This summer fewer than 100 math and science educators received the nation’s highest honor in their field. Chancellor High School math teacher Kimberly Riddle ’98, M.Ed ’04, was among them. “These teachers are the best of the best,” President Obama said of the 97 winners of the 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), reserved for those who develop and implement effective instructional programs. Riddle has spent a decade teaching algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, and other courses at the Spotsylvania County, Va., high school. Lacing her classes with hands-on activities and discussion, she’s advocated for curriculum changes in algebra-based courses since attending a 2008 session about the importance of visualizations, context, and pattern building. “Knowledge gained should not be withheld for self-serving purposes,” Riddle said on the PAEMST website. “Knowledge should be shared with colleagues.” The award-winning teacher earned two … [Read more...]
More Than Making It
3-D printing has taken off in the last few years as the technology has become more affordable and widely available. And as often is the case with emerging technologies, it’s landed at UMW. Today a Simpson Library classroom – dubbed the Think Lab – is home to 3-D MakerBot printers and a first-year seminar called Mashups and MakerBots. Instructional Technology Specialist Tim Owens and Professor of Education George Meadows team up there to teach printing, electronics, and robotics. This fall, 16 first-year students from across disciplines are learning the basics of circuitry and automation while designing 3-D objects, from the simple – think key rings and iPad covers – to intricate works of art. Seven of Meadows’ master of science in education students are using the lab to get to know the technologies, too. Meadows hopes the graduate students’ time in the Think Lab will make them more confident and willing to try new things in the classroom when they are teachers. And they … [Read more...]