Ms Melissa Allen
Reflections & Lesson Plan from the 2009 Toyota International Teacher Program to Costa Rica
Allen, far left, after a hike in the cloud forest.
As a school library media specialist in a public high school I seek opportunities that will increase my knowledge base and skill level in order to positively influence the learning that takes place in my school. I recently returned from such an opportunity when I participated in the Toyota International Teacher Program in Costa Rica. The two week study tour focused on education in Costa Rica, history and culture, conservation, and environmental science. Toyota’s mission with this program is to engage teachers in field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. The program allowed teachers to work with community leaders, scientists, and fellow educators in Costa Rica to utilize their knowledge and experience with promoting sustainability across the curriculum. Costa Rica is recognized as a leader for environmental stewardship through their successful accomplishments balancing conservation with community development. The twenty-five participating teachers from the United States served as educational ambassadors by working with the teachers in Costa Rica to exchange lesson ideas, teaching methods, and classroom management strategies. Media specialists who want to make a difference in their schools must employ a variety of techniques and strategies to ensure a one size fits all paradigm is not accepted within the school. Opportunities, such as this one, guarantee that media specialists and teachers do not get stuck in a rut by exposing them to new ideas and teaching methodologies. Visiting schools in Costa Rica, I was inspired by the schools’ teaching methods which allowed students choice and individuality as well as empowered the students to be responsible for their own learning and behavior.
School library media centers are the hub of any successful school and media specialists are the facilitators required to ensure the hub is functioning at its highest potential. The first hand experiences I obtained through this program, with environmental sustainability and the county of Costa Rica, are helping to shape the curriculum at my school through my roles as a media specialist, teacher, and leader in the school. I work collaboratively with all teachers in the school to create and co-teach lessons, incorporate technology and print materials into the curriculum, develop teaching aids and resources, and more. Although students can be taught about the world and other countries as well as about environmental science topics from books, I am now able to provide students with a deeper learning experience by incorporating personal stories, pictures, and artifacts from Costa Rica.
This international opportunity to study environmental education in one of the most unique places in the world is increasing learning opportunities for all the students in my school and community. By participating in this program, I am now able to be a steward for the planet and pass a desire to work towards environmental sustainability onto my students. I am able to provide many students who have never even traveled out of our local community with a better understanding of the world and global environmental studies. The proliferation of information and technological advances demands that I engage in professional development opportunities in order to adapt to the changing environment of the learning community. Our modern communication and technology systems have produced an interconnected global community throughout the entire world. I believe one of my roles as an educator is to prepare students for meaningful roles in this increasingly interconnected global society. Students must have a basic understanding and tolerance for other cultures and traditions as well as have a base knowledge about their business management systems, procedures, and protocols if they are to compete in a global market place. In addition students must know about the different environments of the world if they are to work to conserve the limited resources on Earth. Media specialists must think even further than outside the box and think outside of borders to ensure they provide exemplary media programs that positively affect the learning outcomes of every student in their school. The bonds that I formed with fellow colleagues in the program have already resulted in extensive collaboration across country borders and state lines.
My teaching philosophy aligns directly with Toyota’s business philosophy of “there is no best, only better.” I actively pursue experiences that will make me a more competent person in all aspects of my life and then seek out individuals to share these experiences with. It is a cycle of inspiration—motivated media specialists inspire the teachers and students that they work with everyday. I hope that I can be an inspiration to others through my role as a model life-long learner. I know being a member of the Toyota International Teacher Program has allowed me to grow as a professional educator and as a person who has a passion to improve the environment. I know one of the best ways I will be able to utilize my experiences is by empowering and preparing teachers to work with an ever changing population of students who are increasingly more diverse by sharing my experiences in other cultures. Visiting Costa Rica and having a limited understanding of Spanish, I now have a new level of understanding and consideration for English as a Second Language (ESL) students in my school and I am able to more successfully work with these students.
Lesson Plan from the 2009 Toyota International Teacher Program to Costa Rica
Melissa Allen also created a Power Point as a part of her Lesson Plan after the program. We hope you incorporate her slides and/or her information in your classroom lessons. Please click here to see her Power Point Presentation. It will open in a new window.