Mr. Palm is SWS’s new science teacher. He brings to SWS a background in the District of Columbia and abroad. He attended DCPS schools K through 12th grade! He studied anthropology in college (University of Pittsburgh), and then spent five years in the Philippines surfing and working in communities. After returning to the United States, Mr. Palm completed graduate studies at Trinity University.
Although Mr. Palm was not familiar with the PBS show Wild Kratts (popular with some SWS students), which introduces kids to many of the exciting members of the animal kingdom and their unique traits and powers, he thought his students would be pleased to know that while in the Philippines, he swam and snorkeled with whale sharks!
How will Reggio be integrated into science this year? Mr. Palm points out that the Reggio-Emilia inspired approach used at SWS fits perfectly with the ideas of scientific learning through one’s own experience and the experiences of peers. What does a student think about what she is seeing or observing, what do her peers think about it, and how can we build on those observations?
Mr. Palm is teaching science to grades Pre-K4 to 4th, which means that nearly all SWS students and families have the opportunity to interact with him. He prepares lesson plans appropriate to each grade level; for example, kindergarteners may tackle motion (think roller coasters) while older students may tackle topics in astronomy.
Stay tuned for a fun year of science with Mr. Palm, who is as eager to learn from his students as he is to share with them his love of science, his most favorite subject!