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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Koonlaba from Tupelo, MS is requesting professional development through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Koonlaba is requesting
Professional development

Building Understanding Through Creative Thinking

Teacher Professional Development: I need high-quality professional development to help my students develop critical and creative thinking skills. <profdevpilot>

  • $751 goal

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Hooray! This project is fully funded

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My Students

I teach almost 600 art students in grades 2 through 5. A lot of my students do not generally have access to arts experiences outside of school. Thus they also lack skills in critical and creative thinking.

I teach visual art but have a background in regular education.

I have taught both using arts integration as the cornerstone for my instruction. I have had the opportunity to obtain a masters degree in Curriculum and have put that to good use designing integrated lessons for my students. I serve as the Arts Integration Team leader at my school and also serve on the district-level Arts Integration Focus Group. I am challenged by the increasingly prevalent and negative impact of poverty on students. Their lack of background experience causes them to struggle to develop critical and creative thinking skills by the time they get to my school.

My Project

The objectives of this professional development are: Learn how to build student understanding and increase engagement in all subject areas through critical thinking, foster positive thinking, learning attitudes and abilities, understand how to use art and artifacts as foci of thoughtful learning for understanding across the subject areas, document student thinking so that both teachers and students are better able to understand and develop critical thinking skills, create a culture of thinking and regard for thoughtful learning in the classroom, build teacher collegiality and collaboration around a culture of thinking and thoughtful learning. These research-based strategies are currently being used successfully in schools across the nation. These strategies, using art and artifacts as foci for subject matter integration, will allow me to create a vibrant culture of thinking and understanding in my classroom to benefit my students.

This project will allow me to learn instructional strategies for increasing critical and creative thinking in my students.

I will be better equipped to address diverse needs, especially those of my students who come from impoverished backgrounds. I intend to share my learning with both the Arts Integration Team at my school and the Arts Integration Focus Group in my district. This means that the impact and reach of this project has the potential to go beyond the 600 students at my school.

Mrs. Koonlaba Lawhon Elementary School Grades 3-5

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mrs. Koonlaba

Tupelo, MS View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

575 students impacted 7donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Component Company Total
Activity Harvard Graduate School of Education $599.00

Trip cost

$599.00

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$8.98

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$637.98

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$112.58

Total project goal

$750.56

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $750.56

3 Donors

-$66.59

Donations toward project cost

-$60.35

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$6.24

Matching donations from our partners

-$679.56

Match offers toward project cost

-$577.63

Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$101.93

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$4.41

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Koonlaba and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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