Nwanacho Nwana
“Foundational topics should be practiced as frequently as possible to build confidence and competency on deeper/higher level problem solving and thought.”
Nwanacho (Nacho for short) is a dynamic, young educator with experience in both the private sector and schools. He brings a unique, hands-on perspective to his work as a teacher, which helps him make novel connections between learning and the “real world.”
Nwanacho earned his bachelors as a double major in quantitative analysis in business and political science from MIT. After graduation, Nwanacho worked for an analysis group for a year before starting an educational technology company focused on public speaking anxiety reduction.
While serving as head of product for a startup, Nwanacho also gave virtual lectures on topics such as communication, design thinking, and collaboration.
Nwanacho currently serves as a STEM teacher for the Sojourner Truth Public Charter Montessori School in Washington, DC. Nwanacho has written curricula for the precalculus, physics and AI courses that he currently teaches, but also has a strong interest in data, analysis, and entrepreneurship, as well as mindfulness, wellbeing, rhetoric and public speaking.
In Nwanacho’s words
My first teaching philosophy is that instructional strategies should be personalized for the student. Before engaging in any learning and instruction, it is super important that I understand my students' learning styles, interests, foundational gaps, and psychological hurdles around learning the subject. This allows me to create a more optimal learning experience for the student and will lead to better learning outcomes.
My second teaching philosophy is that foundational topics should be practiced as frequently as possible to build confidence and competency in deeper/higher-level problem solving and thought. Especially in STEM, many students struggle with what they are currently learning because they have not mastered core fundamentals. Additionally, some students have shaky foundations and stop practicing them once they graduate to higher-level subjects. I believe that drilling these foundations should not stop until a student has fully graduated from their STEM education.
Finally, my third main teaching philosophy is that real-world connections should come early in lessons to ensure students understand why the topic is relevant. Especially in today's world where students have an ever-growing number of distractions, it is paramount that educators convince their students that the topics are important to learn and can be applied to success and survival.
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