David Bird, PHS Science Department Chair

faculty profile:

dAVid Bird

An avid outdoorS man and world traveler, dAVid Bird, Science Department Chair, incorporates innovative and engaging approaches to teaching the sciences at Providence High School.

whAt is your educAtionAl BAckground?

For my undergrad, I double majored in Psychology and Biology with a focus on Zoology. For my Zoology program, I performed research on two arboreal species of squirrels. For my Psychology program I did research on behaviorism and learning. I then earned a Master’s in Science Education. For my Master’s degree I generated a new method for teaching science that revolves around student generated textbooks. Currently, I am working on a PhD in Teaching, Learning, and Culture at Claremont Graduate University. For my PhD, I am researching accessibility of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) classes

how long hAVe you tAught At Phs? Prior to Phs, did you teAch elsewhere?

This is my sixth year teaching at PHS. Prior to teaching at Providence, I taught for the Youth Science Center. I developed after school science programs for under-performing middle schools. I would visit these middles schools and teach an engaging science lesson three times a week.

hAVe you AlwAys Been interested in science, eVen As A student yourself?

I loved science when I was in elementary and middle school. Once I entered high school, I lost interest in science partly due to the science teachers I had. I was told that science and math were too hard for me and that I was not good at them. I believed the adults and stuck to photography classes. I had always wanted to make nature documentaries and work with animals, so photography was a great second option for me. It was not until college that I rediscovered my love of science. I was still insecure about my science potential so I double majored in Psychology.

it seems As though you “think outside the Box” when it comes to PlAnning your curriculum. whAt insPires you to come uP with new And innoVAtiVe APProAches to teAching?

Learning should be fun. Students love science when they are in elementary school, just like I did, because it is fun. Once they get to high school, science stops being fun. I want to put the fun and curiosity back in science. I am not doing it just for the students, I do it for myself as well. I would hate to teach the same thing over and over again on autopilot. The students and the teacher should be enjoying themselves. I try and think about what I would have wanted to do in high school, then I make it happen.

science cAn Be A tough suBject. do you find your students to Be more engAged As A result of incorPorAting different teAching methods? hAVe you noticed them to Be more enthusiAstic when it comes to leArning?

There is no doubt that science can be hard. I believe that if you enjoy something, you are willing to put in the work. My approach is to make science enjoyable enough to where the students want to put in the work. If you do not enjoy something, you are not willing to work hard at it. In order to make science enjoyable for everyone, I am constantly incorporating different teaching methods.

is there A PArticulAr suBject AreA thAt you enjoy teAching more?

I enjoy teaching marine biology and zoology the most. My passion lies in nature not in microbiology. I love backpacking and spending time out in nature. Being able to bring that experience into the classroom means a lot to me. I have been slowly creating my own marine biology and zoology videos for my teaching website.

is there A PArticulAr lAB exPeriment thAt your students took PArt in thAt wAs esPeciAlly interesting?

There is a lab where the students use termite pheromones to train termites to complete mazes designed by the students. It is fun to see how excited the students get when the termites actually walk the maze.

whAt Are some of your fAVorite moments As A teAcher?

When we go to the aquarium or the zoo and I hear the students talking about the animals. Seeing them apply their new knowledge outside of a classroom makes me feel like I have been successful in my job.

you recently took A triP to PAnAmA. cAn you exPlAin the significAnce of thAt triP And whAt you took AwAy from it?

Going to Panama was an awesome experience for me. I was able to follow in the footsteps of the original Sisters of Providence. I hiked through the rainforest from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. I was able to film the experience and make a nature documentary for my biology students. I think it is important for them to see their teacher out in the field practicing what he teaches. It makes the subject relevant. It was the first of many nature documentaries that I have begun filming for my students.

As science dePArtment chAir, how do you see the dePArtment eVolVing? Are there Any PArticulAr suBject AreAs you’d like to see Phs offer?

I see the science department evolving in a STEM direction. We will slowly be combining the sciences and the technology classes to create integrated STEM projects. We already have so many science electives that it would be hard to add more. We do not have the teachers to teach them or the students to fill them, but I think it would be fun to teach a backpacking, hiking, and survival class.

(PHoto on oPPoSite Page waS taken at Plitvice lakeS in croatia.)