Allen County-Scottsville High School Educator Erica Lambert is sharing her academic creativity with the world through a Harvard University cohort. The 13-year science teacher is one of eight educators from across the US to have her lessons plans published by Harvard and made available to educators and students around the globe. 

 

   “At the beginning of last summer, I applied for an opportunity through a division of Harvard called LabXchange,” Lambert explained. “They have an online database of learning resources that anybody in the world can log into. It can be for someone personally to use or if you are an educator, you can use the resources to learn or share.” 

 

   Lambert added that LabXchange invited middle school and high school science teachers in the United States to apply for a summer internship program. After completing the application process “at the last minute,” Lambert was asked to submit lesson plans she had put together and utilized.

 

   “I was given three options with a standard and asked that I write a lesson plan, like a mini project-based lesson plan,” Lambert noted. “I was then selected as one of 20 teachers in the nation for the program.”

 

    The next phase of the program started last fall after the start of school. Lambert quickly found herself engaged in an extensive process to create a series of lesson plans---plans that would be included in Harvard’s 21,000-teacher resource database. 

 

   “I was working with Harvard in addition to teaching four different classes at AC-SH,” Lambert said, “I didn’t eat or sleep a lot last fall. I developed mini project-based learning lesson sequences. Three of them have been published so far.” 

 

    Lambert went on to explain the requirements to put together what Harvard was seeking for the LabXchange program.

 

   “The process involved coming up with an idea for a project based on the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) standards,” Lambert explained. “I did one learning sequence that was a fit for AP Environmental Science; I did one that’s a fit for AP Biology, and one for freshmen Biology. I had to write a teaching guide and a student guide. LabXchange then put the resources I collected together for the sequence into a learning pathway. This is also based on the five E’s (Engage, Explore, Experiment, Explain, and Extend) learning templates where you engage, do some information gathering activities, some experimentation through online simulations and activities. LabXchange put them together into the student pathway.”

 

    The finished projects are now online through LabXchange for teachers and/or students to use.   The projects are entitled “Population Dynamics: A Tale of Mice and Men,” “Lab-Grown Meat: Tastes Like Chicken,” and “Cell Cycle Regulation: Timing is Everything.”

 

    Lambert added that the original plan for the Harvard leaders called for each of the 20 participants to create 10 projects each between mid-August and Christmas. However, Harvard officials quickly learned that the project would be time consuming than projected as well as mentally challenging for the cohort participants. 

 

   “The Harvard folks realized that 10 was not realistic,” Lambert said. “I think of the original 20, only eight of us has gotten anything published. I am proud of this work.”

 

    Lambert is one of eight participants who has been asked to continue with the project. Although the next phase is yet to start, Lambert is excited about the ongoing opportunity.