 21
Time Reported: 505.55
This semester, students in Professor Keo’s GTCH 2003 utilized their hands-on teaching experiences at McKinley Middle School with their in-classroom learning to create STEM inquiry based lesson plans for middle school students. What students learned:
- Classroom relationships
- Lesson plan creation and editing
- Teaching in a classroom
- How to actively engage students
Student Comments:
"Awesome time teaching for the first time! Scary but worth it! Definitely feel more prepared for the rest of the semester." - Student helping out at McKinley Middle School
"Gave me a better understanding of the classroom dynamic for this specific class and how to proceed when it comes to teaching the class our lesson." - Student helping out at McKinley Middle School
"It was a very enjoyable and educational experience where I got used to a classroom setting as an observer." - Student helping out at McKinley Middle School
Professor: Meghan Hollibaugh Baker
Students Reporting: 28
Time Reported: 631.19
This semester students in Prof. Baker's class served at 4 Washington DC middle schools: Hardy Middle School, Jefferson Academy Middle School, McKinley Middle School, and Oyster-Adams Bilingual School. At each of these schools, students had to perform observations of classroom functions, then combine the findings of those observations and what they learned in the GW Teach classroom, to create a lesson plan. These student-created lesson plans were then implemented at the partner middle schools in STEM lessons, and led by the students.
What students learned:
• Lesson planning and preparation
• Execution of lessons in the classroom
• Data collection
• Classroom dynamics including student-teacher interactions
• Classroom management
• How kids absorb information
• Creating inclusive classroom environments
Community Partners:
| Community Partner | # of students at the site |
| Hardy Middle School | 7 |
| Jefferson Academy Middle School | 9 |
| McKinley Middle School | 6 |
| Oyster-Adams Bilingual School | 9 |
Student Comments:
“Observing [the teacher] has been really great for learning classroom management and how to empower students to be engaged and dedicated learners” - Student who observed a classroom at Jefferson Academy Middle School
“Sitting in on a classroom was very informative as to how public secondary education looks post-covid. It's really cool to see teachers continue to engage children and uplift young voices through compassionate and meaningful learning strategies.” - Student who observed a classroom at Jefferson Academy Middle School
