Noyce Scholar Profile
Brianna Perko
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Civil Engineering
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Science, grades 6-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Master Teaching Fellow
Name of Noyce institution:
Georgia State University/IMAST
Current academic or teaching status:
MAT Science student/teacher resident
School and school district:
Teacher resident at Cross Keys High School, DeKalb County
Background:
I am from Marietta, Ga and pursued an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. I graduated with a Co-op degree and with High Honors. While I was at Tech, I began working as a private tutor for Tech Tutors and volunteered for a number of tutoring and mentoring organizations. While I was tutoring, I really began to appreciate the joy of passing on knowledge and skills to others. I am currently pursuing a Master’s of Arts in Teaching Science at Georgia State University.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to provide students with the opportunity and skills to become successful leaders by promoting curiosity and inquisitiveness and help students utilize valuable resources.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
I was tutoring a student (poorly, I might add) and seemed to keep repeating the same thing over and over; I was trying to explain the concept of similar triangles. It seemed I had tried everything–writing the ratios, drawing triangles, talking the student through the process of finding an unknown side. Finally, I related the concept to a real situation. I drew a picture of a tree with a shadow and a person standing in that shadow so that the two ends of the shadows met. Then I drew a straight line from the top of the tree, across the top of the person’s head, and to the ground where the shadows ended. Suddenly it was easy to find the missing triangle lengths when an angle was provided! This is when I learned that there are a multitude of ways to present information, and some are better for particular students. The key is to know your students, determine their strengths, and create learning experiences that use these strengths.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
I am proud to be part of the Noyce program because I know that I will find the support I need to become a more effective teacher: it is dedicated to students, teachers, and to lifelong learning. The program encourages teachers to become positive influences in students’ lives by constantly searching for better instructional and classroom management methods and through continual reflection.
