Share this Story
NABT/BSCS Biology Teacher Academy Returns to VWC
Weeklong program, taking place on campus July 10-15, promotes scientific inquiry through meaningful classroom strategies
News Release | July 11, 2016
High school educators from the Commonwealth and beyond have traveled to Virginia Wesleyan College this week for the National Association of Biology Teachers/Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (NABT/BSCS) Biology Teacher Academy, presented in partnership with HHMI BioInteractive.
The workshop, in its second year, is a collaborative endeavor of VWC faculty and NABT Academy Biology Teacher-Leaders. It focuses on promoting rigor in high school biology and AP classes through classroom experiences and strategies that engage students in scientific inquiry. The weeklong program, taking place July 10-15, is funded by HHMI BioInteractive and the Virginia Department of Education.
“The partnerships that we have with colleges and universities are priceless,” says Eric Rhoades, Director of the Office of Science and Health Education at the Virginia Department of Education. “Due to our relatively small staff, we wouldn’t have the manpower to offer professional development, especially intense professional development like this. This really allows us to broaden our reach and allows us to access experts in their fields.”
Approximately 30 participants are convening during the week in Blocker Hall—Virginia Wesleyan’s natural sciences building—to build common experiences through lab work, metacognition activities, curriculum development, and work on the College’s Scanning Electron Microscope.
“It’s an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our facilities and our department and what we have to offer,” says VWC Professor of Biology Vic Townsend, a content specialist for the event. "A lot of people don’t think about the sciences being a part of the liberal arts—we have a very active, vibrant science department.”
So vibrant, in fact, that enrollment in the natural sciences has grown by 99 percent in the last five years and biology has flourished to become one of the most popular majors. Since 2010, the College has invested more than $4.5 million in renovations to Blocker Hall, among them the creation of several research labs; updates to the auditorium; and the addition of the Scanning Electron Microscope. A complement to these renovations will be the forthcoming Greer Environmental Sciences Center, a state-of-the-art facility scheduled for completion in summer 2017.
“The facilities have been phenomenal,” says Karen Lucci, an NABT Academy Biology Teacher-Leader from Pennington, New Jersey. “The teachers have room to collaborate, work together, and move comfortably. The space has been absolutely tremendous. I think by the end of the week the participants will really walk away with a new perspective on teaching biology, with some new ideas, and energized for the new school year.”
For additional information, visit the NABT/BSCS Biology Teacher Academy webpage or contact Hilve Firek at hfirek@vwu.edu.