The realization that I could learn independently, which has come to me at several times in my life, is the most important to me. In high school, when I spent most of my time in the library instead of in class, I developed my love and appreciation of science in general and physics in particular. What I teach and what I research, are always driven by wanting to learn things I didn't know before. I teach these things to myself, and then teach them to others, either in the classroom or through the research network. Blending the two of these together is an important challenge as an educator.
Scientists approach a problem by asking questions.
An initial driving question for PKAL was, As scientists we love doing science. The things that interest today's students are fundamentally different than they were for me. The most important questions I ask, have to do with what it is that they are fundamentally interested in. Students not only learning independently, but learn that they CAN learn independently. The kaleidoscopic metaphor means, on one level, that everything is connected, that as effective new programs, policies and practices are introduced in one arena, it affects the whole system.