2011 Medal Winners | francais

The 2011 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (Prairies and Northwest Territories)

is awarded to

Patricia D Mitchler

"I am honoured to receive this teaching award for doing something that I love to do so much and I am thrilled to finally have the funds to purchase some long-coveted technology for my classroom! I accept this award on behalf of all my colleagues who work tirelessly to promote student learning." winner citation

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2011 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (Prairies and Northwest Territories) is awarded to Patricia D Mitchler, Kelvin High School (Winnipeg, MB), in recognition of her creative abilities in teaching physics that leads to outstanding student performance. With an exceptional understanding of scientific pedagogy, Patricia has created a climate of learning in the classroom that produces student excellence. Putting as much effort into broad classroom instruction as well as personal mentoring, her students continually place in the provincial top ten in the CAP physics high school prize exam year after year. She is a truly gifted educator, and we are most happy to honour her achievements. announcement

Dr. Patricia Mitchler is an outstanding classroom teacher with an exceptional ability to communicate physics concepts. She motivates students to learn physics through her creativity and boundless enthusiasm for the subject. Dr. Mitchler fosters a positive climate for learning in her classroom where students feel both safe and challenged. Her classroom is always open for those who need extra help or support. She successfully encourages her students to participate in contests, including the CAP High School Physics Prize Examination, and physics related extra curricular activities, even those held on a Saturday. Under her tutelage, contest participants have consistently placed well in the province and her large classes of International Baccalaureate Higher Level Physics students perform well above world average. Her extensive knowledge of physics content combined with a deep understanding of pedagogy makes her a valued mentor to other physics teachers. She serves the physics education community in many ways including sharing materials and methods with her colleagues and providing professional development opportunities. She is a member of the Manitoba, Ontario and American Associations of Physics Teachers. Dr. Mitchler holds a Ph.D. in physics and has retained her relationship with the wider physics community by her membership in the Canadian Association of Physicists and the Institute of Physics. She sits on the executive of the CAP Division of Physics Education and received her Professional Physicist designation in 2002. Ever the physics teacher, Patricia Mitchler educates her fellow performers in the Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble about the physics concepts related to their dance movements! She was awarded the University of Manitoba Certificate of Teaching Excellence in 2008 for outstanding teaching ability. Her teaching promise was recognized in 2000 by the university, which awarded her the Gold Medal in Education, the Truesdale Medal and a scholarship for aptitude for science instruction. nominator citation

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