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Melissa Evans Melissa Evans doesn't believe students have to travel across the globe in search of science — just to the backyard. Evans secured thousands of dollars in grants to provide her students with their own nature laboratory, complete with a vernal wetland. There she shares her love of the outdoors with her classes by conducting fieldwork. She treats her students as "scientists in training," and has them pull on their waders and monitor the water quality and macroinvertebrate population. In 2007, her environmental club won Campus of the Year for stewardship. In the classroom, students see the inquiry method in action. They test diaper absorbency to learn about polymers and make bouncy balls to watch physical changes. Evans even had her Chihuahua "dognapped" to enhance students' learning of forensics. It's these types of methods that have helped Evans raise her school's ranking to fourth in the state. |
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Troy Schuknecht Shocked by a statistic showing how few American students love science enough to pursue an occupation in the field, Troy Schuknecht decided to impart his joy of learning by becoming a teacher. During the past six years, his students have frequently mentioned that they disliked science until he came along. "Now it's their favorite subject," Schuknecht says. He started a science fair at his school to inspire students to become researchers who "actually do" science. Schuknecht presents students with real world problems to solve. By using inquiry-based science, students spend little time doing "cookie cutter" lab exercises — they authentically conduct scientific research instead. In this way, students develop a love for science that will likely propel many into a science-related job. |
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Ellie Vandivier "Teach children to discover, ask questions and find answers," says Ellie Vandivier, "and you've given them the tools they need to succeed." Vandivier has taught kindergarten for 11 years and knows that to be successful, students need experiences that relate to their world. A visit to her class may show a student examining bumblebee stripes under a microscope while another measures the wing length of a praying mantis he found at home. Vandivier realized early on that traditional curriculum offers limited opportunities for students to explore learning that relates to their talents and interests. So she created an inquiry-based program for students, ages 4-7, called Children Learning About Science and Social Studies in the Integrated Curriculum (CLASSIC). She has presented components of the curriculum at the district and state levels. Vandivier was named the Kentucky Science Teachers Association's 2007 Elementary Science Teacher of the Year. |
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Catherina Wiley There was never any doubt that Catherina Wiley would become a science teacher, considering she collected rocks from her sandbox rather than playing in it. For the past 11 years, she has used her humor to trick her high school students into learning while playing. "I call my method, 'controlled chaos,'" she says. "I want my students to be comfortable with exploring concepts in an atmosphere of a scientific recess." Recognizing that unique activities bring unique perspectives, Wiley has her students investigate fast food french fry diffusion, make abstract art, analyze historical tornado tracks and routinely explore a nearby creek. Wiley shares her successful lessons with others at science conferences, and was proud to have her unit on energy in caves published in NSTA's journal, The Science Teacher. |
