summary areas_of_expertise professional_experience education_and_honors scholarly_publications professional_affiliations additional_information

Objective
  Move a school district and high-needs schools within the district to the next level in academic performance by implementing evidence-based instructional practices as the Director of Student Achievement.

Summary
  Highly motivated, qualified, thoughtful, articulate, and conscientious science and technology educator and leader with over 18-years of teaching experience in middle and high schools, across three continents. Excelled as a scholar-teacher and school leader by consistently increasing student achievement in high needs secondary schools in the United States these past five years (with 100% of all subgroups of students scoring at the 90th percentile and above in their post-test mean scores). Developed strong relationships in all the schools taught, and earned the respect and admiration of faculty, students, staff, parents, and senior level administrators as IB® physics, AP® physics, Physics Engineering Technology, Applied Technology teacher.

Authored a $1.49 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support quality teaching and learning in the school (see FAQs) using the Learn by Design Model, lead-authored an article on Nurturing Teacher Excellence for an upcoming issue on Principal Leadership, promoted the importance of teaching "higher-level literacy skills" across the four core academic subjects, and recipient of the prestigious Order of the Filament Award for Technology Innovation Design and Engineering (TIDE) educators.

Scholarly interests driven by three questions. How can we design innovative, evidence-based methods to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics ("STEM") in secondary schools? How do we galvanize, nurture and sustain student motivation and engagement for learning? How can we promote teaching for transfer, when students use their learning and understanding from one subject and apply it in other subject-areas and real-life situations?
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Areas of Expertise
• Instruction • Leadership
• Program Evaluation • Innovation
• Curriculum Development • Communication
• Grant Writing • Stand-up Training
• Event Planning • Content Management
 
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Professional Experience
1. OVERLAND HIGH SCHOOL, Aurora, CO Fall 2006 – 
AP® Physics/Science Teacher
  Responsible for teaching AP® physics, honors physics, and physics & engineering technology classes.
     
  • Received the prestigious Order of the Filament Award from the Colorado Technology Education Association for Technology Innovation Design and Engineering (TIDE) educators. This award is given each year to a single educator from the K-20 continuum.
  • Authored a $1.491 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support quality teaching and learning in the school (see FAQs)
  • Motivated 90% of my honors physics students to take the AP-Physics B examination in 2007.
  • Recognized by the Science Coordinator, who wrote: "You are the most deserving educational Ph.D. I have ever met-by far. Keep doing all that you do for kids to make them all they can be."
  • Inspired 80% of my physics students to present major concepts in physics through thoughtful video demonstrations
  • Appreciated by parents, who take time to say thanks. For instance, a parent e-mailed on November 13, 2007: "Just a quick note to thank you for spending some conference time with Tommy and me. You're one of those teachers with a gift for speaking to the potential and to the future of kids like Tommy. I am profoundly grateful that Tommy is in your class. Thank you again for all you do. I'm so glad to know you!"
  • Disseminated the importance of promoting students' "higher-level literacy skills" through "STEM" (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education at Overland and beyond through conference presentations and authoring scholarly publications.
  • Redesigned the entire Colorado Technology Education Association (CTEA) website to reflect the importance of technology education
  • Contributed significant ideas to increase student achievement at both the CSAP Science Day and CSAP Success Team Retreat by re-focusing attention on the fundamental purpose of these standardized assessments.
  • Testified at the Joint Senate and House Education Committee of the Colorado General Assembly during the Colorado MESA Presentation and instrumental in framing the importance of "STEM" education to successfully have House Bill 1243 passed – Funding to support after-school STEM programs – that was signed by Governor Bill Ritter on May 2, 2007.
  • Presented and participated in physics, engineering, and technology education meetings and conferences state-wide and nation-wide (invited speaker in Greensboro, NC) every year.
     
2. iLearn, LLC, Educational Consultants, Lafayette, CO Since May 2007  
  Founder and President
  Design innovative, evidence-based methods to teach (science and engineering) in secondary schools.
Designing customized instructional models for increasing student achievement.
Evaluate the effectiveness of programs and projects.
     
  • Project evaluator for the JumpStart grant in the nine-county WIRED Initiative awarded to Colorado MESA by the U.S. Department of Labor.
     
3. ANGEVINE MIDDLE SCHOOL, Lafayette, CO Fall 2003 – Fall 2006
Applied Technology Teacher
     
  Responsible for the growth and improvement of the technology and pre-engineering programs. Developed a challenging program. Actively collaborated with colleagues in the school to improve students’ academic achievement school-wide as I taught science, AT, GTT, MESA, SSP, & TE.
     
  • Disseminated students' outstanding performances to parents, colleagues and the larger community, and featured in an EdTech: Focus on K-12 article.
  • Expertise and education, recognized by CDE, as important for participation in the 2006 CSAP Standard Setting - Science meeting to help decide "what is" good enough for students of Colorado
  • Nominated by peers from Colorado as 2005-2006 President of the Colorado Technology Education Association
  • Motivated all my students to bring out their best academic performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by challenging their minds and hands
  • Supported Centaurus High School at a Board of Education meeting and successfully helped the school add the IB program to its offerings
• Developed and maintain web sites http://www.doers.us and http://www.NathanB.us to enhance students' motivation and learning
• Evaluated the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program statewide and presented results at a MESA Industry Advisory Board meeting
  • Designed a coat of arms with students for guiding our program’s vision and shared it with parents at Parent -Teacher conferences
  • Prepared a “coping strategies graphic organizer,” shared with students and colleagues, and used it consciously to promote knowledge transfer
  • Secured funding for purchasing Probeware in May 2004 by clearly articulating the need to Angevine's Parent Teacher Organization
  • Lead-authored and secured funding for starting Angevine's AMGEN Engineering Science and Mathematics Alliance in Fall 2004
   
4. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT DENVER & MONACO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, Commerce City Spring 2003
Adjunct Instructor and Teacher Coach
5. METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE, Denver & RED ROCKS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Lakewood Fall 2002
Professional Tutor
6. EMIRATES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, Dubai,   UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 1994-2002
Physics Teacher and GCSE Coordinator
  • Writing to me after a decade of leaving the school, in his e-mail dated November 27, 2007, my former High School Principal, Sig Jensen said: "It has been a long time since we worked together but I still remember your enthusiastic approach to teaching physics."
  • Motivated students enough for them to remember and e-mail me after a decade from all over the world.
7. THE MODERN HIGH SCHOOL, Dubai,   UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Spring 1994
Post Graduate Teacher in Physics
8. VIDYA MANDIR SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, Madras,   INDIA 1993
Post Graduate Teacher in Physics
9. THE SCHOOL - Krishnamurti Foundation India, Madras,   INDIA 1989-1993
Senior Teacher of Physics
Responsible for teaching physics and science. Taught physics at the IGCSE and IB levels, ISC and ICSE levels, developed science web pages for use with my students http://www.InNathansWorld.com
   
  • Made successful Staff Development Presentations
  • Nominated for the Distinguished Teacher Award 2002 at the Secondary Level for the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance
  • Recognized by former students for teaching excellence.  Received a Commendation Letter from the Dean of Admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA in Fall 2000
  • Promoted greater involvement between parents, school and the community as Member of the School Council, 1991-92 and 1992-93
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Education and Honors
1. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO at Denver 2007
Ph.D., Educational Leadership & Innovation
2. THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom 2003
Master of Education in Educational Management
3. UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS,
Loyola College, India		 1988
Master of Science in Physics
4. UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS, India 1986
Bachelor of Science, Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics
  Gold Medalist
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Selected Scholarly Publications
1. Nurturing Teacher Excellence through the Learn by Design Model (LBDM) (2008) Article to be published in Principal Leadership. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary School Principals.
   
1. Learning by Design: Teachers and Students as Co-creators of Knowledge (2007) Book Chapter to be published in Educational Technology: Opportunities and Challenges. Edited by Kari Kumpulainen, University of Oulu, Finland.
   
2. Innovative Methods of Teaching Science and Engineering in Secondary Schools (2006) Paper published in Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (JSCI), Vol. 4 (No. 6).
   
3. Increasing Student Achievement through Meaningful, Authentic Assessment (2006) Paper Presented at Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE) 2006 International Conference. PowerPoint Presentation
   
4. Games and Simulations (2006) Invited ForeSITE article for SITE's interest group at the 17th International Conference of the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE)
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Professional Affiliations
1. American Association of Physics Teachers
2. Colorado Technology Education Association
3. International Technology Education Association
4. American Physical Society
5. Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education
 
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Additional Information
  http://www.NathanB.us
References available upon request

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