Ms. Webster, the Advisor!

I have the honor of being an advisor for the NPCA Seoul program. Since Nov. 7th, the student I was paired with--Charissa Kim--has been meeting with me every day for 15 minutes to fill me in on her NPCA research question, research, and project. The advisory program has been a great way for students to get some additional 1:1 time with an adult mentor; some students were paired with a teacher they already have, while others are partnered with someone they’re getting to know for the first time. I’ve seen the advisory session as a way for Charissa to process her research and questions, and also as a way for NPCA Seoul to strengthen and promote connections within APIS, and to the wider community.

From day one, I’ve been really impressed by the level of passion for her project that Charissa has demonstrated. Our 15 minutes go by fast! Through her sharing about her learning, I’ve learned more about her research topic: How does music affect the brain? I’ve also appreciated getting to look at Charissa’s reflection journal-- it seems like this component of the project has prodded students to make sense of the information they’re taking in during their research and translate it into project ideas, further questions, or conclusions. I’ve also appreciated how the NPCA 21st Century Skills Standards Rubric (focused on Collaboration and Communication, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Creativity, and Citizenship) has helped us frame our discussions around Charissa’s strengths and how she would like to grow through this project. A highlight for me during NPCA Seoul was reading Charissa’s guest blog post about the group’s visit to Jusarang Orphanage. If you haven’t read it, yet, click here.

#teacherpost #reflection #teamwork