Thursday, January 4, 2007 Older Editions

Peggy Corbett Awards: Kindling creativity in the classroom

By April Guilmet

Former Andover High School science teacher Peggy Corbett was constantly worried that her students were being turned off to her subject. Nine years after her death, her husband, Chris, is still trying to encourage creativity in local science classrooms.

On Tuesday, Jan. 2, Corbett awarded 14 of the district's teachers with grants intended to offer a fresh, new look at old knowledge.

"This is basically a wish list for teachers who want to take their topic to the next step," said Assistant Superintendent Marcia O'Neil. Jane Anthony, who teaches eighth-grade chemistry, weather, and anatomy and physiology at Wood Hill Middle School, was one teacher whose wish was answered.

"Chemistry is pretty abstract. And so is weather. You can only make so many cotton clouds," Anthony said. Her goal, she said, is to use more inquiry-based methods of teaching.

"Let the children play," Anthony said. Her program, "Science is Fun," will, indeed, incorporate play into the curriculum.

She'll use her grant funds to purchase "fun stuff" such as "glow-germ" lotion, which makes germs glow under black lights; Jell-O molds for making life-sized, squishy hearts and brains; and a hand-held vacuum that demonstrates air pressure on marshmallows.

Lisa Brouillad, a sixth-grade teacher at West Middle School, will use her grant to bring the Boston Museum of Science Star Lab to her school.

"One reason I want to do this is that the kids seem to ask the most questions about astronomy," Brouillad said. "So we're trying to offer them more."

Doherty Middle School teachers Paula Parker and Elizabeth Farnham will also bring the Star Lab to their school.

When eighth-grade West Middle School teacher Roxanne Plaskon attended a conference last year, she discovered Science World Magazine. Plaskon and fellow West teacher Todd Fawcett, not present at the ceremony, were both impressed by the magazine's presentation of the science world's latest evolutions. Thanks to her grant, she was also able to purchase new books and DVDs covering topics such as the discovery of oxygen. These will come in handy during Plaskon's new weekly enrichment course.

New to the district, Danvers transplant Thomas Desjardins, an eighth-grade teacher at Doherty Middle School, is faced with the daunting task of teaching genetics.

"It's not a very easy subject to teach," Desjardins said, laughing, "so I came out with Guppy Genetics."

The class is raising guppies, which are ideal for the project because they tend to multiply quickly, Desjardins said. The project can adapt easily for children with special needs.

"My special education students may not understand genetics, but they can still get to feel the pride of caring for a pet," Desjardins said.

Fellow Doherty teacher Robert Bachman teaches Newton's Laws of Motion to his students by having them build and launch rockets in groups. Applying the laws of motion in true Newtonian fashion, each group will then write a report.

At Andover High School, teachers Jane Sontag, Mollie Shenker, Frank Wroblewski, Laura Hajdukiewicz, Paula Brady and Darlene Doucet all earned Corbett grants. Sontag will use hers to purchase new computer simulations and videos. When it comes to teaching genetics and molecular biology, she said seeing is everything.

Shenker, who teaches marine biology, will use her grant to control the temperature of her classroom's 110-gallon saltwater tank. Last year, she took her students to the seashore, where they collected many specimens. But as summer approached and the temperatures rose, many of the creatures accustomed to cold, New England waters perished. This year, she'll be able to keep more creatures alive.

Wroblewski, who teaches an elective microscopy course, used last year's grant to purchase a special saw to cut rocks.

"Now we can see the difference between igneous and sedimentary rocks," Wroblewski said. This year, a polarizing microscope, which shines light through different minerals in rock specimens, will allow students to get an even closer look.

"They enjoy it. It looks like a kaleidoscope. You can see details which you'd be unable to see holding the sample in your hand," she said.

Hajdukiewicz, who teaches anatomy and physiology, said visual aids are a crucial part of her class, but can be expensive. She requested a working lung model from the Corbett Society. "Almost every day the kids make a connection between what they're learning and their own bodies. So it's important," Hajdukiewicz said. She also will purchase a transparent "Thin Man" model, which allows students to peel away layers, showing the body's different structural systems.

Chemistry teacher Brady said she would purchase an opaque projector, making her lessons more engaging to students. Doucet, who teaches physical science, plans to build a science library.

"This will give students access to materials outside of textbooks," Brady said.

According to Chris Corbett, between 40 and 60 local donors contribute funds to his foundation each year, making science interesting to students from all over town.