The University is a top-tier institution of higher education, and its students no doubt benefit from the many excellent instructors here. At least one instructor, though, is not simply content with instructing undergraduate or graduate students. He is also seeking to help another group which would benefit tremendously from additional learning: teachers.
Randy Bell, associate professor of science education, has developed a program which trains already practicing teachers. The program, which started last fall, has the goal of improving scientific teaching in public elementary schools in Charlottesville. On alternating Fridays for a six-week period, Bell instructs 40 elementary school teachers on methods to help them better explain the aims of science, define scientific terminology and cultivate an overall sense of scientific inquiry. Bell's classes enable teachers to relearn and remember aspects of the nature of science so their students can get the most beneficial and informative classroom experience. The program hopes to instruct 120 teachers in total.
It is great that Bell has devoted resources toward academically benefitting the local public education system. University students, though they often give back to the Charlottesville community through numerous community service outlets, do not necessarily have the ability to widely affect a larger institution such as Charlottesville public schools on more than just an individual level. University departments and their faculty, however, do have that ability, and it is also very commendable that the Virginia Department of Education has helped fund this opportunity for teachers to improve.
The finest part about Bell's courses is that they allow teachers to reflect upon their own instructing abilities and methods. By again assuming the role of the student, teachers are able to become cognizant of their own shortcomings. For instance, through Bell's program teachers are given camcorders with which they can record their own classroom interactions. Teachers can reflect upon their performances and bring the tapes back to Bell's classroom for criticism. Steps like this help teachers to constantly improve when it comes to methods of teaching, and they provide lessons which teachers will hopefully take with them after they finish Bell's program.
Bell's courses strongly emphasize a hands-on teaching approach which specifically engages students' inquiry and inference skills. According to UVaToday, Bell said his prescribed classroom activities "all challenge assumptions and misconceptions that teachers and their students have." By making teaching a more dynamic process, Bell is encouraging instructors to remain active learners themselves. Elementary school teaching may suffer from instructor stagnation or a repetition of pedagogy more than other levels of education because of the basic nature of the material taught, but just because elementary school teachers assume the responsibility of educating students in easier material does not mean that they themselves no longer need to be educated on the same subjects. As Bell's courses may point out, teachers themselves can slightly misunderstand certain terminologies or concepts.
Allowing instructors to improve upon those mistakes is constructive. It is imperative that young students be properly taught basic educational ideas which will serve as the foundation for more complicated subjects taught later in life. Scientific techniques such as critical thinking, observing and making inferences especially are useful for young children to learn, as those skills will enable them to solve problems and answer questions on their own.
Doctors, scientists and other professions must keep up on their fields' current literature and practices to best perform their jobs. The same should be said of science teachers. Programs such as Bell's are excellent avenues for teachers to remain up-to-date on methods and knowledge. After all, it makes sense that those who are teaching science to children should be instructing them on the most current information and in the manner which most effectively gets the information across. By attending sessions to learn new information and reevaluate their own techniques, teachers can only become better, and that can benefit students.
Similar programs could be instituted for the same purpose at the middle- and high-school levels. Granted, this would require more money. So a solution would be to have schools institute peer review systems in which teachers may be evaluated and critiqued by their counterparts in ways similar to those found in Bell's program. This program in the Education School could serve as a template for teacher improvement programs at any school.
Alex Yahanda is a senior associate editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.yahanda@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
EDITORIAL: U.Va. Health lets fear trump its mission to do no harm
By Editorial Board | 10 hours agoIt is high time to resist these authoritative and dangerous actions before there are no federal avenues left for resistance.
CARTER: U.Va. Health owes clarity to transplant patients
By Nathaniel Carter | 3 days agoUnfortunately, this negative press is fully the fault of U.Va. Health — it failed to address significant stakeholder concerns when crafting its justification.
EDITORIAL: Upholding medical amnesty is a collective effort
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoUniversity leadership, Greek life organizations and students themselves must recommit to the safety provided by an effective and knowledgeable use of medical amnesty.
