HEATHER ARMSTRONG

I make professional practice decisions that cultivate equity and excellence for every learner. I intentionally create a participant-centered learning environment in which all individuals are valued. As a facilitator, I purposefully utilize teaching practices to increase engagement, ownership, and collaboration, all of which lead to improved learning outcomes. I foster relationships with diverse groups of people that lead to more creative and comprehensive solutions to complex problems. I am confident in my ability to help others to do the same.

• Clean Energy Bright Futures fellowship grant recipient. Developed, implemented and refined NGSS aligned sustainable energy curriculum for publication. Coordinated project-based learning opportunity with City of Talent, Talent Maker City, and True South Solar where students developed a comprehensive renewable energy plan, designed phase 1 of the plan, and presented their report and designs to city council.
• Mentor for pre-service college students in the mathematics program at Southern Oregon University. (2018-present)
• Chief Science Officer program advisor. (2019-present)
• District math curriculum committee (2017); District science curriculum committee (2019)
• Assistant cross country coach, 2018-present; volunteer for cross country team and track 2016-17.

• Summer Camp Instructor for Talent Maker Space, Talent, OR, Summers 2017-19, Renewable Energy and Forensics Science
• Instructor for Academia Latina, SOU, Ashland, OR, Summers 2018-19, Healthy Lifestyles and the Mathematical Card Tricks
• Pre-Service Teacher, Seventh Grade, McLoughlin Middle School, Medford, OR, Fall 2012
• Volunteer, Sixth through Twelfth Grades, Armadillo Technical Institute, Talent, OR, Winter 2012
• Instructor for Kids-n-Bugs, Medford, OR, 2011, 2012, Macroinvertebrate station
• Instructor for Southern Oregon Land Conservancy’s, Loving the Land, Ashland, OR, 2010, Canopy Station

• Restorative Justice – three-day training
• GRRM training, two-year, on-going
• Culturally responsive and ACE trainings
• Three, Teacher Development Group Math Seminars
• NSTA STEM Conference in Denver, and NSTA Science Conference in Seattle
• Project-based learning training with PBL works, three years
• Medford Mentor Program: Two-year program with over 180 hours of one-on-one mentoring with a retired teacher; peer observations; intentional reflections and goal setting
• Medford First Year Teachers Course: Year-long course focused on classroom management strategies outlined in Teaching Like a Champion and Love and Logic
• Integrating Technology in the Classroom, on-line course
• Project WILD, PLT, and Project WET training
• SIOP
• Constructing Meaning for Secondary Educators
• FTC Robotics Workshop with a focus on programming
• NASA Teacher’s Workshop (Meteor Certificate)
• SOU Ed Tech Summit: 3-D Printing, VEX Robotics as a platform for teaching, Scratch Programming; G-Code

• Led equitable grading PLC through ODE’s equitable grading practice discussion. Currently conducting action research with grading and reporting using student reflection on learning targets, growth monitoring, and portfolio assessment.
• Discipline leadership team facilitator responsible for interpreting administrative vision and planning PD to guide fellow team members through development and implementation of an equitable, trauma-informed discipline system.
• New teacher mentor through Phoenix-Talent Schools. Responsible for supporting new teachers in their development of practices that create rigorous, student-centered learning environments. Responsibilities include instructional coaching, planning assistance, monitoring professional growth, supporting reflection, and maintaining meeting logs.
• Teacher leader responsible for providing instructional support, including modeling targeted teaching practices, developing differentiated lessons, and co-planning with teachers for implementation of targeted skills.
• Contributing member on the evaluation committee for Phoenix-Talent Schools. Discussions include purpose of evaluations and legal requirements with interface between unions, district, state, and staff.
• Contributing member on the Oregon Science Standards review committee for ODE (current).
• Chief Science Officer (CSO) Coordinator for Southern Oregon ESD. Coordinate regional CSO advisors, plan and organize in-person learning opportunities for CSO’s, maintain progress monitoring systems for regional CSO’s to ensure all requirements of the program are met for CSO International, and frequently communicate with CSO advisors and SOESD STEM Hub director.
• Collaborated with regional PLC to develop, test, and refine math modeling problems for publication through ODE. The yearlong project included training in math modeling and best teaching practices, both led by Teacher Development Group.
• Member of the Southern Oregon math leader PLC assembled through the SOESD. Coordinated with fellow math leaders to develop an action plan for increasing student engagement, mathematical understanding and equitable learning for typically under represented students. Continue to participate in on-going training focused on utilizing best practices (especially the Habits on Mind and Interaction) in distance learning.
• For Talent Middle School math and science teachers, designed and facilitated a nine-week course focused on utilizing best teaching practices and district curricula to integrate math and science standards during comprehensive distance learning.
• As an Oregon Science Facilitator, designed and implemented five on-line sessions for state-wide professional development that focused on math and science integration, rough draft thinking, and student discourse; designed and implemented a three series course on art, data, and social-emotional integration. Through Oregon Science Project participate in on-going monthly meetings focused on leading with phenomena, project integration, on-line field trips, and family engagement in science.
• Facilitated half day PD on block-scheduling at district wide in-service (06/19).
• Facilitated half day PD on project-based learning at district wide in-service (06/15).