2018 Medal Winners | francais

The 2018 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (British Columbia and Yukon)

is awarded to

Giselle Lawrence

"Amazing things happen in physics classrooms all over British Columbia and the Yukon, so it is a great honour for me to be the recipient of this prestigious award for this part of Canada. This recognition will inspire me to continue trying to instill the love for physics in my students. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all colleagues and students that nominated me for this award, my current and former students for being a great source of inspiration, all my colleagues from whom I don’t cease to learn about teaching and learning, and my dear family for their continuous support." winner citation

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2018 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (British Columbia and Yukon) is awarded to Giselle Lawrence, Brentwood College School, in recognition of for her creative use of visuals and technology to teach students the basics of physics, her work in mentoring physics teachers, and her development work in bringing science to Peru. announcement

Giselle is a teacher who inspires and supports students’ curiosity about the world around them, encourages them to ask their own questions and seek their own answers. She achieves highly engaged classes by providing students with multiple hands-on opportunities where students’ voice and choice are encouraged. This teaching style allows her the differentiation required to support the success of each of her students. The use of a variety of technologies and cross-curricular activities play a key role in her approach. An example of this is the use of NASA’s ISS EarthKAM program by her Physics 12 students, in collaboration with junior science and Geography 12 students, to study artificial satellites. Giselle complements her work in class with extracurricular activities such as amusement park physics field trip and UBC Physics Olympics.

Giselle is always open to share her craft with next generations of physics and science teachers as a guest speaker and as sessional adjunct professor at UBC Faculty of Education. In addition, she volunteers as Member of the Executive of the BC Association of Physics Teachers and supports the professional development of physics teachers across British Columbia. Moreover, Giselle has not allowed the distance that separates her physically from her native land, Peru, to limit her commitment to education there. As a volunteer, she has organized and run workshops on Inquiry Based Teaching in Physics for rural secondary science teachers working in impoverished areas of Peru, and for student teachers and teachers at the Instituto Pedagógico Nacional in Lima.
Giselle is an outstanding teacher not only for her diverse teaching approach and her contributions to the professional development of physics teachers and the training of future science teachers but also for her passion for teaching and her commitment to the academic growth and emotional well-being of her students. nominator citation

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