DALLAS, Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – As part of its commitment to promoting effective teaching and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, the Texas Instruments (TI) Foundation presented its Innovations in STEM Teaching Awards today to 14 teachers from the Dallas, Mesquite, Plano and Richardson Independent School Districts (ISDs) at a ceremony at TI’s Dallas headquarters.
Since 2007, the TI Foundation has invested $900,000 in the STEM Awards to recognize and help retain 90 excellent teachers in these North Texas school districts.
The awards honor local secondary math and science teachers who consistently demonstrate quality instruction and build student achievement in the STEM subjects. Each honoree receives $10,000, of which $5,000 is directly awarded to the teacher. The other $5,000 is to be used at his or her discretion for professional development or instructional technology. The grants are awarded through the Richardson ISD Excellence in Education Foundation, the Plano ISD Education Foundation, the Mesquite ISD Education Foundation and the Dallas Education Foundation.
“We are proud to recognize the achievements these teachers are making in the classroom, and we truly value the important work they are doing,” said Ann Pomykal, TI Foundation director of major education gifts. “Without effective STEM teachers, students might not see the relevance of these disciplines to their future.”
“We focus our support on teacher effectiveness as a key strategy to improving student achievement in math and science. We’re especially passionate about reaching girls and minorities who are underrepresented in STEM careers in North Texas as well as throughout the country,” she said. “These teachers are creating a better future by making the STEM fields exciting and accessible to all students.”
Principals nominate teachers for the STEM awards based on criteria, such as demonstrating and documenting teaching effectiveness, establishing classroom innovation, participating in education activities outside the classroom, and encouraging curiosity and increasing interest in STEM subjects among students. Teams within each district review the applications and make classroom observations. A list of finalists is then submitted to the districts’ foundations, and winners are selected.
The 14 TI Foundation STEM Award recipients for 2014 are:
Dallas ISD
/Thelvie Cullins, School for the Talented and Gifted, teaches math. Cullins’ mantra is “Learn math. Don’t memorize it.” He has designed his own curriculum and teaching materials from scratch and structures his class in a way that rewards student perseverance and learning from mistakes. His students regularly receive outstanding scores – 85 percent of his students scored 3+ on their AP exams, versus 40 percent for the district overall.
Elizabeth Jordan, Emmett J. Conrad High School, teaches engineering. By applying her experiences in the engineering business world, Jordan brings that world into her classroom. She started a robotics program a few years ago with minimal supplies. Today, she has a full functioning engineering lab where students create and build robots to perform tasks identified during their research.
Lashonda Roberson, Raul Quintanilla Sr. Middle School, teaches science. Roberson routinely has her students work with technology to compute, analyze and present information. She introduces fun, interactive, research-based replications of physical phenomena designed to enable students to connect real-life occurrences with the underlying science.
Dr. Durgha Shanmugan-Johnson, Hillcrest High School, teaches science. The effectiveness of Dr. Shanmugan-Johnson’s physics classes lies in her ability to motivate students to use analytical and graphical methods in collaboration with surrounding technology to navigate through scientific principles.
Brian Romero Smith, Harry Stone Montessori Academy, teaches middle school technology and computer science. With his philosophy of “Meet Them Where They Are,” Smith uses tools that students are already excited about like mobile phones to create a classroom that engages even the most reluctant students.
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