Kerri Chartier is a Biology and Anatomy and Physiology teacher at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, Massachusetts. Kerri has used her background in exercise physiology to build a human performance lab at the high school to support her instructional goals. The human performance lab was built after Kerri was awarded a 2015 Toshiba America Foundation Education Grant. In the human performance lab, students in biology classes and student athletes are able to collect data on their physical performance. Her work on the human performance lab also has earned her recognition as a finalist for the 2017 Hall at Patriot Place STEM Teacher of the Year.
Show Notes:
- Before teaching, Kerri was a wellness coach at Canyon Ranch
- Kerri did a full year teaching practicum through the Simmons College.
- What is exercise physiology?
- The Toshiba America grant was able to fill the space previously filled by the Toyota Tapestry Grant
- Kerri’s lab includes a metabolic cart includes a gas analyzer for VO2 testing, Polar heart rate monitors and polar gofit software
- Gym classes were also on the grant and they will be measuring aerobic fitness using heart rate
- Aaron has students writing up their labs in CER format
- Aaron is happy that the metabolic lab has helped students grasp the differences between graphing continuous data vs discrete data
- Dave Mangus was last years STEM teacher of the year is teaching rock star.
- Gillette Stadium is home of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and the MLS New England Revolution
- Kerri and Aaron agree that there are many ways to reflect on your work as a teacher
- Another point of agreement was the importance of passion projects for teachers
- Are there VO2 max and max heart rates data sets for high school students? Will the Karvonen Formula hold up with teens?
- Kerri has experimented with asking questions helps students learn more
- Kerri is working on creating a safe space where students can learn that a little frustration is good and an important part of learning
- We have also been experimenting with science practices, mastery learning, and group assessment
- Kerri is the president of the Squannacook River Runners running club. Aaron is also a member of the club.
- Mentoring is only as good as the relationship between the two teachers.
Pick of the Week:
Kerri– “ Scienceblind: Why Our Intuitive Theories About The World Are So Often Wrong.” by Andrew Shtulman. The book and a commentary.
Aaron – “Why Don’t Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom” by Daniel T. Willingham. Article or Book.