Meridian Teachers Receive Innovative Teaching/Training Grants
Every year, Texas IB Schools (TIBS) awards its Innovative Teaching/Training Grants. The purpose of these grants is to recognize and reward outstanding IB teachers and programs in TIBS schools, and to provide enriching academic experiences for students by funding creative, innovative academic projects and/or IB teacher training.
We’re proud to announce that of the six grants awarded by TIBS, three were given to Meridian teachers: Martha MacFarland, Mark Rogers, and Kaylene Rudd.
Martha MacFarland, Secondary English Language Arts Teacher
Students in Mrs. MacFarland’s DP Literature course are required to build presentations and deliver oral commentaries. The $1,000 grant received from TIBS will fund the purchase of both a digital voice recorder and a digital camera so that students can sufficiently prepare and reflect on their presentations. The technology will assist in evaluating student presentations for knowledge and understanding, as well as the ability to adapt their language to the task and audience. Since 30% of the DP Literature course comes from presentations (Individual Oral Presentation at 15% and oral commentaries at 15%), Mrs. MacFarland believes the use of these tools while preparing for the assessments will directly impact student achievement in the IB course.
Mark Rogers, Secondary Math, Economics, and DP Theory of Knowledge Teacher
In conjunction with Meridian’s implementation of the MindUp curriculum, Mr. Rogers requested the $1,000 grant to purchase a 14-piece, life-size model of the human brain so that students can physically see the biology of their learning from the perspective of a neuroscientist. He will share the model with teachers across the IB continuum, allowing all students to benefit from seeing and understanding the different parts of the brain.
Kaylene Rudd, IB Middle Years Program Coordinator Designee and Visual Arts Teacher
Mrs. Rudd is passionate about students experiencing art with varied methods. Through the TIBS Innovative Teaching grant, Meridian’s art department has secured five DSLR cameras, professional backdrop equipment for portraiture and specific photo shoot sets, tripods and neck straps to encourage and inspire future generations of photographers, photojournalists and anyone else interested in communicating through a photographic lens. Students will now have dedicated technology to photograph their artistic process, documenting their learning and life around Meridian.