Keagan O’Mara

Teaching Philosophy

 Important skills I want to teach my students

I work to teach students how to manage projects, including time management, so students are equipped with skills to be successful in future endeavors. Among other things, they learn to collaborate, demonstrate resiliency, be inquisitive, and use their available resources intelligently.

Teaching methods to reach these goals

I use project-based learning and problem-based learning methodologies to teach students how to investigate, prototype, and test ideas and solutions.

My favorite projectS

For sixth grade, I love our Glider Project, where students design and build actual flying gliders from foam board. It’s fun watching students test, iterate, and retest their designs. In seventh grade, students work on developing design solutions and I love watching the process unfold. In eighth grade Tech Art, my favorite is the animal box project as it is a challenge for the students to create a 3D design from a 2D drawing on the computer.

What I like best about teaching at Seven Hills

I love the supportive community and the ability to be innovative. I think that if we want to encourage students to be innovators, we need to do so as teachers and I appreciate being in an environment that allows me to demonstrate that.