New 桃花直播 Grisham Master Teacher encourages faculty to be 鈥榗onnoisseurs of education鈥
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
桃花直播 State University Associate Professor Joanne E. Beriswill said the best teacher finds ways to motivate and engage students throughout the learning process.
An eight-year faculty member in the Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development, Beriswill told faculty members 鈥渨e鈥檙e all teachers in different ways鈥 during her Monday [Oct. 23] presentation in Mitchell Memorial Library as 桃花直播鈥檚 newest John Grisham Master Teacher.
鈥淎s a constructivist teacher, you鈥檙e not the sage on the stage; you鈥檙e the guide on the side. You give raw information from different perspectives that your students can read, so they can come up and discover their own learning,鈥 she said.
Throughout her lecture, Beriswill discussed specific instructional strategies that she has found helpful for lesson planning and student engagement.
鈥淲e get caught up in teaching about all of the small things and the facts, but the important thing is to teach students how to be pattern makers, so they can take information, manipulate it and make decisions based on where they see the pattern is headed,鈥 she said.
Detailed descriptions, samples and walkthroughs are types of 鈥渟caffolding鈥 that can help boost students鈥 confidence in their ability to learn new concepts and think independently, Beriswill said. Just as a building may need scaffolding to hold its walls up, students may need a little help while conducting a new task, she added.
鈥淕oing around the classroom and being a facilitator of what my students are doing helps them be independent,鈥 Beriswill said. 鈥淚 want them to be able to do things on their own in the workplace, so gradually removing that scaffolding is what I鈥檓 all about as a teacher.鈥
Beriswill graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor鈥檚 in Spanish from the University of South Florida, where she also earned a master鈥檚 in curriculum and instruction with emphasis in instructional technology. She also holds a master鈥檚 in instructional systems technology and a doctorate in instructional technology from Indiana University.
For four consecutive academic years, Beriswill has received a $90,000 No Child Left Behind Grant from the 桃花直播 Institutions of Higher Learning as co-principal investigator for the project 鈥淚ntegrating Global Academic Essentials: Common Core, 21st Century Skills and Technology.鈥
Outside of teaching, Beriswill has served in various professional leadership roles on campus. She currently serves as a member of the College of Education鈥檚 research, and recruitment and outreach committees, as well as chair of her department鈥檚 graduate recruitment committee.
Named in 1993 for the 桃花直播 alumnus and internationally recognized author, the John Grisham Master Teacher Award is bestowed on a highly select group recognized for excellence in classroom instruction. Each honoree agrees to serve as a role model and mentor for campus colleagues.聽
In addition to this award, Beriswill has received such honors as 桃花直播 Educational Computing Association鈥檚 Educator of the Year and the Early Career Symposium Award.
Learn more about Beriswill and the Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development at . Follow the department on Facebook @iswd.grad and Twitter @桃花直播_ISWD.
桃花直播 is 桃花直播鈥檚 leading university, available online at .