Small Steps Lead to BIG Results in the Classroom
May 7, 2013
It takes incredible teachers that are passionate and committed to provide educational excellence and life-remembering experiences to students who will one day lead our country.
Today, we’d like to recognize another outstanding NMSI Teacher of the Year:
Julie Wood, an AP Environmental Science educator at Bryan Station High School in Lexington, KY, is a remarkable teacher who has demonstrated distinguished performance in the teaching of her AP courses. Ms. Wood commits to extensive preparation and always maintains very high expectations in order to help her students meet their goals. She is committed to brining concepts to life through engaging labs and hands-on experiences that complement coursework to maximize the learning experience and keep students engaged.
“Instead of finding an activity, printing it off the web, and using it as is, I often find two or three similar activities and rework them into a single assignment by picking the best qualities from each of the original materials, said Ms. Wood.
Some more classroom strategies from Ms. Wood:
•Guest speakers in the classroom
•Field Trips that result in other learning activities and project
•Provide timely feedback and after-school hours to provide assistance to students
•Inspire, motivate and provide opportunities!
Because of teachers like Ms. Wood that are committed to educational excellence, students are highly motivated and excited about their future education and careers. A good example of this is the VolsTeach program at the University of Tennessee, a replication of the UTeach program. These students have educators that help prepare math, science, and engineering majors to become teachers in Tennessee’s high-need middle and high schools.
“We’re building that pipeline of students who earn their undergraduate degrees in their content areas and their teaching licensure to fill those critical teaching areas of chemistry, physics, math, and biology,” said Susan Newsom, assistant director of VolsTeach. Check out more UTeach results here.
A big thanks to educators for helping address the shortage of STEM fields in our nation.