As a mentor, I am involved in planning the curriculum for each session. In the beginning of the year, I was really nervous. I would meticulously plan out each day, only to have the plans ruined by either moving too fast or too slow. So from working with the
kids this year, I learned that I don't have to plan each day down to the minute, and a loose plan of each day is best. However, it's also important to have extra activities planned in case some finish early.
Another lesson I learned is that we learn best by doing. Especially after school, elementary school aged children don't want to sit through another lesson or powerpoint. By giving the kids more time to explore, I noticed that the kids were more interested and seemed to learn more. For me, this meant taking a step back and not flying to the rescue to solve every little problem.This year, I worked with an awesome group of kids and a fantastic group of fellow mentors. It's been really fun this year and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again in the fall. Have an awesome summer!
PS: Check out the Ashland Innovation Center's new website!
