Heidi Crockett

Describe your current teaching assignment:

Like all schools of the Urban Assembly, we are a public, limited unscreened school. The Urban Assembly Maker Academy (UA Maker) prepares you for college and careers by focusing on industries that creatively use technology to solve problems. We focus on implementing the design thinking process into our classroom using project based learning and interdisciplinary units.

How did the Noyce program prepare you for this assignment?

The Noyce program provided the training in ESL that has been necessary in completing my job in both my chemistry classrooms and my English classrooms. Additionally the site visits made possible by the Noyce program gave me the opportunity to understand the workings of a school much different than the ones I was exposed to in student teaching or in my own schooling.

Because my program in graduate school was entirely project based learning, I have been more prepared than many of my colleagues to tackle a fully PBL based curriculum. I was able to write an entire year worth of PBL units because of the preparation and support of my graduate program.

I am currently serving as the testing coordinator for my school, as well as the science department chair. Noyce gave me the tools of reflection and collaboration which has allowed me to work well with others as well as draw out my own strengths in the workplace.

What has the Noyce program meant to you?

Noyce provided me with many opportunities that I personally would not have been able to afford during both my undergraduate and graduate studies. They also provided some of my most cherished role models and peers that have continued to support me through my first two years of teaching.