Gary Case
Gary Case's cooperative science education program at Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John's, Newfoundland was the first in the province and is currently in its fourth year.
Along with ensuring that students receive valuable work experience, Gary has successfully taught at-risk students, helped exceptional students realize their potential and encouraged all his students to achieve more. He also encourages his fellow teachers to use advanced technology. According to a retired colleague, "He has made superlative contributions to science, computer studies and technology education." A parent wrote, "[Our son] found him an inspiring instructor… and attained 94 percent in his final exam. Mr. Case was genuinely interested in the well-being of his students."
In 1992, the Newfoundland and Labrador Science and Technology Advisory Council gave Gary an award for excellence in science teaching.
Approach to teaching
"I want students to have a critical approach to scientific activity, as opposed to a knowledge of scientific mythology."
In all my classes, I challenge my students to take charge of their own learning, and to recognize how they acquire knowledge. Although I'm always there to answer questions, I let my students know that they must prepare questions that show an understanding of their problem. I insist that they give content to the "it" in the statement, "I just don't get it." This effort on their part leads to understanding — and allows me to respond effectively to their questions. This approach shows my respect for students at all levels of ability.
Cooperative education allows students to gain true scientific experience, new knowledge and an appreciation of the working world. I manage the students' experience instead of simply communicating facts. I work in partnership with students, colleagues, administrators, the community and the mentors who receive our cooperative science students. I try to focus constantly on quality of learning from the students' point of view. They have the opportunity to do up-to-date science on their co-op assignments, which develops their advanced analytical and critical skills.
Transferable experience
We began the co-op program at Prince of Wales four years ago with the help of a grant from Employment and Immigration Canada, which paid part of the salaries of the co-op teachers. This program can be set up without separate funding, however. The school and the school board simply agree to reassign a teacher to the program.
Here are some of the important points to consider when setting up a cooperative science education program.
Before the program starts, the co-op teacher evaluates potential candidates by drawing up student profiles and conducting interviews. Students are assessed in terms of motivation and initiative, maturity, teacher recommendations and academic performance, which must be "good" but need not be "exceptional."
We begin the program with a pre-employment module, which runs during the first six weeks of the school year. In this unit, students learn how to fill out applications, design resumes, write cover letters and conduct themselves during job interviews. As they master these skills, they hear about the placements available and select ones that interest them.
The work placement component comprises 200 hours spread out over the full school year. Schedules are designed so that students are out of school five afternoons of each 14-day cycle. A typical works session runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Once in the workplace, each student is assigned a supervisor. The student may work on projects with the supervisor or with a group of scientists, or may be assigned a personal project.
Choosing and managing prospective employers wisely is crucial. I talk to them, making sure they understand that the students must do real scientific research with scientists, as opposed to working as "lab assistants" or "just observing." Many research facilities, engineering firms and technology development companies have responded to this challenge.
An important contribution I can make to my students' experience is to ensure that they are not disappointed by the routine, repetitive and even boring nature of research. This is particularly important when a student joins a project that has been going on for months or even years. I help students become aware of the larger context of their work, and encourage them to ask questions of the scientists with whom they work. When they learn to question, the students understand that some work is repetitive because it is part of a process, and their boredom or frustration vanishes.
I firmly believe that for a program to be considered successful, the students themselves must feel it is valuable. Our final evaluation is based, not only on the pre-employment module, assignments, and employer and teacher evaluations, but also on the students' self-evaluation — their work logs (which are factual) and work journals (in which they record anything they think or feel). This allows us to consider the full work experience: the students' ability to cope, what they learned, what they discovered about science, whether their self-confidence improved and whether they were satisfied with their accomplishments.