The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is launching a new feature on NBCTLink called Teaching Resources where National Board Certified Teachers across the country can share lessons plans, videos and pictures with one another. The site is open for all 82, 000 NBCTs to post their classroom tips and teaching strategies. NBCTs can access the site by logging into NBCT, and then clicking on Teaching Resources in the blue bar at the top of the Home page.
NBCT Jonathan Gillentine (pictured above) has already posted two lesson plans on the Teaching Resources site. Gillentine is a preschool inclusion teacher from Kaneohe, Hawaii and has been teaching for over 30 years. His lesson plans highlight hands-on ways to teach children about water systems and irrigation.
These same lessons plans helped Jonathan become one of the recipients of the 2010 Zula International-NSTA Early Science Educator Award from the National Science Teachers Association. The award recognizes pre-Kindergarten through second grade teachers who have innovative science inquiry programs in early education.
Gillentine says he submitted his science inquiry lessons for the award because he wanted to help other teachers learn ways to make their classroom more engaging for their students.
“I think that many teachers are hesitant to seek the limelight when it comes to their teaching, Gillentine said. “That is unfortunate in a way, as many teachers have so much to offer their colleagues. I strongly believe that the more we share, the more we grow. That is why I chose to submit my science inquiry lessons for this award, and it has, indeed, been a growing experience.”
Join Gillentine and share your favorite lesson or classroom tip on Teaching Resources.
Questions about the “Teaching Resources” can be sent to nbctlink@nbpts.org.
Think you've got a story to share? Contact:
Jazzy Wright
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Iowa National Board Certified Teacher to be Named 2010 National Teacher of the Year
April 28, 2010
ARLINGTON, VA – For the third time in the past five years, a National Board Certified Teacher will represent the country as National Teacher of the Year.
Sarah Brown Wessling, an English teacher at Johnston High School, in Johnston, Iowa, will be named the 2010 National Teacher of the Year by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony on April 29, 2010.
“As our country’s National Teacher of the Year, Sarah will have a unique and influential voice in education,” said Joseph A. Aguerrebere, president and chief executive officer of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). “Sarah represents the very best of what good teaching is. All of us at NBPTS are proud to know that she is a dedicated professional who has a steadfast commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of her students.”
Wessling, who achieved National Board Certification in 2005, becomes the third National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) to garner this prestigious honor in the past five years. NBCTs Andrea Peterson (Granite Falls, Wash.) and Kimberly Oliver (Silver Spring, Md.) are past National Teachers of the Year in 2007 and 2006 respectively. Other NBCTs named National Teachers of the Year include Betsy Rogers (Alabama, 2003), Michele Forman (Vermont, 2001) and Sharon Draper (Ohio, 1997).
“The National Board Certification process was absolutely instrumental in my experience as a professional educator,” said Wessling, in a February interview with NBPTS. “National Board Certification is crucial because it requires teachers to see students as individuals. The process helps teachers focus on students and discover how they learn. Knowing how a student learns is irreplaceable.”
Wessling is well known for her ability to inspire and challenge her high school students. She begins each academic school year by handing out a copy of Plato’s Parable of the Cave, lighting a candle in the center of the room and asking her students to tell her the course expectations. The practice is done to encourage her students to construct their own learning experience.
Wessling also brings 21st century technology into her classroom. She frequently uses iPod technology to create individual podcasts to grade student papers and says her students benefit from the in-depth feedback she provides. “My students can hear in my voice when I’m recording thoughts about their papers, and they can hear me get excited about their ideas and concepts,” Wessling said. “The podcasts show them that I have thought about them not as students, but as writers.”
Wessling and 18 other NBCTs were named 2010 State Teachers of the Year, including Florida’s Megan Marie Allen, who was among the national finalists.
The National Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the ING Foundation, is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers. For a list of 2010 state teachers of the year, please visit the National Teacher of the Year Web site at www.ccsso.org.
NBCTLink Launching Teaching Resource Feature
Iowa National Board Certified Teacher to be Named 2010 National Teacher of the Year