EDUCATION
TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, NY
Master of Arts in Instructional Technology and Media, Anticipated May 2016
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA), South Africa
Post-graduate Certificate in Education with Distinction, January – December 2011
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, South Africa
BSocSci (Psychology) with Distinction, January 2006 – December 2009
Majors in Psychology, Organizational Psychology and Business French
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FACILITATION & EVALUATION EXPERIENCE
TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, NY
Professional Development Associate at the Center for Technology and School Change, June 2015 to present
- Coached teachers in designing interdisciplinary STEM projects using technology tools and the Engineering Design Process to solve real-world problems in New York City and Yonkers Public Schools
- Revised and redesigned technology-infused projects with Lead Design Teachers at Strong 21st Century Communications Magnet School and SCSU Lab in New Haven, CT
- Designed professional development workshops for teachers and tutors in the Yonkers Summer STEM Enrichment program through experiential hands-on tasks to explore topics such as “What is Authentic Assessment?, Maker spaces, STEM for ALL students, Engineering Design Process”
- Facilitated and coordinated a three-week training program with 15 Bulgarian educators to explore innovative instruction through hands-on learning experiences and field work visits in New York Public Schools
Intern at the Center for Technology and School Change, January to June 2015
- Developed recommendations for i2 STEM pilot curriculum in Port Chester Public Schools through evaluations of professional development and implementation to extend roll-out in other public schools
- Developed suggestions for roll-out of Randomized Control Trial in 2016 to 2018 of Math for All professional development program by conducting interviews with Chicago Public School teachers and principals
Media and Social Change Lab Member, August 2014 to May 2015
- Facilitated Media Literacy workshops for pre-service teachers to expose them to digital media story-telling and media-mixing for the purpose of social justice
PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL, Pretoria, South Africa
Development Staff Member, January 2013 to December 2014
- Led Photographic Society by facilitating weekly meetings and hosting a yearly exhibition with three students awarded Certificates of Excellence from the Photographic Society of South Africa
- Planned and coordinated training on “Mathematics: Motivation and Games” for local primary school teachers to enhance student learning in preparation for high school
EPIK (English Program in Republic of Korea), Chuncheon, South Korea
Chuncheon District Instructional Teacher, February 2010 to February 2011
- Led training workshops for technology-blended curricula for over 50 elementary school teachers in Chuncheon District to support technology-integrated curriculum implementation
TEACHING & CURRICULUM DESIGN EXPERIENCE
ROBOFUN / VISION EDUCATION AND MEDIA, New York, NY
Mentor for Lego Robotics and Scratch Game Design, August 2015 to present
- Designed and led after-school classes for Kindergarten to 4th grade students to expose students to tinkering and design challenges through the exploration of innovative technologies
TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, NY
Teacher Assistant for Interactive Programming and Media I (MSTU 5003), September to December 2015
- Assisted graduate students in learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Design Principles to create interactive websites aimed at teaching a skill or concept
AFRICAN SCHOOL FOR EXCELLENCE, Tsakane, South Africa
Mathematics Curriculum Designer, January– August 2014
- Designed 8th grade curriculum leveraging peer learning and technology leading to high achievement (35% higher than the Annual National Assessment Exam average for 9th grade) for low-income 8th grade learners
PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL, Pretoria, South Africa
Lead Mathematics Teacher for 8th grade (315 learners), January 2013 to December 2014
- Designed and implemented a textbook for 8th grade Mathematics curriculum and managed a team of eight 8th grade teachers providing differentiated instruction
- Co-ordinated Special Education Mathematics Program for 8th and 9th grade learners through games based on peer-learning and online software to promote confidence and efficiency in core Math skills
- Piloted “flipped classroom” teaching approach for 8th grade Advanced Program Mathematics students using Khan Academy leading to increased student mastery of 9th grade curriculum
SAINT-DENIS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, Loches, France
English Teacher Assistant for 10th grade (150 learners) March to May 2011
- Assisted the Head of the English Department with student preparation for English IGCSE examinations
- Developed English audio-recordings for online podcasts and introduced South African culture lessons
EPIK (English Program in Republic of Korea), Chuncheon, South Korea
English Teacher for three Chuncheon Public schools (350 learners) February 2010 to February 2011
- Planned and executed lessons for K-12 students to promote English language conversation skills and cross-cultural awareness, as well as mentored ten native Korean teachers
SHAWCO Education – Cape Town, South Africa
Vice-President of 10 after-school projects (over 1000 school learners) August 2008 to September 2009
- Re-designed volunteer training and performance management, and transformed organizational structure and strategy leading to organizational turn-around and sustainable improvement
- Winner of the Most Outstanding Community Development Student Leader Award, UCT
PUBLICATIONS
Meier, E.B., Horton, D. M., Mineo, C.M., Beckwith, J., (2016, April). Lessons learned about using interviews to assess classroom practices. In B. Moeller (Chair), Math for All: Lessons Learned From Piloting a Randomized Controlled Trial in a Large Urban District. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Educational Research, Washington, District of Columbia.
SKILLS
Languages: English, Afrikaans, French (fluent); Xhosa (basic), Korean (conversational)
Technical skills: HTML, CSS, Javascript, Scratch and Lego Wedo programming, InDesign
joannebeckwith 