Former Student Returns to Teach the Teachers

As Co-Founder of Collaborative Education Design, Megan Collins ’90 has partnered with many school leaders, teachers, parents, and students over the years to discuss innovative solutions and best practices in teaching and learning. However, her September 27 “Differentiation” workshop for Canterbury faculty was especially meaningful to Megan.

“I have so many great memories from my time here,” she said. “Canterbury was absolutely the right place for me, and it is special to come back and present to the faculty as a peer—especially Mr. Foley (Math Teacher Francis Foley, Jr. ’64, P ’91, ’93, ’95, ’99, GP ’27), who was an incredible teacher when I had him in class.”

Megan brings wide-ranging experience as a classroom teacher, curriculum writer, and professional development specialist to her education consultant role. The focus of the workshop was to hone teaching practices by learning how to provide differentiated instruction across all disciplines. The group explored characteristics of differentiation and examined research-backed strategies and examples for use in the classroom.

Listening in on group discussions during her lecture, Megan was pleased to discover that Canterbury teachers were already applying differentiation in many ways. “I was impressed to hear them sharing ideas and methods they use in their classrooms,” she said. “There is already great teaching going on here at the School, and I hope they came away with even more ideas about how to teach differently so students at various levels can learn, grow, and achieve their best.” 

Megan concluded by challenging faculty members to hold themselves and their colleagues accountable for applying differentiation and consider how they might continue to revisit the topic going forward.

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