Since that time he has used his prize and notoriety to directly facillitate research and advancements in science education. As a result of that continued work he has been awarded the National Science Foundation Director's Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars.
It is extremely rare for one person to be honored by two such distinguished groups in a career. And it is even less probable that I would have the opportunity to meet such a person. Thanks to a chance email from my former Arsenal Technical High School teaching partner Dr. Mark Blachly - I spent the better part of a day in March 2010 in the presence of this science visionary.
Dr. Wieman's visit to IUPUI had a full day of scheduled events. I was able to register for the morning session entitled "Science Education in the 21st Century: Using the Methods of Science to Teach Science" and the afternoon physics department colloquium "When The Virtual World is Better Than Reality; Teaching Physics with Interactive Simulations". Two days before the event I heard of a small group meeting with Dr. Wieman in between presentations and inquired if I could please join. Within minutes I received official permission via email, and could hardly contain my delight.
A full version of the morning presentation can be viewed on youtube via a recording at Cornell University in 2009. In my extremely brief summary, Dr. Wieman's research and recommendations for science education confirm my own observations and experiences spanning the last ten years. This is exciting and humbling all at the same time.
Following that presentation, I listened to several questions posed by university faculty concerning the state of teaching and learning in science at the university level. Much of the discussion focused on convincing and supporting faculty to have better rapport with undergraduate students and to take an interest in improving their instructional methods through interactive authentic learning activities for the students. We were now in the small group meeting and I had to speak up.
I argued that unless the scientific community makes a fundamental change to be inclusive rather than exclusive, the goal of realizing the full potential of science education will not be realized. People (students, parents, and teachers) can become intimidated by the scientific establishment. Most elementary teachers are afraid to even try science in the classroom especially physical science. Science in high school and college is used as a gatekeeping system for academic and career tracking. Science is considered the domain of "smart people" (whatever that means).
Because I was so cheeky, I was invited to attend the luncheon that followed with Dr. Carl and the select IUPUI higher ups. To my delight I was able to sit at the same table as Dr. Carl and was able to relate to him that just that week I successfully used two of the online science simulators with a fourth grade class. He was genuinely interested as these simulators are primarily written for middle school through college level curriculum. We had a pleasant conversation about the thoughtful elements that are included in each simulator and their flexibility for student exploration.
The 4th grade students and I had been working on energy and static electricity. Play around with the simulations we used below.
| Click to Run |
| Click to Run |
For more of these high quality online simulators (and did I mention that they are completely free?) check out the website:
http://phet.colorado.edu/
It was a great day and I feel so fortunate for the experience!
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