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Boris Korsunsky Fascinated by the intellectual elegance of science and by the possibility of finding a captive audience for his quirky jokes, Boris Korsunsky has wanted to be a teacher since high school. He has taught all levels of physics and chemistry in his native Russia and, since 1992, in the U.S. And he has presented professional workshops around the world. To him, the key goal is to inspire students to become scientists and to achieve their full potential regardless of their career path. Along with being known as his school’s funniest and toughest teacher, Korsunsky has written several books and articles on physics education. He is especially proud of two recent articles co-authored with his students who conducted independent research projects exploring the state of mind of physics learners. “I encourage my students to ‘try again’ all the time,” Korsunsky says. “After all, success in science does not usually come on the first try. We are partners in the exciting, challenging, frustrating and rewarding intellectual enterprise called learning science.” |
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Wai Chin Ng By establishing a participatory spirit in his classroom, Wai Chin Ng transforms conceptual lessons into exciting inquiries. His students are always engaged in hands-on, minds-on investigations and projects that spark creativity and innovation. Ng’s award-winning robotics program fosters teamwork and a passion for science and engineering, and his outdoor learning program brings students to islands and parks that connect science learning to the real world. His students willingly spend part of their lunch hours and even stay after school to plant and maintain flowers to brighten up a sidewalk space. They were thrilled to find out that they’d inspired a similar project nearby. “I love that my students have contributed to the community and learned to be responsible citizens,” Ng says. “They’ve learned that small things make a big difference.” |
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Rosemary Rak Rosemary Rak believes that all students deserve her best efforts as their teacher. Therefore, she is committed to her professional development while striving to inspire her students to be curious, love learning and marvel at the workings of the living world. “Students learn best through direct engagement with content, so laboratory investigations are an integral part of my lessons,” she says. Rak especially enjoys guiding students toward independent experimental research projects outside of class and assisting them in preparing for science fair competitions. She has also developed a course founded on contextual learning for students interested in post-secondary science, especially in health-related careers. |
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Laura Stella "Every child, every way, every day," is the inspiring motto Laura Stella strives to live by in her classroom. Stella traded her corporate healthcare finance career for teaching 10 years ago. She finds that students are motivated by hands-on, expeditionary learning experiences that bring them out into the community for fieldwork. Under Stella's guidance, her students take on roles as real-life experts producing high-quality, professional standard products. Stella takes pride in her students' desire to connect science and mathematical learning standards to real, everyday life situations. "When learning is authentic for students, it inspires them to investigate careers in science,” Stella says. “This in turn, inspires me.” |
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Anne Olmsted There's rarely a minute in Anne Olmsted's day when she is not with students, talking about the world and how it works. Some days she drops eggs from the fourth floor; other days, you'll find her in the courtyard looking for bugs or at the weather station gathering the day's forecast. In Olmsted's KidLab classroom, everyone is both teacher and student. Her curriculum constantly changes as she explores better and more exciting ways to teach students — especially at-risk students — about biology, physics and geology. And she frequently shares ideas on exploratory learning and play-based education with teachers from across the state. "KidLab has offered me the opportunity to let my creative juices flow," says Olmsted, an ING Unsung Heroes Award winner. "I combine my love for theater, music and art with good teaching practices to share the wonders of science with my students." |
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Cheryl Sanderson Cheryl Sanderson recalls her own science experiences in primary school as lacking excitement and curiosity. When she became a teacher herself, she decided to change that. Today, Sanderson's classroom serves as a pilot for testing new engineering and technology units for the Boston Museum of Science's "Engineering is Elementary" projects. So far, her class has tested units devoted to sound, matter, minerals, plants and rocks. The units allow students to enrich their learning and broaden their understanding as they experiment in teams with hands-on activities. "Helping my students become creative and reflective thinkers, problem solvers and communicators are all goals of my instruction," she says. Sanderson is definitely onto something. Her third and fourth graders now meet and exceed state standards in science and technology. |
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Jenifer Gilbert Posters of the brilliant and inspirational James Watson, Jane Goodall, Miles Davis, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and Jim Henson line the front wall of Jen Gilbert's classroom. They're from Apple Computer's memorable "Think Different" campaign. For Gilbert, the images represent her teaching philosophy, which is inspired by those who think differently. She's committed to arming students with the science understanding, skills, healthy skepticism and, most importantly, curiosity and wonder. Students collect their own data, write about the sense they make of it, talk about their findings and overlay these discussions onto the ways in which scientists think and explain evidence. Gilbert's proudest moments are those small, almost intangible ones when students realize that they have been capable of "thinking differently" all along — that they, too, are brilliant and inspired. |
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Paul McGuinness Paul McGuinness is on a mission to inspire more urban public school students to pursue marine science careers. Along with being the first regional coordinator for New England's underwater robotics competition and leading teacher workshops throughout the state, McGuinness developed the first marine science course in Cambridge and designed an inquiry-based curriculum using underwater robotics. Among his favorite projects: asking students to express their own passions and personality through the study of marine science. Final projects have included expansive murals, compilation discs of ocean-inspired music and elaborate marine-themed board games. McGuinness' students frequently win awards and have landed internships at the New England Aquarium, BlueFin Robotics, MIT, Harvard and Boston University. His most valuable professional achievement to date: developing a diverse group of alumni now studying marine science in college or working in the field as researchers or policy advisors. |
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Brian Dempsey Bone collecting as a youth in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains inspired Brian Dempsey's interest in biology. Now in his 12th year as a science teacher, Dempsey's goal is to make learning fun and relevant by connecting experiences in the classroom to the outside world. Dempsey's students have worked with a local conservation commissioner to learn about wetland ecosystems and to build a bog on the school's nature trail. Students in his advanced placement biology classes visit hospitals, biotechnology companies and a marine rehabilitation center to investigate possible biological careers. His classroom contains live organisms for students to study, including a student-assembled aquarium of fish and frogs, in addition to fruit flies and mice that they use to investigate heredity and behavior. Dempsey received the Outstanding Biology Teacher of Massachusetts award in 2006. "My goal is for students to see themselves as part of global community of scientific investigators," he says. |
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Shari Fedorowicz The sciences, particularly biology and physics, have fascinated Shari Fedorowicz since childhood. She strives to pass that fascination on to her students. It's her responsibility, she notes, to communicate an understanding of the process of science, point students down the path toward uncovering new knowledge and help them develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills that they can use in the real world. "I convey that science isn't limited to the classroom — it takes place everywhere in all different forms," says Fedorowicz, now in her fifth year of teaching. "Keeping students engaged in the classroom with creative ways to learn is a constant challenge and requires constant reflection and evaluation." |
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Sarah Juhlin In just five years of teaching, Sarah Juhlin recognizes that students enjoy anything "gross" and "disgusting." Therefore, Juhlin has developed a "gross and disgusting" curriculum for her science classes. During her introduction to human body systems, for example, she places previously dissected organs in numbered trays around her classroom and asks students to guess their name and location. "Some, of course, are easy — the heart, the lungs, the brain," she says. "Others, like the spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs, always get a wide variety of guesses and never fail to stimulate a discussion. It's extremely important for students to get the opportunity to experience these hands-on labs to help cement the connection between the paper-and-pencil concepts and the actual information we want them to retain." |
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Brian Palm As an environmental science teacher for close to 10 years, Brian Palm says it's crucial that he keeps up with the latest articles and books, along with the environmental trends in business and new markets. "At times, it can be overwhelming," he says. "More often, it is inspiring. It's the connection to the larger world that provides the most substantial hook for each one of my students." Palm demonstrates real-life science applications through various class projects. In fact, his students recently worked with the school's facilities and kitchen staff to reduce food waste. Following the students' recommendations, including the elimination of lunch trays, the staff has reduced food waste by 50 percent and liquid waste by 40 percent, providing the school with a $20,000 cost savings. "Throughout the year, I work to consistently raise the standard of expectation," Palm says. "This creates a productive environment where students come to expect constant challenge." |
